What makes a car pretty? I feel like that’s a difficult question to answer, as there doesn’t seem to be any specific guideline about what makes a pretty car, no clear-cut definition. I guess it’s like Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of pornography, being “I know it when I see it”. That’s sort of what a pretty car is like. I can’t define what makes a car pretty but I know one when I see one. Top Gear recently decided to list the ten prettiest cars on sale, something that’s quite tricky to do. The BMW i8 was listed as one of them.

Smartly, TG does say “Let’s have an argument about the prettiest cars on sale”, because such a ranking is going to differ greatly among enthusiasts. Especially when it comes to the BMW i8. Personally, I love the i8. It’s an astonishing car that looks like nothing of this world. If you were to tell a small child that it actually came from outer space, they’d believe it. Yet, I’m not entirely sure it’s a pretty car. In fact, I don’t think it’s pretty at all.

Let me be clear, this is my opinion on the matter and I understand why Top Gear would list the i8 as such. However, despite my love for the way it looks, I’m not convinced it’s pretty. It’s amazing looking and evokes all of the same feelings of excitement that Lamborghinis used to when I was a kid. However, like a Lamborghini, the BMW i8 is more awesome than it is pretty. You can call that splitting hairs, and maybe you’re right, but it’s personally how I feel about BMW’s hybrid supercar.

For me, the prettiest cars on sale would include cars like the Jaguar F-Type, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Mercedes-AMG GT and the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Hell, I think the BMW 8 Series is prettier than the i8. Of course, what’s deemed “pretty” is subjective, which brings the “I know it when I see it” definition. There isn’t a clear-cut definition of what’s pretty and what isn’t, which is why people will argue it. So, personally, I don’t think the BMW i8 belongs on the list. Though, TG does and I’m sure there are a ton of enthusiasts who do as well.

What do you think, should the BMW i8 be featured on the prettiest car list? Let us know below.