The first modern car was made in 1885–1886, when Karl (Carl) Benz built and patented his three‑wheeled Benz Patent‑Motorwagen in Germany, often called the “birth certificate” of the automobile.

Quick Scoop: Key Dates

  • 1769 – Nicolas‑Joseph Cugnot builds a steam‑powered road vehicle, often cited as the first self‑propelled road vehicle.
  • 1808 – François Isaac de Rivaz creates an early internal‑combustion‑powered vehicle.
  • 1885 – Karl Benz completes his first gasoline‑powered three‑wheeler in Mannheim.
  • 29 January 1886 – Benz files the patent for his Motorwagen, widely treated as the first true modern car.
  • 1888 – Benz begins series production after his wife Bertha famously proves it can handle a long‑distance trip.

In everyday usage, when people ask “when was the first car made,” they almost always mean Benz’s 1885–1886 Motorwagen, not the earlier experimental steam machines.