 In a short review for AllMusic, John Book gave the single three of five stars, praising Jourgensen’s guitar performance, while his fellow editor Steve Huey hailed it as one of Ministry's "best-known songs".Writing for the "Los Angeles Times", Robert Hilburn called the song "a guaranteed classic".Despite being a fan favorite, “Jesus Built My Hotrod” was rarely performed during the band's career, predominantly making appearance as an encore during 1999's “Clitour”, 2003's “Fornicatour”, 2004's “Evil Doer Tour” and 2006's “Masterbatour”.