It can be hard to find movies that are both suitable for kids and fun for adults, especially in the younger years when kids are super into cars, trucks, and wheels of all kinds. This list contains some of the top-rated kid-friendly car movies, whether you’re setting them up for a watch from the road, preparing for a road trip, or just planning a fun family movie night.
Here are some of the best kid-friendly movies featuring vehicles and characters with wheels.
Kids Movies with Cars and Wheels
We’ve included information about content suitability here, but it’s ultimately up to you to know what’s right for your child and your household rules, of course!
1. Cars Series
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 5+ (up to 8+ depending on the film)
Starting this list off with a bang, Pixar’s Cars and all its various sequels and spin-offs are probably the number one choice for parents and car-obsessed kids. There’s tons of content in the series, and all of it has the Disney-Pixar stamp of approval, meaning you know you’re getting good family fun.
The series includes Cars, Cars 2, Cars 3, several TV series and short films, and the spin-offs Planes and Planes: Fire & Rescue. Cars (the original) has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score and Planes has the lowest, so prepare yourself accordingly.
2. Herbie Movies
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 7+
Another well-known car-centric family friendly series, The Love Bug, its Herbie sequels, and the 2005 remake Herbie: Fully Loaded are widely accepted as car-centric kid-friendly classics. While older movies can sometimes come with discussion points about content, The Love Bug remains good family fun with little that hasn’t aged well – and Herbie: Fully Loaded might be better than some remember (or at least will keep the kids entertained).
3. Turbo
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 6+
This animated movie about a speed-loving snail played by Ryan Reynolds may have slipped past the radar for adults without kids in 2013, but it’s a delightful little racing movie about a snail with a dream. While there are technically no cars featured in this movie – the snails themselves are the racers – it’s still a solid pick for kids that love all things vehicles as the gastropods hit the pavement. And the star studded cast, which includes Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Rudolph, Paul Giamatti, and Bill Hader, makes it fun for grown-ups too!
4. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 8+
This beloved 1960s road race classic is a barrel of laughs for kids of all ages – and happens to feature tons of different vehicles, car chase scenes, and slapstick antics on the road. This movie skews a little older – its run time is almost 3 hours and there’s a character who drinks profusely – but things are kept light and broad. With memorable performances from Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Durante, Ethel Merman, and Mickey Rooney, it’s an old-school movie but well worth a watch.
5. Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 5+
If you haven’t thought about Tom and Jerry since you were a kid yourself, you wouldn’t be alone, but the classic cartoon is still releasing new films at a steady pace. The Fast and the Furry, a 75-minute long movie from 2005, is considered among the best, and follows Tom and Jerry racing around the world in hopes of winning a new home after accidentally wrecking their old house. Tom and Jerry fans and skeptics alike are apt to enjoy this short, zany, G-rated race movie.
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6. Rally Road Racers
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 6+
A rookie race car driver, a slow loris named Zhi played by Jimmy O. Yang, tries to save his family’s home by betting he can beat a rally racing champion in this fast-paced animated movie. He trains with friends and gets help from a veteran racer (played by J. K. Simmons), and in the process sees more of the world. While Rally Road Racers will likely appeal more to kids than adults, with John Cleese as Zhi’s nemesis, there’s enough to keep parents entertained.
7. The Great Race
Common Sense Media Age Rating: 6+
Like It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Great Race is a slapstick comedy from the 1960s, this one featuring a suave hero – helped along by Natalie Wood, playing a suffragette in a top-notch performance – racing a dastardly professor (Jack Lemmon, with Peter Falk as his bumbling assistant) from New York to Paris. Is it a little dated? Sure. But it’s still a family fun film built around a car chase, and a nice break from all animation all the time!
Special Mentions
While those are the top movies for car kids, there are a few more movies with prominent vehicles worth checking out!
My Neighbor Totoro: For small kids who love buses, the cat bus in My Neighbor Totoro is a classic
Bob the Builder (series and movies): For small kids (3+) who love construction vehicles
The Lego Movie: For slightly older kids (6+) who love construction vehicles
Looking for ideas for older kids? These movies all feature cars, trucks, driving, road trips, or car chases – and content that may be a bit more mature than some of the other options on this list.
Speed Racer (8+)
Back to the Future (10+)
Transformers (11+)
Smokey and the Bandit (13+)
Talladega Nights (14+)
Blues Brothers (16+)
Those Are The Best Car Movies for Kids
Ready to drive off into the sunset with one of these picks? Whether the cars are racing, chasing, or falling in love (hello, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo), there should be an idea here that’ll fit any wheel fanatic kid.
And if not and the kids are old enough that you’re looking for something you’ll love, why not check out this list of the best road trip movies?
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