Watch Cars in release order: Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011) and Cars 3 (2017), with the Mater's Tall Tales shorts between the first two and Cars on the Road (2022) after Cars 3. Planes (2013) and Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) are spin-offs set in the same world.
- Titles
- 10
- Films
- 7
- Series
- 3
- Watch time
- 18 hours
- Box office
- $1.78 billion
- Avg IMDb
- 6.4
Cars movies in release order
Here is every Cars title in the order it came out, 2006 to 2022: 7 films and 3 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars | 2006 | Film | 1h 57m | 7.3 |
| 2 | Mater and the Ghostlight optional | 2006 | Film | 7m | 6.6 |
| 3 | Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales optional | 2008 | Series | 35m | 7 |
| 4 | Cars 2 | 2011 | Film | 1h 46m | 6.2 |
| 5 | Tales from Radiator Springs optional | 2013 | Series | 7h 30m | 6.5 |
| 6 | Planes optional | 2013 | Film | 1h 31m | 5.7 |
| 7 | Planes: Fire & Rescue optional | 2014 | Film | 1h 23m | 5.9 |
| 8 | Cars 3 | 2017 | Film | 1h 42m | 6.7 |
| 9 | Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool optional | 2017 | Film | 3m | 5.2 |
| 10 | Cars on the Road | 2022 | Series | 1h 48m | 6.9 |
Cars timeline: movies in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars | Radiator Springs | 2006 |
| 2 | Mater and the Ghostlight | A short: Mater gets spooked | 2006 |
| 3 | Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales | Mater's stories | 2008 |
| 4 | Cars 2 | The World Grand Prix | 2011 |
| 5 | Tales from Radiator Springs | Life in town | 2013 |
| 6 | Cars 3 | Lightning's last season | 2017 |
| 7 | Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool | A short after Cars 3 | 2017 |
| 8 | Cars on the Road | Lightning and Mater's road trip | 2022 |
| 9 | Planes | Propwash Junction | 2013 |
| 10 | Planes: Fire & Rescue | Piston Peak | 2014 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 5 titles here. In release order you start with Cars (2006); in story order you start with Cars, set in Radiator Springs.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Cars into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Cars also runs a separate continuity: Planes. It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.
Where to start
Start with Cars and go in release order, skipping the 6 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 4 titles and about 7 hours, 61% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Cars (7.3), Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (7), and Cars on the Road (6.9).
Every Cars movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 2006 · Film · 1h 57m
Cars
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.
Why it matters: Lightning McQueen in Radiator Springs.
- Starring
- Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, and Bonnie Hunt
- Director
- John Lasseter
- Box office
- $462 million on a $120 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 75%
No. 02 · 2006 · Film · 7m · optional
Mater and the Ghostlight
Mater, the rusty but trusty tow truck from Cars, spends a day in Radiator Springs playing scary pranks on his fellow townsfolk. That night at Flo's V8 Café, the Sheriff tells the story of the legend of the Ghostlight, and as everyone races home Mater is left alone primed for a good old-fashioned scare.
Why it matters: A short from the Cars DVD: the town turns Mater's pranks back on him with a fake ghost light.
- Starring
- Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, and Bonnie Hunt
- Director
- John Lasseter
- Scores
- IMDb 6.6
No. 03 · 2008 · Series · 35m · optional
Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales
Mater the tow truck travels from country to country as he retells his infamous but unbelievable stories.
Why it matters: Eleven shorts where Mater tells Lightning wild stories about his past, and insists Lightning was there.
- Starring
- Larry the Cable Guy, Keith Ferguson, and John Cygan
- Creator
- Scott Morse, John Lasseter, Kevin O'Brien, Bobby Rubio, Bobby Podesta, Matthew Luhn, Justin Wright, Jim Capobianco, Daniel Chong, Rob Gibbs, and Valerie LaPointe
- Scores
- IMDb 7
No. 04 · 2011 · Film · 1h 46m
Cars 2
Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.
Why it matters: A spy caper with Mater.
