List of automobiles considered the worst

This is a list of automobiles known for negative reception. There are no objective quantifiable standards. Cars on this list may have been judged by poor critical reception, poor customer reception, safety defects, and/or poor workmanship. Different sources use a variety of criteria for including negative reception that includes the worst cars for the environment, meeting criteria that includes the worst crash test scores, the lowest projected reliability, and the lowest projected residual values, earning a "not acceptable" rating after thorough testing, determining if a car has performed to expectations using owner satisfaction surveys whether they "would definitely buy the same car again if given the choice," as well as "lemon lists" of unreliable cars with bad service support, and the opinionated writing with humorous tongue-in-cheek descriptions by "self pro-claimed voice of reason."

For inclusion, these automobiles have either been referred to in popular publications as the worst of all time, or have received negative reviews across multiple publications. Some of these cars were popular on the marketplace or were critically praised at their launch, but have earned a negative retroactive reception, while others are not considered to be intrinsically "bad", but have acquired infamy for safety or emissions defects that damaged the car's reputation. Conversely, some vehicles which were poorly received at the time ended up being reevaluated by collectors and became cult classics.

1940s

Triumph Mayflower (1949–53)

The Triumph Mayflower was an attempt by Triumph to manufacture a luxury small car that, as its name suggests, was to appeal mainly to the US market. It shared some components with the Standard Vanguard and had a motor that was based on that of the Standard Ten. Its body was largely inspired by the Rolls-Royce and Bentley luxury limousines of the era, most notably the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn, but was much smaller, thus making the design and proportions look rather odd. The body was also rather heavy, which combined with the small motor made the car underpowered and slow, reaching a top speed of . James May called it the ugliest car ever built, saying about it "Its details are ugly, its overall proportions are ugly, its very concept – as a car to appeal to Americans who believed they were directly descended from the Pilgrim Fathers – makes one shudder." '' Stuff.co.nz'' included in an article on ''Cars that should never have been built'', saying about it: "It always looked like the misshapen out of scale miniature of the larger, more elegant Renown model, viewed in the distorted reflection of a fairground mirror." It was featured in the books "The Worst Cars Ever Sold" by Giles Chapman, "Naff Motors: 101 Automotive Lemons" by Tony Davis and "The World's Worst Cars" by Craig Cheetham, who said that it had "the appearance of a Rolls-Royce Phantom that had been chopped in the middle."

1950s

Nash/Austin Metropolitan (1954–62)

The Nash Metropolitan was one of the first attempts by a US car maker to produce a small car "which would be mainly used as a second car." Compared to other small cars of the era, it was to be much more luxurious, intended to be "a big car in miniature" by its main developer George Mason. It was also one of the first cars specifically designed for and marketed towards women, being advertised as "a motorized shopping cart for affluent urban gals." It was developed by Nash in co-operation with British Austin Motors, who also produced it at their Longbridge plant, making it the first US-developed car to be entirely produced in a different country. However, despite having large marketing efforts put into the project, it never sold as well as planned and ended up as a commercial failure. The main reasons for this were considered its poor performance, poor handling, poor reliability, and the small market for small economy cars on the US market, with a rising prosperity that, despite Nash considering it exactly the car America needed, made the trend go to bigger, full-size cars. Austin also sold it under its own brand, and later as a standalone brand, on the European market, but it was not successful there either, with about 9,300 units sold. Brian Sewell of ''The Independent'' called it "one of the nastiest cars ever built." '' Stuff.co.nz'' included in its list of "Cars that should never have been built," saying: "Designed to conquer the US market by combining Nash styling with British small car mechanicals and innovation, the Metropolitan was an abject failure being the worst of both worlds." ''Money Inc.'' included it in its list of the 20 worst cars ever made, calling it "One of the biggest bombs in automotive history and definitely one of the worst cars ever made." The car has gained a cult following, with a small, but enthusiastic fan base in North America and Europe maintaining surviving examples and the collector's price for good cars rising, now reaching almost three times its original price.

