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By Bryan Hood Senior Staff WriterBryan Hood
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The most famous movie car of all time is James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, but what comes after is up for debate. Our pick would be the Batmobile. Few vehicles have delivered as many thrills on the big and small screens as the Caped Crusader’s trusted ride. There have also been eight different iterations since the Adam West-starring TV series premiere in the mid-1960s, so there’s one for everyone, whether you value form (the car from Tim Burton’s movies), weaponry (the “Tumbler” from Christopher Nolan’s movies), or flash (the dynamic duo of cars from Joel Schumacher’s movies). And best of all, each has its own distinct identity.
With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive ranking of all eight that have appeared in the various Batman-related live-action movies and TV shows over the last six decades, from worst to best:
8. The ‘Gotham’ Batmobile
There’s no bigger outlier on this list than the Batmobile from Fox’s Gotham TV Series that ran from 2014 to 2019. That’s because this car wasn’t designed and built by Bruce Wayne, instead, it was designed and built by Ford. In the show’s fourth season, a young Bruce Wayne can be seen driving around Gotham in a Mustang GT as his crime-fighting career is just getting. The muscle car has a matte black finish and 460 horses under the hood, but it can’t compete with any of the true Batmobiles on this list.
Onscreen Debut: Gotham season four (2018)
Designer: Ford
Best Special Feature: Matte body wrap7. The Snyderverse Batmobile
Zach Snyder’s DC Extended Universe films don’t just pale in comparison to Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, his Batmobile does as well. We’re not the biggest fans of the “Tumbler,” as will soon become clear, but at least it feels distinctive. This car—which appears in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League—feels like a cheap rip-off with its garish armor and exposed machine guns. It’s heavy metal in the worst way. It’s one saving grace is that it is at least a true Batmobile.
Debut: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Designer: Patrick Tatopoulos
Best Special Feature: Rear-mounted grappling hook6. The Christopher Nolan ‘Tumbler’ Batmobile
No Batmobile makes an entrance quite like the Tumbler. The scene where the vehicle makes its on-screen debut in Christopher Nolan’s first Dark Knight trilogy film, Batman Begins, is downright exhilarating and not just because of Hans Zimmer’s score. Alas, this Batmobile doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. This is mainly because the hulking monstrosity is more a tank than a car. Sure, that’s in line with the rest of the director’s take on Batman—he’s not just fighting crime, he waging war against it—but it’s just too self-serious. The vehicle’s arsenal of weapons and special features should help, but they don’t really mesh with the tone of his films and, as a result, come off feeling a little dumb.
Onscreen Debut: Batman Begins (2005)
Designer: Nathan Crowley and Christopher Nolan
Best Special Feature: Vector-controlled jet engine5. The ‘Batman & Robin’ Batmobile
Now if you want a fun Batmobile, look no further than the two found in Joel Schumacher’s movies, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. These vehicles feel like something ripped from the comic books for better or worse. The second of the two cars may take things too far. Harald Belker’s design, with its glowing engine and giant rear wings, is certainly memorable but it’s a little too cartoonish in the end. It’s also a roadster, which makes sense for a toy—the design makes your action figure all the more accessible—but less so for a crime fighter’s go-to vehicle.
Onscreen Debut: Batman & Robin (1997)
Designer: Harald Belker
Best Special Feature: Video phone system4. The Adam West Batmobile
It’s the first Batmobile that fans of a certain age will think of, but the car Adam West drove in the 1960s television series is too overboard to crack our top three. Despite a wonderful paint job and a nifty double-bubble co*ckpit, it’s hard to take this vehicle, which was based on the Lincon Futura concept, seriously. The Batmobile West and Burt Ward used to get around their sunlit version of Gotham City is just too campy, thanks to its many toy-like gadgets. The special features do too much, though it must be admitted that the rear-mounted parachutes that allow the car to pull a 180-degree turn on a dime are undeniably cool.
Onscreen Debut: Batman TV show (1966)
Designer: Eddie Stakes
Best Special Features: Emergency Bat-Turn lever3. The ‘Batman Forever’ Batmobile
Some might call also call Batmobile from the Caped Crusader’s third big-screen adventure, Batman Forever, too campy, but we think it gets the balance just right. The vehicle, which was designed by Tim Flattery, takes the flowing shape from Tim Burton’s Batmobile and turns everything up to 11. Thanks to an over-the-top aero package and glowing Chevy powertrain, along with a set of light-up wheels, it just looks cool. Its biomechanical design also means it looks like a speeding missile as it shoots down the avenues and boulevards of Gotham City. The only mark against this Batmobile is that it doesn’t survive the film, instead going up in flames when Two-Face and the Riddler storm Wayne Manor in the movie’s final act.
Onscreen Debut: Batman Forever (1995)
Designer: Tim Flattery
Best Special Feature: Pivoting tires for more precise handling2. The ‘Batman’ Batmobile
There’s no Batmobile as fearsome as the high-powered bruiser from 2022’s The Batman. Robert Pattinson’s hero drives a vehicle inspired as much by the American-made muscle cars of the 1960s and ‘70s as it is by the drawings of legendary Batman artist Neal Adams. This Batmobile roars through the streets of Gotham like no other and comes equipped with some of the more ridiculous (but still realistic) features you’ll find on this list, including a battering ram-style front end, ultra-springy suspension setup, and, of course, an afterburner engine. It also gets a bonus point for making it through its first movie in one piece.
Onscreen Debut: The Batman (2022)
Designer: Ash Thorp
Best Special Feature: Battering ram front end1. The Tim Burton Batmobile
A vehicle so good they could have gotten away with never designing another. The “car,” as Batman likes to call it, from Tim Burton’s two films is the platonic ideal of a Batmobile as far as we’re concerned. It has a beautiful Art Deco-inspired look that blends in perfectly with the rest of the movie’s arresting aesthetic and is a true speed machine with a (fictional) zero to 60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. Its array of comic book-esque gadgets, plenty of which get their chance to shine on screen, can’t be beaten either, in part because so many of them have actual utility. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the vehicle’s ability to transform into a Batmissile in tight situations comes out on top.
Onscreen Debut: Batman (1989)
Designer: Julian Caldow
Best Special Feature: Emergency Batmissile mode
Authors
Bryan Hood
Senior Staff Writer
Bryan Hood is a digital staff writer at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he worked for the New York Post, Artinfo and New York magazine, where he covered everything from celebrity gossip to…
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