Which vehicle, built in 1885 and patented in 1886, is widely considered the world's first automobile?

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen, built in 1885 and patented in 1886, is widely considered the world's first practical automobile.

German engineer Carl Benz developed the three-wheeled vehicle while working on gasoline-powered engines and a self-propelled road vehicle. He filed the patent for his “vehicle with gas-engine operation” on January 29, 1886; it was granted later that year as German Patent No. 37435.

The Motorwagen had a rear-mounted, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine, belt transmission, chain drive and a tiller controlling its single front wheel. It was not the first self-propelled road vehicle ever built: steam-powered vehicles, including Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot’s 1769 vehicle, came earlier. Benz’s design is distinguished by its practical gasoline engine and automobile-focused construction.

Bertha Benz demonstrated its usefulness in 1888 by taking a long-distance journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim with her sons. The trip helped convince the public that Benz’s invention could become a usable form of transportation.