Worst Cars Ever: Trabant, Reliant Robin, Ford Pinto

Photo byJake YoungonUnsplash

Recently I wrote an article about three of the most reliable used cars ever built.

Most Reliable Used Cars

So naturally it makes sense to write an article about some of the worst cars ever built. I was hoping to find at least one or two cars during my research that I have actually owned, but to my surprise, none of the nine cars I have owned since 1986 made the list.

Instead, I chose one car that kind of looks like a car I owned, one that is so strange and terrible I had to include it. And the last car is one that I never owned, but my older brother and sister did briefly.

If you are curious this is the complete list of worst cars ever made. I chose three from this list.

10 of the Worst Cars Ever Made (US News)

1975 Trabant

As I mentioned, I never owned any of these cars. I did own a 1966 VW Squareback that looked very similar to the 1975 Trabant. According to the video, the Trabants often smoked a lot when driven. My Squareback also smoked a lot when driven, but that was due to a horrible oil leak that I neglected to fix and not because of something that Squarebacks were known for right off the factory line like the Trabants. Both of them are boxy little German sedans as well, but I think that is where the similarities end. My VW Squareback ended up as a terrible car due to neglect by the previous owner and then me not because it was a lemon from the get go like the Trabant.

1976 Reliant Robin

You will notice a trend in this article in regards to the years of these cars. Yep, cars in the 1970s weren't great for the most part. Well, the mid-70s at least. Some of the early '70s Muscle Cars are my all-time favorites.

The 1976 Reliant Robin is no exception to suck. Despite its somewhat Space Age looks, the Robin's performance was often anything but "Space Age".

Because it only has three wheels in the UK, it was classified as a motorcycle. One of its appeals was that if you rode a motorcycle in the UK but didn't want to freeze to death during the winter or end up crashing in the rain the Robin was a nice compromise. And it did boast some appealing aspects, 70 miles to the gallons, unheard of even now, a top speed of 85 mph, again not bad at all, and a relatively inexpensive vehicle at the time.

The downsides though were also significant. The Robin was known to tip over in corners. Some say its tendency to flip over has been exaggerated, but I wouldn't want to put that theory to the test at any speed considering the fact that a flimsy seatbelt is probably the only safety feature.

Apparently, the steering wheels are known to pop off at speed as well. I didn't see anything about whether or not the pop back on just as easily, but the thought of having your steering wheel suddenly coming off at 85 mph sounds pretty terrifying to me.

And finally, they have no reverse. Yep, no way to back them up. I suppose if you have a steep driveway you could just put it in neutral and let it roll down to the street. Sounds great as long as the steering wheel doesn't pop off or the whole thing doesn't flip over.

1977 Ford Pinto

As I mentioned earlier, I have never owned any of these cars, but my older brother and sister both owned the same 1977 Ford Pinto. My sister got it first when she turned 16. She got side-swiped and took out the driver's side door. She didn't want it after that, so my dad replaced the door and gave it to my brother a year later when he turned 16. A few months after that he totaled it. Fortunately, neither of them got rear-ended. As most people know, the Ford Pintos were infamous for their gas tanks catching fire and exploding after a rear collision. Not a great selling point for any car no matter what year it was built.

Dishonorable Mention: Reva G-Whiz

Just in case you felt like is was being biased towards cars from the 1970s and ones that burn gas here is an EV that was built between 2001 and 2012. The fact that they only sold about 4000 of them in eleven years is a testament to how bad these things really were. The video gets pretty hilarious when the poor bloke attempts to take his two very young and small daughters to school in the back seat.

In addition to the cramped quarters the Reva only has a range of about 50 miles at a top speed of 50 miles an hour. It also has a weight limit of 600 pounds. And of course, the 50-mile range is under ideal driving conditions. On top of that, it takes 8 hours to charge it assuming you can get it close enough to an outlet in the first place. They were available in the UK, but in the US they barely qualified as a golf cart. You could buy them, but there were a lot of use restrictions. Even at around $3000 I think an electric bicycle might have been a better investment.

So, those are my choices for the worst three cars ever made plus the Reva as a bonus pick. I imagine there are many more out there that were as bad or worse than my three picks.