Renault Dauphine (North American version) (1956–67)

While the Renault Dauphine was a major sales success in Europe, where it is seen as one of the forerunners of the modern economy car, it received a very strong negative reception in the United States, largely for its poor performance and poor reliability. A period review of the Dauphine by ''Road & Track'' magazine found that the Dauphine took 32 seconds to accelerate to from a standstill. Autoblog included the Dauphine on its list of "The 20 Dumbest Cars of All Time" and it was included on ''Time'' list of the "50 Worst Cars of All Time", with writer Dan Neil calling it "The most ineffective bit of French engineering since the Maginot Line", while noting that its performance "put the Dauphine at a severe disadvantage in any drag race involving farm equipment." ''Car Talk'' also placed the Dauphine 9th on its 2000 "Worst Car of the Millennium" poll and was named the 67th worst car of all time by Edmunds.com.

Another problem that damaged its reputation was rust. A 2008 retrospective article in ''The Independent'' said: "as soon as the US market had come to grips with the Dauphine's swing-axle manners and useless acceleration, they were pole-axed by its abysmal corrosion record. It would take only one New York winter of driving on salt-strewn roads to give a Dauphine front wings that resembled net curtains." Renault apologized for the Dauphine's flaws in American print advertisements, marketing its successor, the Renault 8, as "The Renault for people who swore they wouldn't buy another one".

Trabant (1957–90)

The Trabant P50 was introduced in Communist East Germany in 1957, followed shortly afterward by the updated 601 in 1963. Because of its outdated and inefficient two-stroke engine (which produced poor fuel economy, low power output, and thick, smoky exhaust fumes), duroplast body, and production shortages, the Trabant was regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the economic downturn of East Germany and of the fall of the Eastern Bloc. Many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989. However, the end of the GDR also meant the end of the Trabant as it wasn't competitive anymore against its new, much more sophisticated West German, French, and Japanese competitors that quickly conquered the East German and Eastern European markets following the fall of the wall and the end of the Eastern Bloc. VEB Sachsenring, the manufacturer, tried to respond with an updated Trabant, the Trabant 1.1, that was first shown in 1989 and featured a new four-stroke engine by Volkswagen, but this proved too little too late to save the outdated car, and production of the new version lasted only about two years. ''Time'' magazine named the Trabant one of the 50 worst cars of all time, and it was included in ''Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate'' with author Eric Peters describing its two-stroke, 18 horsepower engine as "Notorious for producing a billowing contrail of smoke, while its unsynchronized manual transmission required at least a fifth of Stolichnaya to deal with effectively." Automotive journalist Dan Neil said the Trabant was the car "that gave communism a bad name" and was "a hollow lie of a car constructed of recycled worthlessness." He also noted that after East Germans drove their Trabants to freedom in West Germany, they immediately abandoned them. Edmunds.com ranked the Trabant as the 9th worst car of all time, claiming it is "one more reason why Communism is evil." In his book "Crap Cars", Richard Porter ranked it the 9th worst car ever and said: "Before the old borders were broken down, us in the West thought we knew how harsh life was behind the Iron Curtain. Then we saw the Trabant. Oh, the humanity." It was the butt of jokes in East Germany. After the end of the GDR, these jokes quickly spread to West Germany as well and also became a pop culture phenomenon when comedy films like '' Go Trabi Go'' and '' Trabbi Goes to Hollywood'' featured Trabants as important plot devices. However, despite, and partly even because of its poor image, the Trabant has gained a strong cult following in the whole of reunified Germany, with many collectors clubs across the country maintaining them. Today it is considered a recognizable nostalgic symbol of the bygone world of the GDR that, together with other products considered typical for East Germany, regained popularity since the reunification due to " Ostalgie", a German term referring to nostalgia for aspects of life in East Germany.

Edsel (1958)

