21st Century Car Movies: Best Car Movies Since 2000

We all love car movies, and there have been some really great movies since the Steve McQueen movie Bullitt came out in 1968. The last 18 years have been a banner couple of decades for the genre. Let’s take a look at the best 21st-century car movies that have come out since the beginning of the new millennium, in no particular order.

The Transporter Series (2002, 2006, 2008)

Jason Statham has made a name for himself in action movies, but one of his first hits was the 2002 car movie The Transporter. The film follows Statham’s character who works as a Transporter – someone who moves cargo, no questions asked. That is until his cargo turns out to be a beautiful woman. This movie features some fantastic German cars, including a BMW 7 Series and a Mercedes W140.

The second and third movies switched it up to include an Audi A8 as well.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

While we love the original, which came out in 1974, this list wouldn’t be complete without the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. While Nicholas Cage may have starred in the movie, the real star of the film is Eleanor, the customized 1967 Shelby GT500 that belongs to Cage’s character. She isn’t the only car in the movie, though. Cage’s character has to steal 50 cars in a single night, so there are plenty of amazing cars to choose from. Everything from a 1999 Porsche to a 1932 Ford V8 and everything in between.

Transformers (2007)

Okay, so technically they’re aliens from outer space, but the Transformers are still car enough to make this list. Bumblebee was a Volkswagen Beetle in the cartoons, but they revamped him first into a 1977 Chevy Camaro, then into a 2009 Camaro Replica. Optimus Prime was a Peterbilt 379 – the same car he’s been since the cartoon came out in the 80s. Ironhide, Prime’s second, was initially a red Toyota van, but since the movie had a deal with GM to use their cars, he became a 2006 GMC Top Kick. Ratchet, the team’s medic, was initially a Toyota van that had been painted to look like an ambulance. In the movie, he became a Hummer H2 ambulance.

Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver is one of the newer flicks on our list, but it’s got some fantastic cars in it. Ansel Elgort stars as a getaway driver who does his job while listening to an iPod to help fight his tinnitus. This movie features a ton of 80s and 90s cars, from a Chevy Caprice to a Cadillac Deville and even a 1994 Dodge Ram van, most of which are driven brilliantly by Elgort’s character.

The Fast and the Furious Series (2001-2017)

You can’t have a list of car movies in the 2000s without at least mentioning the Fast and Furious series. The series revolves around a group of thieves and street racers who use fast cars to steal expensive electronics and other products to sell for money to trick out their race cars. There’s a lot more to it – there would have to be after eight movies – but that’s the basic gist of it. While there are some amazing cars in this series, our favorite is probably the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T – the car has so much torque in the engine that the frame twists when you rev the motor!

Plenty of 21st Century Car Movies Yet to Come

There are more incredible car movies than we could hope to pull together on one list (Mad Max, anyone?) but this is a good start. If you haven’t seen any of these, head to your nearest Redbox or streaming service and get started!