Normal Celebrity Cars: The Anti-Status Symbols

Lambos, Porsches, Ferraris might seem like celebrity cars, but there are plenty of normal cars driven by celebrities.

Hollywood Anti-Status Symbols

What is Instagram good for if not for flaunting your money and influence? And what better way than taking photos with your latest super-expensive, decked out whip? Yet, for all the celebrity profiles featuring McLarens and G-Wagons there are a few others that reveal more proletarian tastes. It turns out there are plenty of normal cars driven by celebrities. Here’s a list of surprising celebrity cars you could or might already own yourself.

Toyota Prius

2021 Toyota Prius - toyota.com
2021 Toyota Prius - toyota.com

Aside from being slow and a little ugly, the Toyota Prius also has come in for a lot of criticism for being the car of tree-hugging, eco-nerd Hollywood types virtue signaling their moral superiority by driving a hybrid. (Full disclosure, I owned a 2007 Prius for many years and loved it.) But there’s something to be said for wielding celebrity influence for good by making saving the planet, and saving money, look cool. Celebs who’ve proudly rocked a Prius include actors Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio and comedian Bill Burr.

Fiat Punto

2021 Fiat Punto - fiat.com
2021 Fiat Punto - fiat.com

When millionaire actor and face of the Harry Potter film franchise Daniel Radcliff turned eighteen, he bought himself an Italian car. No, not a Ferrari, a Fiat, a Fiat Punto to be exact. And it doesn’t even fly.

F-150

2019 Ford F-150 Raptor - media.ford.com
2019 Ford F-150 Raptor - media.ford.com

American’s favorite truck is also the favorite truck of some very famous (and rich) celebrities. Actor John Goodman drives a 1997 Ford F-150 which seems like what both Dan Connors and Walter Sobchak might drive. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson goes a little fancier with a 2019 F-150 Raptor, which would be fairly ordinary until you learn that he had it modified by Hennessey to the tune of $150,000. Billionaire heiress to Walmart, Alice Walton also drives an F-150, in her case a 2006 King Ranch Edition which retails today for roughly $8,000.

Cadillac XTS

2014 Cadillac XTS - media.cadillac.com
2014 Cadillac XTS - media.cadillac.com

Alice Walton isn’t the only billionaire who’s into cheap cars. The Oracle of Omaha, billionaire investor Warren Buffett drives around in a modest 2014 Cadillac XTS he bought for just $45,000. Buffett is known for a frugal, everyman persona including making his morning stop to McDonalds for a $3 breakfast (something he’s done going on five decades). Buffett can also be seen sitting in bleachers, not ringside, at the fights of fellow Omaha native and junior welterweight champ Terence Crawford.

Scion xB

Tom Hanks's Scion xB - Emerald.com on YouTube.com
Tom Hanks's Scion xB - Emerald.com on YouTube.com

You may have heard of Tom Hanks, star of such films as Turner & Hooch, Joe Versus the Volcano, and Splash. After some research your author discovered that Mr. Hanks has actually starred in other motion pictures, some of which were quite good and successful. The upshot being, ol’ Tom has many, many millions to spend however he might choose. But, in keeping with his down-to-earth personality, Mr. Hanks skews the supercars in favor of a Scion xB, which he reported had upgraded. Still, at just $4,000 you too might have the budget for some rims to spice up that cube car of yours.

Smart Car

If the Prius wasn’t small enough or efficient enough for you, there’s always the two-person electric Smart Car. It’s a long running theory that owners of burly, gas-guzzling pickups are actually compensating for their own masculine insecurity. By casual inference, that makes the puny Smart Car actually the manliest car you can buy. It shouldn’t surprise you then to learn that two celebrity guys who roll in Smart Cars are super suave George Clooney and Justin Bieber.

Ford Taurus SHO

1992 Ford Taurus SHO - Cody Clarke on YouTube.com
1992 Ford Taurus SHO - Cody Clarke on YouTube.com

Conan O’Brian’s 1992 Ford Taurus SHO is a testament to knowing, and never forgetting, where you came from. O’Brian first purchased his Taurus SHO when he got his first writing gig in Hollywood. He still rocks this classic sleeper nearly 30 years later.

Jeep Wrangler

2021 Jeep Wrangler - media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
2021 Jeep Wrangler - media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Sports stars are known for their lavish taste in cars, but NBA all-star LeBron James drives a fairly ordinary Jeep Wrangler. It does however have a flashy custom metallic orange paint job.

GMC Typhoon

Clint Eastwood's 1993 GMC Typhoon - Nineties Muscle on YouTube.com
Clint Eastwood's 1993 GMC Typhoon - Nineties Muscle on YouTube.com

Eastwood’s name might be most closely linked with the Ford Gran Torino, thanks to his film of the same name. But Clint Eastwood is also known for owning a GMC Typhoon. What might appear on paper as a “regular car” isn’t to the initiated. The Typhoon was a high-performance variant of the GMC Jimmy featuring a turbocharged V6. Turns out Eastwood has good taste.

Volkswagen Eos

2015 Volkswagen Eos - carsforsale.com
2015 Volkswagen Eos - carsforsale.com

As the star of the Hunger Games franchise and numerous blockbuster movies, Jennifer Lawrence has more than enough money to drive whatever she pleases. It’s a little surprising then to discover that she sticks to a modest Volkswagen Eos as her preferred mode of transportation.

Toyota Tacoma

2003 Toyota Tacoma - carsforsale.com
2003 Toyota Tacoma - carsforsale.com

Batman has always been famous for his tricked-out, heavily armored, technologically advanced cars. But former Batman Christian Bale rocks a truck known for its simplicity and durability, a Toyota Tacoma he’s owned for nearly 20 years.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

2009 Ford Fusion Hybrid - autospies on YouTube.com
2009 Ford Fusion Hybrid - autospies on YouTube.com

Former Microsoft CEO and current LA Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer is worth north of $70 billion. But he doesn’t spend his money on the typical expensive and exotic celebrity cars. Rather, Ballmer, sighting his father’s work at the Blue Oval, only buys and rolls in Ford motor cars. His current Ford of choice is a Fusion hybrid. While you’ve got to admire the brand loyalty, we’d really recommend a GT, or if he still wants that Silicon Valley cred, a Mustang Mach E.

Toyota Sienna

2015 Toyota Sienna - pressroom.toyota.com
2015 Toyota Sienna - pressroom.toyota.com

Marky Mark has an extensive car collection that includes the likes of a Lamborghini Diablo, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom. But Mark Walberg is also a family man with four kids, and as a result he also drives a Toyota Sienna when he’s on daddy duty. Turns out he has good taste in minivans, too.

Volkswagen Jetta

2002 Volkswagen Jetta - carsforsale.com
2002 Volkswagen Jetta - carsforsale.com

Jennifer Lawrence isn’t the only VW fan on this list of normal celebrity cars. Justin Timberlake is another A-list celebrity with a taste for the simple pleasures of a modest German auto. With rides in his collection including a Lambo Aventador and a ’67 Pontiac GTO, that JT still makes groceries runs in a Jetta says something for VW’s appeal.

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Chris Kaiser

With two decades of writing experience and five years of creating advertising materials for car dealerships across the U.S., Chris Kaiser explores and documents the car world’s latest innovations, unique subcultures, and era-defining classics. Armed with a Master's Degree in English from the University of South Dakota, Chris left an academic career to return to writing full-time. He is passionate about covering all aspects of the continuing evolution of personal transportation, but he specializes in automotive history, industry news, and car buying advice.

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