Short answer
60 car brands in the archive have a circle, ring or roundel in their logo, including Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Quick read
Car Logos With Circles, Rings and Roundels: Key Facts
- Brands on this list
- 60
- Countries
- 16
- Oldest brand
- Opel (1862)
- Newest brand
- Mini (1959)
- Most brands from
- United Kingdom (15)
Car Logos With Circles, Rings and Roundels at a Glance
| Brand | Country | Founded | Logo element |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Japan | 1933 | The open ring |
 |
Germany | 1926 | The ring |
 |
Germany | 1916 | The black ring |
 |
Germany | 1937 | The circle |
 |
Germany | 1862 | The ring |
 |
Italy | 1910 | The blue ring |
 |
United Kingdom | 1959 | The circle |
 |
France | 1909 | The dotted oval |
 |
Czech Republic | — | The circle |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The ring |
 |
France | — | The red ring |
 |
Germany | — | The round badge |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The red circle |
 |
Italy | — | Round badge |
 |
France | — | Blue disc and lettering |
 |
India | — | The roundel |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The black ring |
 |
United States | — | The chrome ring |
 |
Germany | — | The roundel |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The yellow roundel |
 |
United States | — | The blue ring |
 |
Latvia | — | Red ring |
 |
Japan | — | The red disc |
 |
United Arab Emirates | — | The gold ring |
 |
Italy | — | Dotted gold rim |
 |
United States | — | The green disc |
 |
Australia | — | Silver roundel |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The circle |
 |
China | — | Black ring and script |
 |
United States | — | The round badge |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The roundel |
 |
China | — | The oval ring |
 |
China | — | The ring |
 |
Germany | — | The ring |
 |
Australia | — | The roundel |
 |
France | — | The purple disc |
 |
Italy | — | The dark roundel |
 |
Italy | — | Gold-edged ring |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The red roundel |
 |
United States | — | The red roundel |
 |
United Kingdom | — | Blade roundel |
 |
United Kingdom | — | Green ring |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The roundel |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The black ring |
 |
United States | — | The circle |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The circle |
 |
France | — | The red disc |
 |
Spain | — | The ring |
 |
United States | — | The double ring |
 |
United States | — | The black ring |
 |
Malaysia | — | The circular frame |
 |
United States | — | The circle |
 |
Sweden | — | The navy roundel |
 |
China | — | The blue ring |
 |
United States | — | The roundel |
 |
Czech Republic | — | The chrome rim |
 |
Russia | — | The ring |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The red roundel |
 |
China | — | The ring |
 |
United Kingdom | — | The wheel disc |
No brands match your search.
The scale of the difference
Brands by founding decade
Brands on this list with a known founding year, counted by decade.
- 1860s1 brand
- 1900s1 brand
- 1910s2 brands
- 1920s1 brand
- 1930s2 brands
- 1950s1 brand
Car Logos With Circles, Rings and Roundels: Entry Details
Nissan
Japan · Founded 1933How the Nissan logo went from the Datsun red disc and blue bar to a chrome ring and a flat 2020 mark, what the name means, and which Nissan cars became icons.
- Logo element
- The open ring
- Segment
- Mass-market
- Archived logo versions
- 18
Mercedes-Benz
Germany · Founded 1926How the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star grew from a 1900s trademark into the ring badge, who stood behind the brand, and which cars made the name famous.
- Logo element
- The ring
- Segment
- Luxury vehicles
- Archived logo versions
- 9
BMW
Germany · Founded 1916How the BMW roundel grew out of the Rapp Motorenwerke emblem, what its blue and white quarters mean, why the propeller story is a myth, and which cars built the brand.
- Logo element
- The black ring
- Segment
- Luxury vehicles
- Archived logo versions
- 9
Volkswagen
Germany · Founded 1937How the VW monogram grew from a 1937 cogwheel-and-propeller mark into today's flat blue roundel, who may have drawn it, and which cars made it famous.
- Logo element
- The circle
- Segment
- Mass-market
- Archived logo versions
- 13
Opel
Germany · Founded 1862How the Opel logo moved from an A and O monogram through laurels and a flying airship to today's lightning bolt in a ring, and which cars and people shaped the brand.
- Logo element
- The ring
- Segment
- Mass-market
- Archived logo versions
- 10
Alfa Romeo
Italy · Founded 1910How the Alfa Romeo badge grew out of Milan's red cross and the Visconti serpent in 1910, who drew it, what changed through 2015, and which Alfa cars became icons.
- Logo element
- The blue ring
- Segment
- Sports cars
- Archived logo versions
- 14
Mini
United Kingdom · Founded 1959How the Mini badge moved from Morris and Austin emblems to a winged roundel, what its elements show, and which Minis became icons.
- Logo element
- The circle
- Segment
- Compact cars
- Archived logo versions
- 6
Bugatti
France · Founded 1909From the red oval with its ring of dots and EB monogram to today's plain black wordmark, see what the Bugatti logo shows, where it came from and which cars made it famous.
