Jennifer Lawrence and 9 More Wealthy Celebrities Who Drive Humble Cars

DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 16: A tricked out General Motors Saturn vehicle designed by singer Ludacris sits on display August 16, 2004 in downtown Detroit, Michigan. MTV kicked off its Video Music Awards Road Trip in Detroit with a display of seven tricked out cars designed by celebrities Usher, Ludacris, Xzibit, G Unit, Chingy, Good Charlotte and Bam Margera. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Ludacris designed this Saturn described as “tricked out for … the MTV Video Music Awards Road Trip” | Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

It’s a stretch to say celebrities are “just like us.” However, some of the world’s richest and most famous people drive affordable, low-key cars. Whether they genuinely shun fancy things or want to blend in with the rest of the community, there is something endearing about seeing a millionaire — sometimes, a billionaire — driving the same car as your sister or dad.

If you are not paying attention, you may miss seeing your favorite movie star pull into the mall in a Toyota hybrid or Volkswagen. How boring is that? These celebrities may not lead lifestyles anything like the average person, but their driving experiences are guaranteed to be the same. Here are 10 very wealthy celebrities who drive humble cars.

1. Ludacris’s 1993 Acura Legend

Without a doubt, Ludacris is a relatable guy. His easygoing manner made him one of the most likable celebrities, and you get a feel for his personality when seeing what a low-key ride he drove for years. According to the rapper, the 1993 Acura Legend he bought was “a dream car at the time.” He drove it for decades — putting some 283,000 miles on it — until someone wrecked it in a crash. Acura helped him rehab it after the accident, so he has it back in the garage.

2. Jennifer Lawrence’s Volkswagen Eos

Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most famous movie stars in the world, but her choice in cars definitely veers toward the humble. The Hunger Games and Joy star drove a Volkswagen Eos (a model the automaker discontinued) around California for years. Starting at just over $30,000 in its base trim, Eos is more of a car for an actor new to Hollywood looking to make a name.

3. Warren Buffett’s Cadillac 2006 DTS

Warren Buffett's car
Warren Buffett prefers Cadillacs | Cadillac

There aren’t many folks who top Warren Buffett in the “wealthy” department, but the man worth over $60 billion leads a frugal lifestyle. He doesn’t have a fancy home or the other things your average millionaires flaunt. The Oracle of Omaha takes the same approach to cars. Buffett drove his 2006 Cadillac DTS (base price: $41,195) for some eight years before he upgraded to an XTS in 2014.

When he auctioned off the DTS for $122,500 — he donated it to charity, of course — Buffett did not splurge for anything special. His new Cadillac XTS also started around $45,000 when he bought it. He keeps it simple.

4. Cameron Diaz’s Toyota Prius

2012 Toyota Prius
This car does not scream celebrity until you take the green factor into account | Toyota

The Toyota Prius is no fashion accessory, but Hollywood’s biggest stars always favored the humble, fuel-efficient ride. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, Matt Damon, and Natalie Portman are just a few seen behind the wheel of a Prius. While many have upgraded to the fancier, all-electric Tesla Model S, Cameron Diaz has been seen rocking her Prius as recently as 2014. In this YouTube video, paparazzi catch her on her way out of a spa with Drew Barrymore.

5. Pope Francis’s Kia Soul

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 14: Pope Francis (inside a car) arrives at Seoul military airport on August 14, 2014 in Seoul, South Korea. Pope Francis is visiting South Korea from August 14 to August 18. This trip is the third trip abroad for the pope following Brazil and the Middle East. This is the third pontifical visit to South Korea. (Photo by Song Kyung-Seok-Pool/Getty Images)
Pope Francis (in back seat) arrives at Seoul military airport on August 14, 2014 | Song Kyung-Seok-Pool/Getty Images

Pope Francis is not exactly a wealthy celebrity, but he is one of the most influential people on the planet and has access to unfathomable riches. When he’s not riding around Vatican City in a Ford Focus, His Holiness travels humbly. Take his choice of rides during a 2014 visit to South Korea. Instead of a luxurious Korean-built model like Hyundai Genesis, the Holy Father rode in the back of a Kia Soul — you know, that boxy compact car that features hamsters in the commercials.

6. Kawhi Leonard’s 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe

1997 Chevy Tahoe
He may make enough to buy a Jay Leno-style car collection, but Kawhi Leonard stuck with his old Chevy Tahoe | General Motors

While Kawhi Leonard has earned over $25 million in his five years in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs star has kept things frugal in the car department. In fact, he was still driving the 1997 Chevy Tahoe he had as a teenager when interviewed by Sports Illustrated in 2016. It’s impossible to argue with his explanation. “It runs,” Leonard told SI, “and it’s paid off.”

7. Daniel Radcliffe’s Fiat Punto

At the Zurich Film Festival, Daniel Radcliffe enjoys a moment with fans.
Daniel Radcliffe takes selfies with fans as he attends the Imperium premiere during the 12th Zurich Film Festival | Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

The star of the Harry Potter franchise earned tens of millions of dollars in his signature role, but Daniel Radcliffe’s choice for a first car skewed remarkably humble. As an 18th birthday present to himself, Radcliffe chose a Fiat Punto, which starts under $20,000 in the U.K. According to a contemporary tabloid report, the Punto’s green car credentials and low-key look attracted the film star to his ride.

FRANKFURT/MAIN, Germany: Fair goers inspect a Fiat Punto car on 13 September 2005 in Frankfurt/Main at the 61st International motor show (IAA), scheduled from 12 to 25 September. About one million people are expected to visit the fair where about a thousand exhibitors from 44 countries present their cars.
The Fiat Punto is typically not a wealthy celebrity’s first choice in cars | Oliver Lang/AFP/Getty Images

8. Alfred Morris’s Mazda 626

Alfred Morris Mazda 626
Alfred Morris watches the unveiling of his newly restored 1991 Mazda 626 | Mazda

Dallas Cowboys running back Alfred Morris can claim nearly $5 million in lifetime earnings in the NFL, but that hasn’t led him to give up his car from college. In his junior year at Florida Atlantic, Morris bought a 1991 Mazda 626 from his pastor for a symbolic $2, according to 5 Points Blue. He drove the same car during his career with the Redskins and brought it to Dallas when he started playing for the Cowboys. Mazda was nice enough to refurbish the car when it heard of Morris’s loyalty to his 626.

9. Mark Zuckerberg’s Acura TSX

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is worth well over $30 billion, but one of his favorite cars is an Acura TSX that ran him about $30,000. Zuckerberg is hardly flashy, and the car seems to suit him well for the same reason. Not that he’s entirely above expensive cars: He reportedly bought a $1.3 million Pagani Huayra a few years back to strike a more reasonable balance.

10. John Goodman’s 1997 Ford F-150

POTSDAM, GERMANY: US actor John Goodman holds a bottle of water during a press conference at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam, 20 November 2003. Goodman shoots the movie "Beyond The Sea" a biographic picture about the late '50s rock and roll singer Bobby Darin.
John Goodman keeps things humble in his private life | Fabian Matzerath/AFP/Getty Images

If you judge him by his choice of cars, John Goodman is close to the blue-collar image he portrays in movies in real life. The burly actor who appears in so many Coen Brother films drives an old Ford F-150 when he’s not working. For some reason, we can see him offering people a ride and telling them to hop in the back if his cab was full.

Ford F-150
View of a late ’90s Ford F-150 pickup truck | Tim Boyle/Getty Images

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