The Audi A3 is the best-looking everyday car, a study has suggested – while a Kia Picanto is the worst.
Autotraders Vanarama used the ‘golden ratio’ formula to determine the most attractive motors from the 50 most-licensed models in the UK.
The ‘golden ratio’ is a mathematical formula devised in ancient Greece to determine ‘physical perfection’ by comparing measurements, ratios and symmetry.
During the Renaissance, artists and architects used the equation, also known as Phi, as an aid during the creation of their masterpieces.
Scientists have since adapted the mathematical formula, which equates to 1/1.618, to explain what makes other objects beautiful – including people, buildings, and now, cars.
According to the maths, the Audi A3 is the most beautiful car, scoring 83 points out of a maximum 100.
The Audi A3 (pictured) is the best-looking everyday car, according to the golden ratio
Vanarama explained: ‘We analysed several proportions for each of the 50 most licensed models, looking at specific dimensions like length and wheelbase, as well as key design features, such as the placement of badges and lights…
‘Each car was scored on two key design factors: overall vehicle dimensions and visual proportions, in terms of how the naked eye perceives shapes.
‘The maximum score for each factor was 50, with the highest scores going to the designs that were closest to the golden ratio on percentage.
‘These two scores were then combined for each car to give an overall score out of 100, with the highest scores indicating the most beautiful cars according to the golden ratio.’
Vanarama said the results were also grouped to find the most and least beautiful car manufacturers and car body types.
It added: ‘While this list includes typically high-end manufacturers such as Land Rover and BMW, the specific models covered are among those most driven in the UK, so we can be sure our data covers the cars that are most relevant to motorists.
‘In all, the final data covers 19 million (18,633,674) individual registered vehicles.’
And according to the maths, the Audi A3 is the most beautiful car, scoring 83 points out of a maximum 100.
The German-made motor is followed by the VW Golf and Vauxhall Mokka, which both scored 80.
The Kia Sportage (pictured) was the third least attractive model in the study with a score of 15 out of 100. Kia was the least attractive manufacturer overall
Vanarama explained: ‘We analysed several proportions for each of the 50 most licensed models, looking at specific dimensions like length and wheelbase, as well as key design features, such as the placement of badges and lights’
Rounding out the top five are the Audi A4 with 79 points and the BMW 3 Series with 78 points.
On the other end of the scale, the Kia Picanto scored just seven out of 100, according to the golden ratio, making it the least attractive car on the road.
It was followed by the Citroen C1 with 12 points, the Kia Sportage with 15, the Land Rover Discovery with 18 and the Fiat 500 with 22.
The results are good news for Audi drivers, as their models are deemed the most likely to stop traffic.
The German manufacturer, on average, makes the best-looking cars with an overall score of 77, followed by BMW with 70, Mercedez-Benz with 67, Skoda with 62 and Vauxhall with 60.
Kia, again, is bottom of the list when it comes to manufacturers, scoring an overall score of 19 out of 100.
The study did not include exclusive carmakers with an expected level of beauty such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus or Porsche.
When it came to which type of cars are deemed the most attractive, saloons topped the list, scoring 66 out of 100 on average.
Meanwhile city cars are viewed as the least attractive, according to the study, with an average score of 26 out of 100.
