This list of the 'best' monster trucks is subjective. These are the ones you've likely heard of before and are classics in the Monster Jam world. When you go to a monster truck event, you'll always have your favorite. Did it make our list?
Madusa
Madusa appeared from 1999 to 2016 and was retired when its creator and original driver, Debra Miceli, also retired. It was supposed to appear for a final goodbye in 2017, but Miceli was unable to participate due to an injury. In 2020, Madusa was given a slightly new look and brought back in Australia.
Madusa was unique among monster trucks. Most drivers in the sport were men, but Madusa started out with a woman behind the wheel and had two other women drivers over the years. It’s also rare for a new driver to helm a truck instead of a veteran, but Madusa, with original driver Miceli at the wheel and its bright pink body, was a fan favorite that tied with some of the best drivers in the sport at various competitions.
Hot Wheels
This monster truck was sponsored by the toy company of the same name and first appeared in 2002. Unfortunately, mechanical problems led to its retirement in 2007. A new version appeared in 2012 with the name Team Hot Wheels Firestorm that retained many of the same fans of the original.
The original Hot Wheels truck appeared at five different World Finals and was plagued by problems almost every time. It was prone to breaking during competitions and not making it to the final rounds.
Twice, when it didn’t break down, the truck finished last in the freestyle competition. But the popularity of Hot Wheels and its bright familiar paint job bearing the flaming Hot Wheels logo helped keep it a fan favorite.
Scarlet Bandit
Scarlet Bandit appeared in 2000 and had the distinction of being the only monster truck with a woman driver at the Monster Jam World Finals 9 in 2008. The truck has appeared in several competitions since then with only one title win, but it's popular enough to have featured in two different Monster Jam video games.
Scarlet Bandit has been primarily driven by Dawn Creten since it first appeared. She’s become one of the most famous female drivers in the sport. She’s also married to Jimmy Creten, the popular driver of Bounty Hunter.
Bounty Hunter
Jimmy Creten drives Bounty Hunter and often competes with his wife, Dawn Creten, the driver of Scarlet Bandit. Bounty Hunter has won multiple titles in over 20 years of appearances, and is a perpetual fan favorite. This truck has appeared in numerous Monster Jam video games, and has a second version known as Jekyll and Hide.
Maximum Destruction
This truck, also referred to as Max-D, looks like something straight out of Mad Max or other apocalyptic films. Spikes cover the top of the body, and the paint job features the grinning face of something that could easily be a villain in a science fiction thriller.
It’s not just the appearance that makes Maximum Destruction a fan favorite, though. Tom Meents, who has driven the truck many times since its debut in 2003, is a long-time friend and rival of Dennis Anderson, the driver of another hugely popular monster truck called Gravedigger. When the two appeared together at competitions, their friendly rivalry always added another element of fun for the crowd.
Gravedigger
Gravedigger is not only considered the most popular monster truck of all time, it’s also one of the oldest with over 38 years under its chassis. It first appeared in 1982 driven by Dennis Anderson. He sat behind Gravedigger’s wheel until he retired in 2017.
Gravedigger’s dark paint job with neon highlights and the prominently featured skeletal figure made it a perfect matchup for Maximum Destruction’s futuristic look. Gravedigger has won over 500 different even titles in its long career, and it shows no signs of slowing down in 2021.
