When was the first car invented?

The invention of the car completely changed how people could get around. It reshaped cities, opened up long-distance travel and eventually became part of everyday life for billions of people around the world.

But when you ask, “When was the first car invented?”, the answer isn’t just as simple as announcing a specific date. It actually depends on what you mean by “the first car.” Are you asking about the first self-propelled vehicle? The first vehicle to resemble an automobile? Or the first car you could actually buy and drive on public roads? Read on to learn when the first car was invented, no matter how you define it.

How the automobile came together

The modern car as we know it today was actually developed through a series of technical and manufacturing milestones that happened over hundreds of years. Let's take a look at vehicles throughout the years:

Who were the inventors behind the first automobile(s)?

The modern automobile emerged through the work of several inventors. Together, their work is how we got to the cars that we drive today. Here are the notable names behind the creation of automobiles:

Nicolas‑Joseph Cugnot

People have had crude ideas about self-propelled vehicles for centuries, going back to ancient and medieval times. But one of the first known examples that actually worked appeared much later, in 1769. That’s when French military engineer Nicolas‑Joseph Cugnot built a steam-powered vehicle known as the fardier à vapeur.

Cugnot designed it for the military to haul heavy artillery. It was able to pull loads of up to five tonnes at about 3.2 kilometres (two miles) per hour. The problem was that it was slow and hard to control.

According to curators at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, not only could the vehicle only travel at walking speed, but it also had to stop frequently to rebuild steam pressure, so it wasn’t practical for everyday travel. Even so, the fardier à vapeur is often credited as the first self-propelled road vehicle and the original survives today in a museum in Paris. That said, it wasn’t a car in the modern sense. It had no steering wheel, no suspension and no realistic way to be used on a wide scale.

Karl Benz

The first practical automobile that clearly fits the definition of a modern car is credited to Karl (Carl) Benz. In 1885, Benz completed a three-wheeled, gasoline-powered vehicle designed from the ground up to be a motor car.

On January 29, 1886, he filed Patent DRP No. 37435 for his invention. That patent is often described as the birth certificate of the automobile. The vehicle became known as the Benz Patent-Motorwagen and it:

• Ran on gasoline

• Could be driven on public roads

• Had a top speed was about 16 kilometres per hour

• Was eventually offered for sale to the public starting in 1888

Bertha Benz and the first long-distance drive

In August 1888, Karl Benz’s wife, Bertha Benz, along with their two sons, took the Motorwagen on a roughly 100-kilometre round trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back. This trip is recognized as the world’s first long-distance automobile journey and it proved that the car could handle actual roads and real conditions. Along the way, she solved several mechanical problems, invented an early form of brake pads and identified the need for better gearing, all of which helped shape her husband’s future model designs.

Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach

Around the same time as Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach were developing their own high-speed gasoline engines. In 1885, Daimler invented the Daimler riding carriage, a two-wheeled gas-powered vehicle, which is often considered the first gasoline-powered motorcycle. In 1886, he then adapted a four-wheeled carriage to accept his engine, thereby creating one of the earliest gasoline-powered cars. Daimler and Maybach’s engines were lighter, faster and more adaptable, influencing early manufacturers across Europe, even as Karl Benz moved first toward public sales.

Nicolaus August Otto

In 1876, German engineer Nicolaus August Otto developed the first commercially successful four-stroke internal combustion engine that ran on gasoline. This engine, often called the Otto cycle, produced steady, repeatable power and became the blueprint for gasoline engines that followed. While Otto didn’t invent the car and his engine wasn’t originally designed for one, without his work, practical gasoline vehicles wouldn’t have been possible.

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Who were the first car manufacturers?

Once gasoline-powered cars proved they could actually work on public roads, the next question was how to build them reliably, repeatedly and at scale. While Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler are central to early car history, they weren’t originally focused on mass manufacturing complete vehicles. Early on, they earned much of their income by licensing engines to other companies that were better positioned to build and sell cars. Two of the most important early manufacturers to take that next step were Panhard & Levassor and Peugeot. Let's take a look:

Panhard & Levassor

Founded in 1890, Panhard & Levassor became one of the first companies to industrialize car design rather than treat automobiles as one-off experiments. Working under license from Daimler, René Panhard and Émile Levassor didn’t just assemble cars; they rethought how cars should be laid out. Their biggest contribution was what became known as the “Système Panhard.” This new layout:

• Placed the engine at the front

• Sent power to the rear wheels (RWD)

• Used a sliding-gear transmission (early form of the modern manual gearbox)

They helped establish the front-engine layout with a front-mounted radiator, which became the standard approach for passenger cars. Panhard & Levassor were also heavily involved in the earliest automobile competitions, using racing to test and refine vehicle design standards that lasted for decades.

Peugeot

Peugeot is one of the oldest names in automotive history, but it didn’t start with cars. The company began as a steel and tool manufacturer in the early 1800s.

Peugeot briefly experimented with steam power in 1889, but by 1890 had switched to gasoline-powered vehicles, using a Daimler-licensed engine built by Panhard & Levassor to produce its first petrol-powered automobile, the Type 2. Peugeot also became one of the first manufacturers to fit rubber tires to a gasoline-powered vehicle, improving ride comfort and durability.

Canada’s early automobile story

Canada entered the automobile story surprisingly early, but its path developed differently from that of the United States or Europe. Here's how:

Canada’s first automobile

In 1867, Henry Seth Taylor, a Quebec watchmaker and jeweller, built a steam-powered buggy that he unveiled in 1868 at the Stanstead agricultural fair. It was powered by a rear-mounted coal-fired boiler.

The vehicle was experimental, difficult to control and lacked effective brakes; a flaw that reportedly sent it into a nearby creek. Despite its limitations, it’s collectively recognized as the first automobile built in Canada.