Launched with considerable publicity, the Edsel (named after Henry Ford's son) was the culmination of $400 million in investment and marketing by the Ford Motor Company to create a new brand of car positioned between the entry-level Ford and the medium-priced Mercury brand that was to compete against the General Motors brands Buick and Oldsmobile. Marketed as a radically different new car, the Edsel failed to impress the buying public – despite containing new features such as self-adjusting brakes and automatic lubrication, which would later be adopted across the automotive industry – as it mainly consisted of Ford and Mercury components already used in other vehicles. It became such a large commercial failure that the name "Edsel" remains synonymous with "commercial failure" in American popular culture. It was a big financial flop, generating losses estimated between $250 million and $350 million and bankrupting many Ford dealers. ''Time'' magazine included it on its list of "The 50 Worst Cars of All Time", with automotive journalist Dan Neil writing that while the Edsel was not a bad car, "It was the first victim of Madison Avenue hyper-hype. Ford's marketing mavens had led the public to expect some plutonium-powered, pancake-making wondercar; what they got was a Mercury." ''The Los Angeles Times'' included it on its list of the 10 worst cars sold in the United States, calling it a "redecorated Mercury that had been beaten with an ugly stick. The legendary flop of all automotive flops." CNBC placed the Edsel on its list of the 10 ugliest cars of all time. The Edsel's unique "horsecollar" grille has been frequently ridiculed for resembling a toilet seat, and later even the female genitalia. Famous sarcastic descriptions of the Edsel and its famous grille include that it looked like "a Mercury pushing a toilet seat" or "an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon". The tail lamps were also criticized as looking like " ingrowing toenails". However, contrary to popular belief, the controversial design of the grille was not the main reason for its failure. It mainly suffered from bad marketing, bad build quality, and being released at a time when the USA was hit by a recession and demand for medium-priced large cars decreased as US consumers started buying smaller economy cars, especially the Volkswagen Beetle. For example, Chrysler phased out its similarly-positioned DeSoto brand in early 1960, about the same time as Ford discontinued the Edsel marque. Edmunds.com ranked the 1958 Edsel as the 7th worst car of all time. However, in the book ''Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate'', author Eric Peters declined to include the Edsel and defended it, saying, "People made fun of the Edsel – Ford's $400 million mistake – but its resemblance to a chrome-splattered bus station urinal aside, at least the Edsel worked. Though hideous, you could count on the mechanicals underneath the skin, which were solidly Ford and thus as good as any other car of the era."

1960s

Chevrolet Corvair (1960–64)

While the Chevrolet Corvair was popular and critically praised upon launch, it later earned scrutiny for its rear-engine layout with a swing-axle rear suspension, which caused a high number of highway accidents among drivers not used to the Corvair's unusual handling. Over 100 lawsuits were filed against General Motors in response, which resulted in consumer advocate Ralph Nader specifically scrutinizing the Corvair in his 1965 book ''Unsafe at Any Speed''. The negative publicity was compounded by the revelation that GM declined to include suspension upgrades on the 1960–63 model years that would have given the Corvair safer handling for cost reasons. These suspension upgrades were included in the 1964 model year, before Chevrolet completely redesigned the suspension with a fully independent setup, when the second generation was released in 1965. GM's attempts to discredit Nader further brought negative publicity, at the same time that the Ford Mustang was putting significant strain on Corvair sales. CNN included the Corvair on its list of "The Ten Most Questionable Cars of All Time", and it was included on ''Time'' magazine's "50 Worst Cars of All Time". Former GM executive John DeLorean asserted in ''On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors'' (1979) that Nader's criticisms were valid. Former Ford and Chrysler President Lee Iacocca said the Corvair was 'unsafe' and a 'terrible' car in his book, '' Iacocca: An Autobiography''. Dan Neil wrote, "Chevrolet execs knew the Corvair was a handful, but they declined to spend the few dollars per car to make the swing-axle rear suspension more manageable. Ohhh, they came to regret that." The controversy around the Corvair eventually led to the founding of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as well as mandatory safety testing in the United States. Ironically, two years after production on the Corvair ended, a NHTSA report studying the handling of 1960–63 Corvairs argued that a properly maintained Corvair handled comparably to its contemporaries. Edmunds.com ranked the Corvair as the 62nd worst car of all time, stating "Nader had a point." The Truth About Cars-offshoot site ''Curbside Classic'' named the Corvair as one of the major "deadly sins" that led to GM's downfall; "The Corvair was the product of GM's repeated tendencies to go off in directions that were an engineer's dream, but were either flawed from the initial concept, or diminished by the bean counters. In the case of the Corvair, it was both."

