NASA’s Apollo 15 first used a lunar rover during a crewed Moon landing.
Apollo 15 launched on July 26, 1971, carrying astronauts David Scott, James Irwin, and Alfred Worden. Scott and Irwin landed in the Hadley–Apennine region on July 30 and used the Lunar Roving Vehicle to travel much farther from the lunar module than earlier crews could walk.
The battery-powered rover carried tools, cameras, and scientific equipment. It allowed the astronauts to visit geological sites near Hadley Rille and collect a larger variety of rock samples. Apollo 15 returned 77 kilograms of lunar material, including the famous Genesis Rock, an ancient anorthosite specimen.
Apollo 15 was the fourth crewed lunar landing, not the first. Apollo 17 was the final mission to use a lunar rover, and the rover used there was also an improved version of the same general vehicle design.