- Starring
- Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, and Michael Caine
- Director
- John Lasseter
- Box office
- $560 million on a $200 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 40%
No. 05 · 2013 · Series · 7h 30m · optional
Tales from Radiator Springs
All Cars Toons in Tales from Radiator Springs follow the daily lives of McQueen, Mater and their friends in their hometown Radiator Springs, following the events of Cars 2.
Why it matters: Four comic shorts about everyday life in Radiator Springs.
- Creator
- John Lasseter
- Scores
- IMDb 6.5
- Episodes
- 15
No. 06 · 2013 · Film · 1h 31m · 9th in story order · optional
Planes
Dusty is a cropdusting plane who dreams of competing in a famous aerial race. The problem? He is hopelessly afraid of heights. With the support of his mentor Skipper and a host of new friends, Dusty sets off to make his dreams come true.
Why it matters: A spin-off set in the Cars world: a crop duster afraid of heights enters a round-the-world race.
- Starring
- Dane Cook, Carlos Alazraqui, and Val Kilmer
- Director
- Klay Hall
- Box office
- $220 million on a $50 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 26%
No. 07 · 2014 · Film · 1h 23m · 10th in story order · optional
Planes: Fire & Rescue
When world-famous air racer Dusty learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he must shift gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty joins forces with veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger and his team, a bunch of all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. Together, the fearless team battles a massive wildfire, and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.
Why it matters: Dusty Crophopper retrains as a firefighting plane at Piston Peak National Park.
- Starring
- Ed Harris, Dane Cook, and Julie Bowen
- Director
- Bobs Gannaway
- Box office
- $151 million on a $50 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 44%
No. 08 · 2017 · Film · 1h 42m · 6th in story order
Cars 3
Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen finds himself pushed to the brink—and suddenly, the champion who once ruled the track is fighting just to stay in the race. With his career hanging in the balance, McQueen must turn to an ambitious young race technician with a plan of her own, draw strength from the legacy of the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet, and risk everything on one last shot at glory.
Why it matters: McQueen faces the next generation.
- Starring
- Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, and Chris Cooper
- Director
- Brian Fee
- Box office
- $384 million on a $175 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 70%
No. 09 · 2017 · Film · 3m · 7th in story order · optional
Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool
Enjoy blindsided testimonials from the Crazy 8's, touting the transformative impact Miss Fritter's Racing School has had in reshaping the direction of their lives.
Why it matters: A short infomercial for Miss Fritter's demolition derby school, from the Cars 3 home release.
- Starring
- Lea DeLaria, Jeremy Maxwell, and Keith Ferguson
- Director
- James Ford Murphy
- Scores
- IMDb 5.2
No. 10 · 2022 · Series · 1h 48m · 8th in story order
Cars on the Road
Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater head east from Radiator Springs on a cross-country road trip to meet up with Mater’s sister.
Why it matters: Lightning and Mater drive cross-country to Mater's sister's wedding on Disney+.
- Starring
- Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, and Quinta Brunson
- Scores
- IMDb 6.9
- Episodes
- 9
Cars box office and budgets
The 5 Cars films with reported numbers have grossed $1.78 billion worldwide on about $595 million in combined budgets, roughly 3.0 times what they cost. The biggest is Cars 2 at $560 million, 32% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Cars ($462 million) and Cars 3 ($384 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Planes, which made 4.4 times its $50 million budget. The weakest was Cars 3 at 2.2 times its $175 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Cars movies
Across 10 rated titles, Cars averages 6.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is Cars at 7.3, then Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (7) and Cars on the Road (6.9). At the bottom: Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool (5.2) and Planes (5.7). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Cars 2, is only the 7th best rated.