Hillman Imp (1963–76)

Despite being released with high hopes and getting much positive media attention at the time of its launch, the Hillman Imp was a commercial failure that was largely responsible for its parent group, the Rootes Group, getting into financial difficulties and being taken over by Chrysler to become part of Chrysler Europe in 1967. Designed as a small economy car that was to compete mainly with BMC's hugely popular Mini, it was, at first, hailed for its modern design, good road handling, and innovations like a motor block made completely of aluminum and an opening rear window that, together with a folding backseat, allowed for decent luggage space. However, it was criticized for having a rear engine, rear-wheel-drive layout while the Mini had paved the way for front engine, front-wheel drive small cars. But the main problem that soon damaged its reputation was poor quality control at the new, purpose-built Linwood plant, and an underdeveloped design that was rushed into production within three years of planning. Quality issues included the frequent failure of gearboxes and water pumps, poor engine cooling that often resulted in motors overheating, and generally poor production quality and panel fit. As a result, the Imp never sold as well as the Rootes Group had expected, and never even came close to the sales of the Mini. The car was largely responsible for financial losses that almost bankrupted the Rootes Group, leading to a takeover by Chrysler. The Imp was featured in the books "The Worst Cars Ever Sold" by Giles Chapman and "Naff Motors: 101 Automotive Lemons" by Tony Davis. It was named among "''The Five Worst English Cars of All Time"'' in a 2012 article on askaprice.com and ranked the 5th worst British car in a 2008 survey of 4,000 motorists by internet magazine iMotormag. '' Hotcars.com'' ranked it #3 in its list of the 20 worst European cars of all time, and the ''Oxford Mail'' included it in its ''"The worst car evah!"'' series. Despite this, it remained in production until 1976, replaced a year later by a new hatchback model, the Chrysler Sunbeam.

Subaru 360 (North American version) (1968–70)

The Subaru 360 was successful in its native country of Japan. In 1968, entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin imported it to America after he discovered it was very cheap to do so because they were light enough to be exempt from US automotive safety standards. The first Subaru model sold in America, the 360 had an MSRP of $1,297 and was marketed with the slogan "Cheap and ugly does it!" The 360 was a commercial failure in North America. ''Car and Driver'', in a period review, called it one of the ugliest cars in history and "the most bulbous bubble ever to putt-putt." It remains one of the worst vehicles ''Consumer Reports'' has ever tested. The publication noted that the car took 37.5 seconds to go from 0–60 MPH, it was dangerously structurally deficient in a 30MPH crash test with a standard car, and its bumpers were "virtually useless against anything more formidable than a watermelon", all of which made the publication deem the 360 "unacceptably hazardous". They ended the review by saying that it "was a pleasure to squirm out of the ar slam the door and walk away." Imports ceased in 1970 and 360s remained unsold in stock for years, leading Bricklin to attempt to launch a series of Go-Kart race tracks using the Subarus as racing cars. Urban legends persist that unsold 360s were either crushed or pushed into the ocean. Despite the 360's failure, Subaru of America continued operation and eventually found success, selling over 200,000 units a year by 2006.

1970s

VAZ-2101/Lada Riva/Zhiguli (1970–2013)

The VAZ-2101, a ruggedized version of the Fiat 124 produced in Russia was known in export markets under various names, including Lada Nova, Lada 1200/1300, and Zhiguli, and often simply called Lada, received a strongly negative critical reception in most western export markets due to its old-fashioned technical layout and poor build quality. Jeremy Clarkson called it "simply the worst car in the world." He said "I don't know where the car I drove was made. Or who made it. But I suspect he was very angry about something because it was horrific. The steering column appeared to have been welded to the dashboard so that it wouldn't turn. The brakes caused the car to speed up a bit and turn left, violently, at the same time. The buttons on the dash appeared to have been put in place by Janet Ellis from Blue Peter, and the engine had plainly been lifted from a cement mixer that had spent the past 30 years chewing up rebel soldiers in southern Sudan." He continued, "It's like a cockroach. It could survive a nuclear blast. It's amazingly tough. It can stand up to hammer blows but not water." "The engine was designed to run on Russian petrol which had an octane rating of 76. That's not really petrol. That's spicy water." Richard Porter included it in his book "Crap Cars." It's included in The Sunday Times' list of the ten worst production cars of all time and The Telegraph's list of the ten worst cars ever sold in Britain, described as "Poor to drive, uncomfortable and basic in the extreme. Virtually any car of the same age will trump this in any category." '' Sellyourproblemcar.com'' included it in its list of "Five of the worst cars ever made", saying that it was "an all-round disaster. Its poor tank-like handing, negligible engine performance and boxy design meant the Lada was already a thing of the past when it rolled off production in the 80s. In Russia during the Soviet era the Lada (or "Zhiguli" as it was called in the domestic market) was an immensely popular model, with people queuing up to get their hands on one. Over the years, however, the Lada has found itself a symbol of the decline of the Russian automobile industry." An updated version of the original model known as the VAZ-2105 was launched in 1980, although some markets (including the UK) didn't receive it for a number of years afterward. The updated model was released as the Lada Riva in the UK and Lada Nova in most other European markets. Despite its reputation, it contributed to the Lada brand selling more than 30,000 units a year in the late 1980s. The newer Samara and the Niva 4X4 also sold well. However, their dated designs and technical layout, combined with growing competition from Asian low-cost brands such as Hyundai and Proton, made Lada's market share decline from the early 1990s. Faced with the difficulty of its models reaching EU emissions requirements, Lada withdrew from the UK and most other Western European markets in 1997. It is the third-best-selling car of all time after the Ford Model T and VW Beetle. Its production run of 43 years also makes it one of the longest-produced cars of all time. It has developed a strong cult following, and is a recognizable cultural icon of Russia and the Soviet Union, and is still a common sight in both Russia and the former Soviet states.