- Logo element
- The dotted oval
- Segment
- Hypercars
- Archived logo versions
- 5
Škoda
Czech RepublicFollow the Škoda winged arrow from the Slavia badges of Laurin & Klement to today's flat dark-green emblem, and see who built the brand and which cars defined it.
- Logo element
- The circle
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 13
AC
United KingdomFollow the AC roundel from its early monogram to the green badge of the Cobra years and today's navy mark, and learn what is documented about its name, owners and cars.
- Logo element
- The ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 5
Aixam
FranceHow the Aixam logo moved from a plain block wordmark to a circular badge with a stylized A, and the French microcars that wear it.
- Logo element
- The red ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 3
Alpina
GermanyHow the Alpina badge with its carburetors and camshaft came to define a Bavarian BMW specialist, who founded the company, and which Alpina cars became icons.
- Logo element
- The round badge
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 2
Ariel
United KingdomHow the Ariel badge moved from a horseshoe emblem and a roundel to today's red circle with a cut-out A, and which Ariel vehicles made the name known.
- Logo element
- The red circle
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 4
ATS
ItalyHow the round ATS badge with its lowercase wordmark and red dragon changed from the 1962 blue enamel look to the black 2012 revival, and who built the cars behind it.
- Logo element
- Round badge
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 2
Berliet
FranceSee how the Berliet logo moved from a bold script wordmark to the locomotive-front badge and a later geometric mark, and which Berliet vehicles became icons.
- Logo element
- Blue disc and lettering
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 3
BharatBenz
IndiaHow the BharatBenz roundel works, what the name means, how Daimler launched the Indian truck brand in 2011, and which BharatBenz trucks mattered.
- Logo element
- The roundel
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Bristol
United KingdomHow the Bristol Cars roundel pairs a ship-and-castle shield with a black ring, what is documented about it, and which Bristol cars became classics.
- Logo element
- The black ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Buick
United StatesSee how Buick's tri-shield grew from a 1937 coat-of-arms badge into today's mark, what its three shields represent, and which Buick cars carried it.
- Logo element
- The chrome ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 9
Carlsson
GermanyA look at the Carlsson badge, a black roundel with a leaping horse and italic wordmark, and the German Mercedes-Benz tuning house founded by the Hartge brothers in 1989.
- Logo element
- The roundel
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Caterham
United KingdomHow the green and yellow Caterham Super 7 roundel ties a Surrey Lotus dealer to the Seven, what its elements show, and which Caterham cars matter most.
- Logo element
- The yellow roundel
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Cizeta
United StatesTrace the Cizeta badge from the 1988 Cizeta-Moroder V16T debut in Los Angeles to its blue-and-gold roundel with two animal heads, and see who drew it and why only 11 cars were built.
- Logo element
- The blue ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Dartz
LatviaHow the Dartz medallion with its Z, Cyrillic ring and Russo-Balt heritage came about, why the Z was dropped in 2022, and which armored Dartz models define the brand.
- Logo element
- Red ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Datsun
JapanHow the Datsun logo moved from a red disc and blue band to script badges and a chrome oval, what the name means, and which Datsun cars became icons.
- Logo element
- The red disc
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 10
Devel Sixteen
United Arab EmiratesA look at the interlocking monogram badge of the Devel Sixteen hypercar from the UAE, what it shows, and what the company has and has not explained.
- Logo element
- The gold ring
- Segment
- Vehicle maker
- Archived logo versions
- 1
Details are shown for the 24 best-known brands. All 60 brands are in the table above.
Car Logos With Circles, Rings and Roundels: Analysis
Why brands use this symbol
The circle is the default shape for a badge. It echoes a wheel, centres whatever sits inside it and works on every surface from a steering wheel to a hubcap. Rings can also show a merger or a partnership of several companies.
Where these brands come from
United Kingdom has the most brands on this list (15 of 60), followed by United States (10) and Germany (7). In all, 16 countries are represented.
How old these brands are
The oldest brand on this list is Opel, founded in 1862, and the newest is Mini, founded in 1959. The most common founding decade is the 1910s (2 brands).
FAQ: Car Logos With Circles, Rings and Roundels
Which car brands have a circle, ring or roundel in their logo?
Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Opel, Alfa Romeo, Mini, Bugatti, Škoda and AC, and 50 more in the table above.
Which is the oldest brand on this list?
Opel, founded in 1862.
How is this list compiled?
A brand is listed when its logo decoder, on the brand's own page, names this element as a part of the mark. The note is that part's label.
Sources & methodology
A brand is listed when its logo decoder, on the brand's own page, names this element as a part of the mark. The note is that part's label. Each brand page lists its own sources, and the logo images are an educational reference archive.
Maintained by Artsiom Dusau, a software engineer and BMW 4 Series owner. Editorial policy