Who Drives What In Hollywood

In Los Angeles, a car completes the look. It’s the last article of clothing that we put on before heading out, an accessory, like shoes, that is at once intensely personal and a functional necessity. Our cars are meant to telegraph our achievements, our sense of self, even our political and social beliefs — witness all the Teslas in the Netflix lot plastered with “Elon Sucks”-style bumper stickers. But they are also our Wakanda, a protective sanctuary, armoring and enriching us in our voyage between home, work, meetings and social engagements.

L.A.’s streets and highways thus become a catwalk, and nearly everyone — from the valet at Musso & Frank to the guy waiting at the bus stop bench to one’s boss — is an Anna Wintour-level critic: deeply aware of the context and category and ready to issue a withering opinion.

Nowhere is this truer than in the entertainment industry, where everything in L.A. is distilled to its essence. Consider the prominence of vintage cars in the Apple TV+ satire The Studio, in which Seth Rogen’s peacocking studio head parades around in an MG, a Corvette and a Studebaker, among other statement whips.

So what do A-listers and top execs in Hollywood drive? While vehicle choices shift frequently among this set, current preferences tend to revolve around familiar and upstart luxury brands, mostly contemporary but some vintage, along with a smattering of stunning outliers.

SUVs dominate, as they do in the rest of America, but sports cars and luxury sedans have an outsize and expected place. Because this is L.A., electrified vehicles abound. And an emerging trend is represented in some of the exceptions: stealth wealth. Some celebrities are seeing the benefit of driving a normcore vehicle that won’t attract the attention of fans, paparazzi and potential stalkers.

Of course, a majority of these selections are just one of many vehicles those people may own and drive, or be driven in. After all, all cars are essentially drag: accessories we don and doff to create a persona, to embrace or challenge norms (sometimes simultaneously). And that should be celebrated.

Sports Cars

FERRARI 296 GTB

Michael B. Jordan
Not the same Ferrari he crashed into a parked Kia on Sunset.

FERRARI SF90

Kevin Hart
Purchased the first one delivered to America.

MASERATI GRANCABRIO

Katy Perry
Slightly less attention-seeking than going into space.

MERCEDES SL 550

Pedro Pascal
For rainy days, he has a Benz G-Wagon SUV.

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR S ROADSTER

Cardi B
Bought a pair for her and hubby.

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SV

Rihanna
Will not accommodate a child seat.

FERRARI 250 GTO

George Lucas
A $50 million-plus terrestrial X-wing.

PORSCHE 911 GT3

Selena Gomez
“Calm Down”? Hardly.

PORSCHE 911

Keanu Reeves
Had it customized after his vintage 911 was stolen.

Ultra Luxury

BENTLEY MULSANNE

Diane von Furstenberg
Pure class.

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM

Drake
Pumping Kendrick Lamar on the $11,400 factory stereo.

Stealth Wealth

GEO METRO

Tyler Perry
Owned a Geo Metro when he was housing insecure. Bought this to keep himself humble.

SUBARU OUTBACK

Nicole Kidman
Keith Urban gave her a Lambo SUV. She prefers this.

2003 TOYOTA COROLLA

Bad Bunny
Traded in his Bugatti when he tired of fans and paparazzi.

SUVs

AUDI Q3

Jenna Ortega
Entry-level luxury in a compact package.

LAND ROVER DEFENDER

Justin Bieber
Resilient and capable of plowing through any muck.

AUDI RS Q8

Austin Butler
A real hot rod, but the opposite of Elvis’ pink Cadillac.

RANGE ROVER

David Zaslav
A classic mogul vehicle since the ’80s.

RANGE ROVER SPORT

Hugh Jackman
Like Jackman, a triple threat: fast, luxurious, all-terrain.

LAMBORGHINI URUS

Kim Kardashian
Extroverted, expensive and controversially styled.

PORSCHE CAYENNE

Ted Sarandos
An upscale replacement for his long-owned Acura SUV.

ROLLS-ROYCE CULLINAN

Trevor Noah
Styled, and priced, like a bank vault.

BMW XM

Timothée Chalamet
Confounding, compelling, avant-garde, bro-friendly and green.

FORD F-150 LIGHTNING

Kelly Clarkson

People Like Us … drive trucks?

CADILLAC LYRIQ

Jamie Lee Curtis
All-American with exceptional styling and broad range.

RIVIAN R1S

Ben Affleck
Wait, seriously, is this a Batman thing?

Vintage

1966 CADILLAC “SNOOP DEVILLE”

Snoop Dogg
Laid-back.

2000s ASTON MARTIN DB9 VOLANTE

Steven Spielberg
Catch him if you can.

1969 FORD BRONCO

Sydney Sweeney
The actress was hands-on in restoring this classic SUV.

1967 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL

Dax Shepard
A classic Conti with a hot rod motor and racing seats.

1972 MERCEDES BENZ 280SL

RuPaul
As seen in Ru’s social media post about changing tires.

1966 FORD MUSTANG

Tom Rothman
Driven on “Mustang Mondays” after big box office wins.

1965 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL

Lady Gaga
The Ga-Garage also contains a vintage Chevy, Ford and Rolls.

Electric Vehicles

RIVIAN R1T

Christian Bale
More eco-friendly than the Batmobile.

TESLA CYBERTRUCK

Ari Emanuel
Combative, contentious, uninhibited, reviled.

This story appeared in the May 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.