AMC Gremlin (1970–78)

The 1970 AMC Gremlin, a shortened version of the AMC Hornet, was introduced in 1970 to compete in the emerging American market for subcompact cars. However, its odd styling and out-of-date technology earned it lasting derision. Named by ''Time'' magazine as one of the 50 worst cars of all time, Dan Neil wrote that " ickTeague's design team basically whacked off the rear of the AMC Hornet with a cleaver. The result was one of the most curiously proportioned cars ever. Cheap and incredibly deprived — with vacuum-operated windshield wipers, no less — the Gremlin was also awful to drive, with a heavy six-cylinder motor and choppy, unhappy handling due to the loss of suspension travel in the back. The Gremlin was quicker than other subcompacts but, alas, that only meant you heard the jeers and laughter that much sooner." Included on CNN's list of "The Ten Most Questionable Cars of All Time", it said of the Gremlin, "Like other AMC cars (see the Pacer) the Gremlin can be seen as either a daring leap forward by an innovative underdog or as a desperate attempt to do something – anything – that would stand out in a marketplace dominated by larger competitors." The Gremlin also placed 4th on ''Car Talk'' "Worst Car of the Millennium" poll. CNBC included it on its list of the ten ugliest cars of all time. In his book ''Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate,'' author Eric Peters wrote that the Gremlin had a "distinctive 'What happened to the rest of your car, buddy?' look that became the Gremlin's signature design feature." He also said that the 1970 Gremlin's lack of disc brakes, radial tires and electric windshield wipers "hearkened back to the technologically sophisticated days of 1935." Edmunds.com ranked the Gremlin as the 19th worst car of all time, saying, "it runs second only to its brother the Pacer in Loserland."

Chevrolet Vega (1971–77)

The Chevrolet Vega earned critical acclaim upon launch. It was named the Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1971 and became a best seller. However, severe quality and reliability issues permanently damaged its reputation. Its aluminum block engine and new method of rustproofing were initially praised as innovative, but the Vega proved extremely vulnerable to corrosion and premature engine failure. By the late 1970s, Vegas were being scrapped at such a high rate that many junkyards refused to purchase them. Autoblog included the Vega on its list "The 20 Dumbest Cars of All Time", saying that it "proved the point that American car makers did not make good small cars." It placed 2nd on Car Talk's poll of "The Worst Car of the Millennium," and was named on ''Forbes'' 2004 list of "The Worst Cars of All Time." ''Car and Driver'' named it one of the 10 most embarrassing award-winning cars, stating, "The Chevy Vega is on everyone's short list for Worst Car of All Time. It seemed the only time anyone saw a Vega on the road not puking out oily smoke was when it was being towed." ''Popular Mechanics'' included the Vega on their list "10 Cars That Damaged GM's Reputation" and later commemorated the 40th anniversary of its launch, marking the Vega as the catalyst that put General Motors on the downward spiral which culminated in its bankruptcy in 2009. The 2010 retrospective also took note of the Vega's high sales numbers in relation to its poor quality, noting, "Since the Vega sold so strongly (almost 2 million were built before it left production after 1977), the result was that literally hundreds of thousands of buyers were having awful experiences with the car. Surely, those customers were then far more willing to consider the Japanese alternatives that were starting to arrive." ''The Truth About Cars'' named the Vega as one of the "deadly sins" that led to GM's downfall, "The Vega was GM's Watergate/ Waterloo, the beginning of the inevitable end." Edmunds.com ranked the Vega as the 5th worst car of all time. In his 1979 book ''On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors'', former GM executive John DeLorean devoted an entire chapter to the Vega, describing how poorly it performed in durability testing and that GM knew about its quality problems prior to launch.

