James Bond does everything in style, including driving an iconic car, with each Bond actor having a car that defines their era as James Bond. There are currently 25 official James Bond movies, with two that are not connected to the main franchise. As the movies progressed, so did Bond's technology. Many of his cars come equipped with unexpected accessories like ejector seats and defense mechanisms, which make the movies even more exciting to watch. That said, Bond doesn't always have a good relationship with his cars, with 007 destroying 13 cars in the James Bond franchise.

Vehicle stunts are a staple of every James Bond movie, with Bond being able to drive virtually any vehicle from cars to trains and even aircraft. Still, as James Bond is so tied to British culture, it makes sense that the most famous car associated with him would be a British car, which led to the Aston Martin being the staple "James Bond car." Every Aston Martin driven by James Bond has played a different defining role in the movies depending on who is playing James Bond. However, one Bond actor's defining car was not an Aston Martin at all, highlighting how each Bond era has its own quirks.

Sean Connery

Aston Martin DB5

The Aston Martin DB5 was one of the most stylish cars around when Connery played 007 in 1964's Goldfinger. With the Bond franchise now in its sixth decade, the Aston Martin DB5 has become one of the most iconic cars, not just in the series but in the history of cinema. Sean Connery's Aston Martin DB5 has become known as "the Goldfinger car" and would be worth $25 million today.

The Aston Martin DB5 has appeared in James Bond movies in total.

Aston Martin made two DB5 cars for use in Goldfinger. One was an unmodified version for use in driving shots, while the other was heavily modified in the way that viewers now expect from a James Bond movie. The DB5 included an ejector seat, tire slashers, smoke bombs, and pop-up machine guns. The modifications meant that the car was almost too heavy to drive, making it one of the least practical cars in a James Bond movie.

George Lazenby

Aston Martin DBS

George Lazenby only played James Bond once, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. While Lazenby is widely considered the least popular actor to play Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service wouldn't have worked with Sean Connery as Bond. While Connery was not generally a romantic actor, Lazenby was, and his Bond story often appeared to be more of a romance than a typical spy action thriller. This meant that Lazenby's car did not need to be as high-tech as Connery's had been.

While George Lazenby still drove an Aston Martin during his single outing as James Bond, his was an Aston Martin DBS. The DBS had a telescopic sight rifle in the glove compartment but was otherwise unmodified. On Her Majesty's Secret Service included stunts, but the most famous did not involve the Aston Martin at all. A bobsled chase is the defining stunt of the movie, with the Aston Martin DBS playing a less significant role overall.

Roger Moore

Lotus Esprit

Though many of Roger Moore's Bond moments have not aged well, the actor is still one of the most popular James Bonds. Moore was not afraid to put his own spin on the character, which served him well, as trying to emulate Connery's portrayal would likely have been a mistake. Moore drove many cars while playing James Bond, including an Aston Martin, but his defining Bond car was from a different British car company.

The underwater scenes made it the defining James Bond car for Roger Moore.

In The Spy Who Loved Me, James Bond drove a heavily modified Lotus Esprit, which was capable of firing torpedoes, missiles, cement sprays, and mines. That said, the Lotus Esprit's most spectacular feature was that it could transform into a submarine, and the underwater scenes made it the defining James Bond car for Roger Moore. The James Bond submarine was known as "Wet Nellie" and was bought at auction by Elon Musk in 2013.

Timothy Dalton

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante

Timothy Dalton's defining Bond car was the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante, which was as well-equipped as Connery's DB5 but with a black paint job and a sleeker look. This suited Dalton's portrayal of James Bond as a darker and tougher character possessing the latest gadgets for the time. A criticism of Dalton's Bond has often been that he is "cold," and this may have been reflected in his debut movie, The Living Daylights.

The Living Daylights sees Bond deployed to a snowy mountain environment, where he tries to evade KGB agents. While a classic car may not seem like the best mode of transport for such unforgiving conditions, Bond's V8 Vantage Volante has ski runners. While Dalton's Bond may not be the most popular, his Aston Martin is one of the best Bond cars, and No Time To Die references it by using its license plate on a similar car.

Pierce Brosnan

Aston Martin Vanquish (Invisible Car)

Though he is often credited for being one of the more accurate portrayals of James Bond, Pierce Brosnan found himself upstaged by gadgets during many of his 007 movies. While GoldenEye was a great first outing for Brosnan, with an 80% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Die Another Day sent him out on a mediocre note. This was largely due to the science-fiction-heavy plot, which showed James Bond driving an invisible car, which became the defining Brosnan-era car.

In Die Another Day , Q dubbed the Aston Martin Vanquish " the vanish ."

Die Another Day's invisible car was an Aston Martin Vanquish, which had been modified with cloaking technology. This effectively rendered the car invisible, though vulnerable to the antagonist's thermal imaging software. The modification was poorly received for seeming unrealistic, though Die Another Day's director defended the controversial gadgets, saying "these things have been made." While Pierce Brosnan drove many vehicles during his 007 era, the polarizing Die Another Day car was the most memorable.

Daniel Craig

Aston Martin DB5

Daniel Craig revolutionized the role of James Bond, adding a grittiness and toughness to the character. While this may have been reflected by giving 007 a four-wheel drive or similar hardier-looking vehicle as his signature, the filmmakers had a different idea. With such a new approach to the James Bond franchise, Daniel Craig's Bond era embraced nostalgia whenever possible, which included bringing back the same Aston Martin DB5 that appeared in Goldfinger.

In the pivotal Skyfall scene in which Bond drives out of London with M, he is driving a silver Aston Martin DB5 with the same license plate as the one Sean Connery drove in Goldfinger. The moment has an extra callback to earlier James Bond movies when M complains that the car isn't comfortable. Bond reveals an ejector button, with M replying "Go on then, eject me. See if I care." While each Bond actor has their own defining car, this scene shows the Aston Martin as the defining car manufacturer for the James Bond franchise.