LeRoy Manufacturing Company

By the late 1800s, some inventors began trying to turn experiments into businesses. One of the earliest was the LeRoy Manufacturing Company, founded in 1899 in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener). LeRoy produced some of Canada’s first gasoline-powered cars intended for sale, drawing inspiration from the American designs of the era.

But because production volumes were small, capital was limited and technology was advancing quickly, LeRoy struggled to scale and it exited automobile production within a few years.

Ford Motor Company of Canada

In 1904, Ford Motor Company of Canada was established following an agreement between Gordon McGregor of Windsor and Henry Ford. Windsor, Ontario, soon emerged as a major automotive manufacturing hub.

By 1913, there were roughly 50,000 motor vehicles on Canadian roads, including early Ford models produced domestically. In the years following the First World War, Canada built on this foundation and briefly emerged as one of the world’s largest vehicle producers, exporting cars and auto parts to markets well beyond its borders.

Tariffs and trade

Government policy also played a major role in shaping the automobile industry in Canada. In the late 1800s, Canada’s National Policy used protective tariffs to encourage domestic manufacturing, including automobiles.

But in 1965, the Canada–U.S. Automotive Products Trade Agreement (Auto Pact) removed tariffs on qualifying vehicles and parts, tightly integrating Canadian and American supply chains. This integrated market led to Canada-specific nameplates such as the Ford Monarch, Pontiac Beaumont and Chrysler Fargo.

Why did independent Canadian carmakers struggle?

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, several Canadian companies attempted to build and sell automobiles, including:

• Fossmobile

• LeRoy

• Russell

• Tudhope

• Galt

Most of these companies struggled to survive, largely due to Canada’s smaller population, limited capital and the rapid pace of technological change. Even so, Canada periodically became one of the world’s top vehicle producers, not by going it alone, but by building cars as part of a deeply integrated North American system.

Where do electric vehicles come in?

Electric vehicles (EVs) were a serious contender in the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially in cities. From the 1890s through the 1910s, electric cars had a lot going for them. They were quiet, clean and simple to use.

Unlike early gasoline cars, they didn’t need to be hand-cranked to start, which made them especially appealing for city driving and short trips. Their limitations, however, made them harder to use beyond those settings:

• Limited range

• Long charging times

• Weak battery technology

Canada’s first known electric vehicle appeared early in this period. In 1893, Toronto lawyer Frederick Fetherstonhaugh commissioned an electric carriage, making it one of the earliest EVs in Canada.

But then, in 1912, Cadillac introduced the electric self-starter, replacing the manual hand crank with an electric motor and a turnkey. Now that gasoline cars could be started with the push of a button, along with cheap gasoline, expanding road networks and mass production under Henry Ford, it made internal combustion vehicles easier to own. So, electric cars began to gradually disappear and made way for:

Modern electric vehicles

Decades later, EVs finally made their return to the spotlight, thanks to:

• Improvements in lithium-ion batteries

• Rising concerns about emissions

• Government policies supporting electrification

These newer models were able to show the world that electric cars could finally offer the range and performance that the early versions couldn’t. As of October 2025, there were more than 991,000 plug-in electric vehicles (including both battery-electric and plug-in hybrids) on Canadian roads, representing roughly 3.7% of all light-duty vehicles registered in the country.

When did car insurance enter the picture?

Back in the early days of driving, there was no such thing as car insurance. Cars were rare, slow and could mostly only handle short trips on lightly travelled roads. While yes, accidents still happened, they weren’t often enough for any formal insurance systems yet.

But by the early 1900s, crashes involving pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages and other cars were happening a lot more often. Courts were struggling to sort out fault and compensation one case at a time and governments began to see the need for a more reliable system of financial protection for everyone sharing the roads. The first mandatory insurance rules followed:

• In 1925, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to require drivers to carry auto insurance in order to register a vehicle.

• In 1930, the United Kingdom went a step further, introducing nationwide mandatory car insurance under the Road Traffic Act.

How auto insurance developed in Canada

In Canada, auto insurance evolved over time and largely at the provincial level, rather than through a single national system. While it’s difficult to pinpoint the very first car insurance policy in Canada, insurance had clearly become established by the mid-20th century. Provinces began shaping their own frameworks that led to the mix of public, private and hybrid systems Canadians see today. Take a look:

What’s mandatory across Canada today?

Auto insurance is currently mandatory in every province and territory, but the exact rules vary depending on which province or territory you live in. Across the country, drivers are required to carry third-party liability coverage, which is what protects you if you injure someone or damage their property. Then, in all provinces and territories except Newfoundland and Labrador, drivers are also required to carry some form of accident benefits coverage, which is what helps pay for medical and rehabilitation costs after a collision.

Some provinces also require uninsured motorist coverage and/or direct compensation–property damage coverage. Further, public insurers include some form of mandatory basic auto damage, while this is only optional under private coverage. Because rules, minimum limits and claims processes vary by province, you should always check your local requirements or speak with a licensed broker.

Why is having car insurance still essential today?

Modern vehicles are safer than ever, thanks to crash-avoidance tech and stricter safety standards. But the cost of fixing them has grown faster than many people expect. According to Statistics Canada, the index for passenger vehicle parts, maintenance and repairs was 22.3% higher in December 2024 than it was in 2019, meaning insurers and drivers are paying significantly more for the same jobs than they did five years ago.

At the same time, while many injury settlements are relatively small, severe or catastrophic injuries can lead to significantly higher court awards. One notable Canadian case resulted in an $18.4 million award following a serious brain injury sustained in a 2002 auto accident. Without the right auto insurance, in an at-fault collision, all of those costs would likely come directly out of your own pocket.

Contact BrokerLink today

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