Ford Pinto (1971–80)

While the Ford Pinto was a strong seller that got a decent reception, its reputation was permanently marred by the accusation that the car could catch fire upon being rear-ended due to a defective fuel tank design. The infamous "Pinto memo", a document submitted to the NHTSA examining the societal costs of new roll-over legislation, was presented to the public as proof that Ford executives knew about a design defect and decided to do nothing after calculating that paying off lawsuits was cheaper than reengineering the car. This presentation resulted in public outrage. Included on ''Time'' magazine's list of the 50 worst cars of all time, Dan Neil wrote, "They shoot horses, don't they? Well, this is fish in a barrel. Of course the Pinto goes on the Worst list, but not because it was a particularly bad car – not particularly – but because it had a rather volatile nature. The car tended to erupt in flame in rear-end collisions." Named one of the "Most Questionable Cars of All Time", CNN said of it, "Images of flaming Pintos are so seared into the public consciousness that it's probably hard for most people, unaided by a photograph, to conjure a mental image of the car while not on fire." Autoblog ranked the Pinto #1 on its list "The 20 Dumbest Cars of All Time". The Pinto placed third in ''Car Talk''s 2000 "Worst Car of the Millennium" survey and was ranked the 16th worst car of all time by Edmunds.com.

Morris Marina (1971–80)

Since its release, the Morris Marina has been criticized for its poor performance, styling, handling, and build quality. Launched in April 1971 by British Leyland, it reused existing mechanical parts such as a front suspension from the 1948 Morris Minor, ex- BMC engines first launched in the early 1950s, and a gearbox and axle sourced from Triumph and introduced in 1962. The Marina was designed and developed on a limited budget and a very quick timescale – less than three years from initial conception to full production – to urgently replace a number of outdated saloon car models inherited by British Leyland from BMC. It was intended to be in production for five years before a more considered car could replace it. The Marina was designed as a direct response to the highly successful MkII Ford Cortina. In October 1970, the same month the Marina was officially announced, Ford released the larger, more upmarket, and more sophisticated MkIII Cortina, which immediately made the Morris seem dated. Very early cars had a design flaw in their front suspension which caused dangerous handling. While it was corrected before full-scale sales began, the Marina was still criticized for its poor handling, road holding, and refinement. The Daily Telegraph included the Marina on its list of "10 Cars That Should Have Never Been Produced". On ''Clarkson's Car Years'', originally broadcast in 2000, British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson compared the Marina to the Austin Allegro to determine which one was worse, and he destroyed a Marina in an automotive game of Conkers on one of his DVDs. Clarkson has said the Marina "cost 40 million pounds to develop, which since it was meant to be hopeless, was too much," and that its rear suspension "dates back to a medieval hand cart." Destroying Marinas has become a running gag on the BBC series ''Top Gear'', which has drawn the ire of Marina enthusiasts and resulted in complaints been made to the BBC. In addressing the complaints, ''Top Gear'' presenter James May has stated that at least one Marina needs to be preserved in a museum as "a warning from history". ''CarThrottle'' ranked it #1 on its list of ''"10 Of The Worst Cars Ever Made In The UK''". Despite its poor reputation, the Marina was one of Britain's best-selling cars throughout its production life, peaking at second place in the sales charts in 1973 (behind the Cortina) and remaining at third or fourth place throughout the 1970s. Over 1.2 million Marinas were built in total, making it British Leyland's second-best-selling car after the Mini. It was restyled in 1980 to become the Morris Ital, a stop-gap replacement for the Marina until the all-new Austin Montego was launched in 1984.

