Longest-running car nameplates
We ranked 912 nameplates from the 1CARS catalog by years in continuous production. The Volkswagen Beetle leads with 81 years.
Longest-running car nameplates
No. 1–25 of 912-
1. Volkswagen Beetle
1938–2019
81 years
-
2. Chevrolet Corvette
1953–present
73 years
-
3. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
1963–present
63 years
-
4. Ford Mustang
1964–present
62 years
-
5. Porsche 911
1964–present
62 years
-
6. Toyota Corolla
1966–present
60 years
-
7. Hindustan Motors Ambassador
1957–2014
57 years
-
8. Land Rover Range Rover
1970–present
56 years
-
9. BMW 5 Series
1972–present
54 years
-
10. Honda Civic
1972–present
54 years
-
11. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
1972–present
54 years
-
12. Buick Regal
1973–present
53 years
-
13. Caterham Seven
1973–present
53 years
-
14. Chevrolet Caprice
1965–2017
52 years
-
15. Volkswagen Golf
1974–present
52 years
-
16. Jaguar XJ
1968–2019
51 years
-
17. BMW 3-Series
1975–present
51 years
-
18. Volkswagen Polo
1975–present
51 years
-
19. Ford Thunderbird
1955–2005
50 years
-
20. Honda Accord
1976–present
50 years
-
21. BMW 7 Series
1977–present
49 years
-
22. Volkswagen Jetta
1979–present
47 years
-
23. Fiat Panda
1980–present
46 years
-
24. Mitsubishi Pajero
1982–present
44 years
-
25. Opel Corsa
1982–present
44 years
Method and data
We count the years a model name has been in continuous production, from the start of the earliest generation in an unbroken run to the end of the latest one (or today, if it is still built). Breaks of up to 5 years, such as the pause in car production during the Second World War, do not reset the count; longer breaks do. Only nameplates with generation years in our catalog are ranked. How we collect and check data
Ranked: 912 of 1,149 models in the 1CARS catalog have a figure for this list.
Download the full list (CSV) · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit “1CARS” and link to this page. Spot an error? Tell us — we check every report.
Where does my car rank?
See its place in every ranking and how it compares with the rest of its class.
More rankings
More car rankings
- Cars with the most generations
- Oldest car models still on sale
- The most powerful car of every decade
- Most powerful cars
- Fastest cars
- Quickest cars, 0–100
- Most torque: cars
- Power-to-weight: cars
- Biggest engines: cars
- Longest cars
- Smallest cars
- Widest cars
- Lightest cars
- Heaviest cars
- Most economical cars
- Biggest boot: cars
Questions and answers
Which car nameplate has been in production the longest?
The Volkswagen Beetle (1938–2019), with 81 years. Second is the Chevrolet Corvette with 73 years.
How is this ranking compiled?
We count the years a model name has been in continuous production, from the start of the earliest generation in an unbroken run to the end of the latest one (or today, if it is still built). Breaks of up to 5 years, such as the pause in car production during the Second World War, do not reset the count; longer breaks do. Only nameplates with generation years in our catalog are ranked.
Why is a model missing from the list?
A model is listed only when the 1CARS catalog has a confirmed figure for it. Models without an official figure stay out instead of getting an estimate, and the list grows as we add data. Concept cars, prototypes, one-offs and racing cars are not ranked; limited-run models are marked.