Skip to main content

Demolition derby: The top five car crashes on the Internet that make us cringe

top five cringeworthy car crashes video lambo crash 3
As the old Spider-Man saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This holds true of cars as much as it does of anything else, especially given our insatiable desire for horsepower.

While many with access to high-performance cars take care to respect the potential of danger when climbing into their chosen ride, others get a little reckless. Sometimes, accidents just plain happen while other times, drivers try things outside of their skill levels.

Recommended Videos

Lest we underestimate the tenacity of stupidity, we’ve compiled a list of our top five car crashes, noteworthy by just how much they make us squirm in our seats. We kept things simple, sticking to videos of non-racing, non-track collisions, and also avoiding anything gruesome or reprehensible. Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Bugatti Veyron takes a dive

Bugatti Veyron Lake Crash-- Original Video- 1st hand account

This video of a Bugatti Veyron taking a dip into the Gulf Bay near La Marque, Texas is the three-cheese omelet of cringe-worthiness. First, we see this benchmark of super car superiority meet a watery end. Second, we hear it misidentified by the witnesses of the crash as a Lamborghini. Third, it was done as part of a scam. The owner of the Bugatti purchased it for a million dollars and insured it for twice as much, sacrificing this bespoke powerhouse to get an easy payout. Thankfully, this video and other evidence made sure he failed in the attempt.

Lamborghini Huracan loses it at 200 mph

Lamborghini Huracan crash at 300 km/h

We mentioned this one before, when the footage was released by the authorities. It’s a little different from the others because it doesn’t show the wreck per se, but it does give us a POV account of what led up to it. Two passengers took the new Lamborghini Huracán for a ride up the M7 Motorway in Hungary, achieving and sustaining a run at around 200 mph. This wasn’t a de-restricted stretch of Autobahn, but a regular 80 mph-limited two-lane highway. The car was totaled beyond all recognition, but the two passengers survived. Hopefully they recognize how lucky they are to have a second chance at life.

McLaren 650S goes for a spin in the rain

wypadek McLaren'a

Before this McLaren 650S bites the dust, the driver doesn’t seem to be doing anything too reckless: He’s passing on the left and not riding up the tailpipe of the car in front of him. The crucial mistake made here is when he puts is foot down and tries to open it up just when the car in front of him moves. That was a lot of power for too wet a road, and the McLaren paid the price.

Not the Lamborghini driver London needs or deserves

Aventador Crash - Moment of Impact

This short clip is still staggeringly cringe-worthy even after we’ve seen it loads of times. A Lamborghini Aventador driver nearly reenacts the Murcièlago scene from The Dark Knight, sending his V12-powered supercar barreling down Sloane Street in London right into an unsuspecting Mazda 5. The sonorous roar from the car is mixed with bangs and smashes as the Lambo vaults into the air and bounces off a parked BMW.

The Corvette family tree trims itself

Two Turkeys on Thanksgiving Wrecking their Corvettes in The Woodlands

One can almost understand the mindset of the two drivers in this video. They both have the same car, in the same color, separated by a single generation. Who wouldn’t want to see if a C5 Corvette could hold its own against the C6? We would too, but we can think of far better places to put this to the test than an intersection where children on bicycles are crossing the street. Karma then sorts both of them out rather neatly.

Alexander Kalogianni
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…
These new NASA EVs will drive astronauts part way to the moon (sort of)
NASA's new crew transportation electric vehicles.

Three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. The zero-emission vehicles, which will carry astronauts to Launch Complex 39B for Artemis missions, were delivered by Canoo Technologies of Torrance, California. NASA/Isaac Watson

NASA has shown off a trio of new all-electric vehicles that will shuttle the next generation of lunar astronauts to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.

Read more
5 upcoming EVs I’m excited for, from luxury SUVs to budget champions
Lotus Eletre

Almost every major automaker has released an EV by now -- or plans to soon -- and makers like Ford and Kia already have a variety to choose from. But if you haven't found one that's right for you yet, hang tight. There are dozens of announced electric car models that have yet to come out, and it's clear that the future of EVs is bright.

From longer range to lower prices, the next batch of EVs gives us plenty to get excited about. Here are five upcoming EVs that we can't wait to drive.
Volvo EX30

Read more
Tesla shows off first Cybertruck after two years of delays
The first Cybertruck built at Tesla's Giga Texas facility.

The first Cybertruck built at Tesla's Giga Texas facility. Tesla

Tesla has shown off the first Cybertruck to roll off the production line at its new Gigafactory plant in Austin, Texas.

Read more