Vauxhall HC Viva "Firenza" (Canada) (1971–73)

In the 1960s, General Motors Canada began importing compact Vauxhall models from the United Kingdom to compete with popular imported compacts like the Volkswagen Beetle and Toyota Corolla. The Vauxhall HC Viva was renamed the "Firenza" in the Canadian market in response to the previous generation's quality problems, and to hide its British origins. The Firenza was plagued with quality problems, compounded by a lack of spare parts due to the frequent UK labor strikes at the time. Common Firenza problems included brake failure and engine fires. In 1972, angry Firenza owners formed the "Dissatisfied Firenza Owners Association" and engaged in public demonstrations to publicize the car's quality problems and demand compensation from General Motors for repair costs and depreciation. The car had become so toxic on the used car market that one-year-old models with low mileage were worth less than a quarter of their MSRP and dealerships refused to take them as trade-ins. Multiple Firenzas caught fire during a protest outside of the Canadian House of Commons. The protests, combined with reports of a 19-year-old woman dying in an accident caused by her Firenza's steering failing, prompted intervention by the Canadian government. GM denied the problems and attempted to protect the Firenza's reputation through deceptive marketing before withdrawing it from the Canadian market in early 1973. The Disaffected Firenza Owners Association attempted to sue General Motors, but Canada lacked laws establishing class-action lawsuits at the time, prompting Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to oversee their creation. The failure of the Firenza hurt Vauxhall, which considered Canada an important export market. ''Curbside Classic'' argues that the Firenza debacle, combined with the HC Viva's poor reception in the rest of the world, is responsible for Vauxhall no longer being an autonomous company. It was the last vehicle Vauxhall developed in-house before selling a line-up of slightly modified Opels. In a 2018 retrospective, ''Autofocus.ca'' described the Firenza as "the worst car Canada ever saw" and claimed that its obscurity outside of Canada is the only thing preventing it from being considered one of the all-time worst cars alongside the likes of the Gremlin and Pinto while describing it as Canada's equivalent of Ralph Nader and the Chevrolet Corvair.

Lancia Beta (1972–84)

While the Lancia Beta was widely praised upon its launch by the motoring press and general public, it soon gained a reputation for being extremely rust-prone, especially with the early models. At the time, it was widely rumored that this was due to the vehicles being constructed with Soviet steel which was allegedly supplied to Lancia's parent company Fiat in exchange for building the main Lada factory. However, these claims were never verified, and it has been suggested that these issues were more likely the result of poor rustproofing techniques as well as the prolonged factory strikes that plagued Italy at the time. Regardless of the actual cause, these corrosion problems eventually became such an issue that large numbers of them had to be recalled. Along with the failure of the larger Gamma model, the negative publicity this generated permanently damaged Lancia's reputation and saw a decline in sales in the United Kingdom, its largest export market at the time, which was never reversed, and led to Lancia to withdraw from right-hand drive markets in 1994.

Reliant Robin/Rialto (1973–2002)

The Reliant Robin is a three-wheeled small car. It is the perhaps best-known and most infamous product of the British three-wheeled car industry that was very successful from the 1950s until the 1980s; mainly due to British tax loopholes that allowed three-wheeled cars to be taxed as motorcycles and be driven with a motorcycle license. The Robin enjoyed sales success throughout its lifetime and has a special place in British culture. Its name was so popular that its 1982 successor, the Reliant Rialto, was renamed Robin again in 1989, thus making the Robin name live on for another thirteen years and even making it see the new millennium until production finally came to a halt in 2002. But despite its success, it has also become the butt of many jokes due to its three-wheeled nature, fiberglass bodyshell, and primitive, old-fashioned technique and is often cited among the worst cars ever made. It is sometimes affectionately nicknamed the "Plastic Pig" because of its distinctive shape and fiberglass body shell. It was also part of a famous episode of ''Top Gear'' (series 15, episode 1), in which Jeremy Clarkson drives a Reliant Robin and makes it roll over multiple times. He described driving it as dangerous as "inviting your mum 'round for an evening on chatroulette", and that the Robin "wasn't funny, it was a complete menace." The following two episodes featured racing driver The Stig and Ken Block on their test track in Robins, and neither of them could finish a clean lap in the specially doctored Robin. Later on, Clarkson admitted that the Robin used in the show had the differential modified to allow it to roll over easily. He also admitted that he actually likes the Robin. The Robin was featured in the books ''The Worst Cars Ever Sold'' by Giles Chapman and ''Crap Cars'' by Richard Porter. It was voted the 8th worst car ever in an Auto Express poll, with the article saying "The butt of countless jokes, the Reliant Robin was missing more than a wheel and will be remember icas one of the worst cars ever". In a 2013 poll, it was voted the worst British car of all time. Edmunds.com ranked it the 13th worst car of all time, stating "Ludicrously unstable three-wheeler that turns turtle on its plastic body at the slightest provocation. Fortunately, with a 750cc engine, it was underpowered, too." ''CarThrottle'' ranked it number two on its list of ''"10 Of The Worst Cars Ever Made In The UK''".

