Parents' Guide to

Pimp My Ride

By Joly Herman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Junky cars get dissed, then fixed. Iffy for teens.

TV MTV Reality TV 2004
Pimp My Ride Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 3 parent reviews

V O.
V O. Adult
May 20, 2012
age 11+

Another MTV show centerd fully on materialism

As much as I like the idea of helping out people, these cars get very ridiculous. I've honestly only seen a few episodes and can't wrap my head around how they get away with "pimping" out these rides. Kids, preteens, and may be a some teenagers won't understand how unnecessary a lot of these tricked out items they install in these cars are. In fact a lot of it is downright dangerous. With many people these days who can't take their eyes off their phones to drive, installing other distractions for the driver turns it into the pretty lethal weapon. I even recall one of my friends telling me a person on that show had to sell their car, because in the end they couldn't drive it. This show, like many other MTV shows, heavily promotes materialism just for the sake of it. While tricking out the car is really cool looking and will impress their friends, they don't seem to give them what they need. Practicality plays no part.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Plague
Plague Parent
February 26, 2010
age 8+

Pimp my Ride

A very addicting show to watch. They certainly know what they're doing.

This title has:

Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

PIMP MY RIDE is an MTV reality show that focuses on beautifying cars. In each episode host Xzibit arrives at a car owner's house to \"confiscate\" their car and head back to his detail shop for a makeover. Though many of these participants seem to only be just scraping by financially, Xzibit and his crew trick out their cars to help improve the driver's self-confidence and image around town.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (4 ):

The show focuses on the materialism that our car-centric culture has created. But it does so in an entertaining manner -- in no small way as a result of host Xzibit's keen sense of humor. Pimp My Ride doesn't attempt to be more than it is. It's a reality show about beautifying cars, and that is what it's all about here --California style. Overall, while it's not the worst offender in reality world, there are much better things your kids could be doing with their time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the show's underlying messages. Does a good-looking car make a person more valuable? Does the series aim to help people who are in dire need? What about the use of the word "pimp" as a positive description? Does this change the meaning or connotation of the term?

TV Details

  • Premiere date: March 4, 2004
  • Network: MTV
  • Genre: Reality TV
  • TV rating: TV-PG
  • Last updated: October 13, 2022

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