- Cars7.3 · RT 75%
- Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales7
- Cars on the Road6.9
- Cars 36.7 · RT 70%
- Mater and the Ghostlight6.6
- Tales from Radiator Springs6.5
- Cars 26.2 · RT 40%
- Planes: Fire & Rescue5.9 · RT 44%
- Planes5.7 · RT 26%
- Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool5.2
Who appears in the most Cars movies
Larry the Cable Guy leads with 6 appearances as Mater, ahead of Owen Wilson (5) and Bonnie Hunt (4). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry the Cable Guy | Mater | 6 | Cars (2006) to Cars on the Road (2022) |
| Owen Wilson | Lightning McQueen | 5 | Cars (2006) to Cars on the Road (2022) |
| Bonnie Hunt | Sally Carrera / Sally | 4 | Cars (2006) to Cars 3 (2017) |
| Paul Newman | Doc Hudson | 2 | Cars (2006) to Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) |
| Cheech Marin | Ramone | 2 | Cars (2006) to Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) |
| Tony Shalhoub | Luigi | 2 | Cars (2006) to Cars 3 (2017) |
| Paul Dooley | Sarge | 2 | Cars (2006) to Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) |
| Michael Wallis | Sheriff | 2 | Cars (2006) to Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) |
| Katherine Helmond | Lizzie | 2 | Cars (2006) to Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) |
| Keith Ferguson | Lightning McQueen | 2 | Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008) to Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool (2017) |
| Danny Mann | Additional Voices / Sparky | 2 | Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008) to Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) |
| Dane Cook | Dusty Crophopper | 2 | Planes (2013) to Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) |
Cars directors and creators
16 filmmakers have directed or created Cars; John Lasseter has the most, with 6.
- John LasseterCars (2006), Mater and the Ghostlight (2006), Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008), Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008), Cars 2 (2011), and Tales from Radiator Springs (2013)
- Rob GibbsCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008) and Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Victor NavoneCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Scott MorseCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Kevin O'BrienCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Bobby RubioCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Bobby PodestaCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Matthew LuhnCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Justin WrightCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Jim CapobiancoCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Daniel ChongCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Valerie LaPointeCars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
- Klay HallPlanes (2013)
- Bobs GannawayPlanes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
- Brian FeeCars 3 (2017)
- James Ford MurphyMiss Fritter's Racing Skoool (2017)
How long it takes to watch every Cars movie
All 10 titles add up to 18 hours: 8 hours of film and 10 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 10 two-hour evenings, or 2 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 7 hours. The longest film is Cars at 1h 57m.
The 4 best rated films: Cars, Cars 3, Mater and the Ghostlight, and Cars 2.
Everything takes about 3 weeks; the essentials about 8 days.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Cars movies can you skip?
6 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 11 hours.
- Mater and the Ghostlight2006 · Film · 7m · optionalA short from the Cars DVD: the town turns Mater's pranks back on him with a fake ghost light.
- Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales2008 · Series · 35m · optionalEleven shorts where Mater tells Lightning wild stories about his past, and insists Lightning was there.
- Tales from Radiator Springs2013 · Series · 7h 30m · optionalFour comic shorts about everyday life in Radiator Springs.
- Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool2017 · Film · 3m · optionalA short infomercial for Miss Fritter's demolition derby school, from the Cars 3 home release.
- Planes2013 · Film · 1h 31m · optionalA spin-off set in the Cars world: a crop duster afraid of heights enters a round-the-world race.
- Planes: Fire & Rescue2014 · Film · 1h 23m · optionalDusty Crophopper retrains as a firefighting plane at Piston Peak National Park.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Cars movies in?
Watch Cars in release order: Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011) and Cars 3 (2017), with the Mater's Tall Tales shorts between the first two and Cars on the Road (2022) after Cars 3. Planes (2013) and Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) are spin-offs set in the same world.
How many Cars movies and shows are there?
There are 10 titles in the Cars franchise: 7 films and 3 series, released from 2006 to 2022.
How long does it take to watch all the Cars movies?
About 18 hours for all 10 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (4 titles) take about 7 hours.
What is the first Cars title in chronological order?
Cars, set in Radiator Springs. In release order the first is Cars (2006).
Which Cars titles can I skip?
Mater and the Ghostlight, Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, Tales from Radiator Springs, Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool, Planes, and Planes: Fire & Rescue. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Cars movie?
By IMDb score, Cars (2006) at 7.3, followed by Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales at 7.
What is the highest-grossing Cars movie?
Cars 2 (2011), with $560 million worldwide. Cars films have made $1.78 billion in total.
Who has appeared in the most Cars movies?
Larry the Cable Guy, in 6 of them as Mater.
What is the longest Cars movie?
Cars, at 1h 57m.
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