The modern car was first invented by Karl Benz in 1885/1886, when he built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, widely cited as the first practical automobile.

A few other key people helped shape the car before and after that:

  • Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built an early self-propelled road vehicle in 1769.
  • Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach built an early four-wheeled gasoline vehicle in 1886.
  • Ransom Olds started large-scale car production in 1901.
  • Henry Ford made cars truly массовe with the moving assembly line starting in 1913.

So the short answer is: Karl Benz made the first modern car, and Henry Ford later made cars affordable for many people through mass production.

Quick Scoop

If you mean “who invented the automobile,” the usual answer is Karl Benz. If you mean “who made cars common,” Henry Ford is the big name because of assembly-line production.

TL;DR: Karl Benz invented the modern car; Henry Ford popularized car ownership by making cars cheaper and faster to build.