Austin Allegro (1973–82)

The Austin Allegro was launched in 1973, intended to be a radical clean-sheet design by British Leyland. However, it has been strongly criticized for its poor quality and odd styling. In his book ''Crap Cars'', writer Richard Porter says "the only bit of the Allegro they got even vaguely right was the rust-proofing". The Allegro was placed second-worst in his list, beaten only by the VW Beetle. The poor reputation of the car, as well as the inefficient production and management techniques in British Leyland at the time, have meant that the Austin Allegro has become associated with waste, inefficiency, and poor quality.In '' Clarkson's Car Year'' Jeremy Clarkson compares the Austin Allegro to the Morris Marina. He concludes the Allegro was a better (less bad) car than the Marina, because it was a horrible car in a more original way than the Marina. Clarkson further said of the Allegro that it was "hideously ugly", whoever proposed its square steering wheel should have had pens thrown at him, and that "it was more aerodynamic going backwards." In 2007, Sir Digby Jones, in criticizing the inefficiencies of the Learning and Skills Council, said, "It is what I call 'the British Leyland model' – you put a lot of money in at the top, and an Austin Allegro comes out at the bottom". Edmunds.com ranked the Allegro as the 81st worst car of all time, and expressed gratitude that it was never exported to the United States.

Leyland P76 (1973–75)

The Leyland P76 was a large car that was produced by Leyland Australia, the Australian subsidiary of British Leyland. It was intended to provide the company with a genuine rival to large local models like the Ford Falcon, the Holden Kingswood, and the Chrysler Valiant. However, due to the 1973 oil crisis, a small development budget of only A$20m and demand far exceeding the supply, Leyland rushed the assembly process with the first of the P76s to come off the assembly line, resulting in poor build quality and some reliability problems. The combination of the rushed assembly, fuel crisis and strikes at the component manufacturers' factories resulted in the Leyland P76 becoming a flop and earning lasting critical derision, despite being designed by Giovanni Michelotti and receiving the ''Wheels'' magazine Car of the Year award in 1973. ''The Conversation'' named it "our ustralia'sworst car failure", RACV and '' Drive.com.au'' named it among the worst Australian cars of all time, and ''Wheels'' and '' CarsGuide'' named it among the worst cars ever made. ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' said: "Mention really bad Australian cars and the name that usually springs to mind is the Leyland P76. This was not so much a bad car as a badly built car. This was Leyland Australia in its dying days with a dysfunctional management giving orders to get cars out the door whether they were finished or not. The missing bits could be added later."

Ford Mustang II (1974–78)

While the Ford Mustang II was well received by both critics and consumers upon its launch, today it is strongly criticized for being a poor-performing Pinto derivative, even though its good fuel economy made it popular after the 1973 oil crisis. ''Car and Driver'' listed the Mustang II as one of the 10 most embarrassing award winners, stating, "Instead of the powerful car the Mustang had been, here was a poseur with wheezing four- and six-cylinder engines under the hood. And except for better fuel economy, there were no compensating virtues." Autoblog named the Mustang II as one of the "20 Dumbest Cars of All Time" and claimed that for it to have been named the 1974 Motor Trend Car of the Year, "''Motor Trend'', back in the day, had to be trading annual honors for ad pages." Eric Peters wrote of the Mustang II in his book ''Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate'', "Reeling, wild-eyed and increasingly desperate n_the_wake_of_the_1973_oil_crisis_and_new_emission_requirements_from_the_EPA,_Ford_belched_up_the_Pinto-sourced,_"downsized"_Mustang_II_–_a_car_with_all_the_kick_of_a_watered-down_Shirley_Temple_(beverage).html" "title="EPA.html" ;"title="n the wake of the 1973 oil crisis and new emission requirements from the EPA">n the wake of the 1973 oil crisis and new emission requirements from the EPA, Ford belched up the Pinto-sourced, "downsized" Mustang II – a car with all the kick of a watered-down Shirley Temple (beverage)">Shirley Temple