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1. The first person charged with a speeding offence was in 1896
Walter Arnold was the first person fined for speeding in a motorised vehicle, a German-imported Benz in 1896. Mr Arnold was fined when he was caught breaking the 2mph speed limit, travelling at the shocking speed of 8mph in Paddock Wood, Kent in England. Luckily for the safety of everyone in the area, a police officer riding a bicycle was able to chase him down and apprehend the speeding menace. Mr Arnold was then charged with breaking the law on four counts and was required to pay 10 shillings for the speeding offence.
However, the whole ordeal may have been a clever stunt to bring attention to the vehicle, one of the first horseless carriages at the time. Mr Arnold was a car dealer, and his company began producing a local variation of the Benz automobile shortly after. The media attention certainly got people interested!
2. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time
It’s estimated that Toyota has sold around 45 million units of the Corolla since its debut in 1966 - and it is still a favourite option today! The Corolla is a popular choice among drivers, thanks to its worldwide availability, affordability, and efficiency. It’s a well-designed contemporary car that’s easy to drive and has a great range of trims and body styles, so everyone can find their perfect Corolla.
The Corolla is followed in all-time sales by the Ford F-Series, Volkswagen Golf, and Volkswagen Beetle.
3. The dashboard first existed on horse-drawn carriages
The word ‘dashboard’ originates from the wooden barrier fixed to the front of a horse-drawn carriage that protects the driver from mud kicked up by the horse's hooves as they run.
Today, vehicle dashboards are just as helpful and functional, but in very different ways. Drivers can glance at the dashboard to monitor their speed or fuel levels, and even keep small items in storage compartments. Modern cars have user-friendly infotainment systems, offering navigational assistance and access to your favourite radio stations or personal playlists.
4. The Mercedes-Benz W125 held a speed record for almost 80 years
In 1938, the Mercedes-Benz W125 set the world record of travelling 268.8mph over a flying km on a public road. This record lasted almost 80 years until the Koenigsegg Agera RS surpassed it in 2017, which recorded a two-way average speed of 277mph.
5. The last car produced with a cassette player was the Ford Crown Victoria in 2011
The 2011 Ford Crown Victoria was the last car to offer an option for a cassette player, holding a special place in the hearts of those who fondly remember this analogue audio format. The Lexus SC430 was the last car to have a cassette player factory installed as standard until it was discontinued in 2010.
Now, over a decade later, new vehicles are manufactured complete with full infotainment systems that can stream any song within a few taps.
6. The highest mileage on a personal car is over 3 million miles
The world record for most miles driven in a personal car was set by Irvin Gordon in his 1966 Volvo P1800. Irvin would drive a long commute on a daily basis and take road trips on the weekend, covering at least 100,000 miles per year. When Irvin reached 3 million miles, Volvo gifted him the new XC60, but he continued to enjoy thousands of journeys in his classic car.
Irvin sadly passed away in November 2018, leaving his car’s odometer at an incredible 3,260,257 miles. The total mileage is equivalent to nearly 120 complete circumnavigations of the planet. Irvin’s beloved car is now owned by Volvo, where it’s carefully driven in his honour.
7. San Marino has the most cars per 1,000 people in the world
There are roughly 1.2 cars per person in San Marino, despite there only being around 140 miles of road to drive.
However, this is probably less to do with the people of this micro-nation being especially passionate about cars, and more to do with the tax benefits San Marino offers. Buying and registering cars in San Marino is much cheaper than in other European countries, so people often buy cars here and then drive them elsewhere.
Still, it is interesting that there are technically more cars than people in San Marino!
8. Holding a key fob to your head will extend its unlocking range
It sounds like an odd detail from a sci-fi show but, it’s true - holding your key fob up to your head will allow you to unlock your car from a further distance.
This has to do with the fluid in your skull, which allows the electromagnetic waves from the fob to pass through the water molecules in your head, causing them to radiate energy at the same frequency as the original signal. This combination amplifies the range of the signal.
Pretty handy to remember the next time you can’t find your car in a big car park!
9. The world record for the most expensive speeding fine is £656,000
An unnamed Swedish man holds the record for the most expensive speeding fine. He was charged in Switzerland when caught driving a Mercedes SLS AMG at 180mph in a 72mph zone. Under Swiss laws, fines are determined by the speed and the wealth of the driver, which led to this man being slapped with a fine of £656,000.
While Mercedes vehicles are known to have especially high maximum speeds, there’s no excuse for dangerously exceeding speed limits like this. Always drive safely!
10. Only 30% of the world's population drives on the left
Although it seems perfectly natural to us in the UK to drive on the left, we’re actually in the minority. 70% of the world drives on the right.
Most of the countries that drive on the left are islands such as Britain, Japan and Australia and don't border right-sided nations. However, exceptions like Thailand or Macau have had to come up with clever ways of switching cars over to the left as they pass over their borders.
11. The inventor of the cruise control was blind
Ralph Teetor, the first recorded blind engineer in the United States, was inspired to create cruise control in 1936. He came up with the idea whilst being driven by his lawyer, who kept speeding up and slowing down every time he talked. The inconsistency in his driving frustrated Teetor, prompting him to create the cruise control.
While it was first only included in luxury vehicles, cruise control is widely available today.
12. Automatic transmissions are beginning to outsell manuals in the UK
For the first time, more cars with automatic transmissions were sold in the UK than manual gearboxes in 2020. This trend has continued since, with only 98 out of 300 models available in 2024 offering a manual gearbox.
Part of this shift is due to the growing uptake of Electric Vehicles, which don’t require gearboxes. With the UK government phasing out the sale of petrol and diesel by 2035 in favour of zero-emission vehicles, manual cars are likely to become a thing of the past.
13. The average car spends 95% of its life parked
Some of us spend thousands on our cars, only for them to spend 95% of their life parked. Considering that the average car is 28% larger than cars in 1965, and it’s estimated there will be 44 million vehicles on UK roads by 2050, parking might be in short supply!
When you lease a brand new car, you can spread the payments over a contracted period while enjoying your vehicle, before handing the car back where it can go on to live a long, full life parked on someone else’s driveway.
14. Highway Hypnosis is the name of a common driving phenomenon
“Highway Hypnosis” is the phenomenon of driving and responding to external events in the expected, safe, and correct manner but with no recollection of having consciously done so after the events.
If you’ve ever suddenly found yourself parked up at work with no memory of doing the commute, this has happened to you. But don’t worry, it probably means your drive was uneventful and your brain decided you don’t need to keep the memory. For added peace of mind, some vehicles now come with added safety features, such as lane-keep assist, which will alert you if you begin drifting out of your lane while driving.
15. Around 65% of all Rolls-Royce cars that were ever built are still on the road today
Rolls-Royce has always had a focus on building durable vehicles. This superior build quality seems to be working because the majority of their vehicles are still being used on the roads today.
16. Volkswagen produces more sausages than cars
The best-selling product Volkswagen isn’t the Golf, the Tiguan, or even the Beetle - it’s sausage! The Volkswagen currywurst even has its own part number - 199 398 500 A. It's been rolling off the production line at the firm's Wolfsburg factory for nearly 50 years now, and is sold in VW’s canteens, German supermarkets, and football stadiums.
17. Car radios faced pushback when they were first introduced
When car radios were first introduced in the 1920s/30s, there was a lot of opposition from people who complained that radios were too distracting and would cause more accidents, or even lull a driver to sleep. What would people from the 1920s make of the in-car infotainment systems we have today, or better yet, self-driving cars?
Inspired to look for a new car?
We hope these fun car facts taught you something new. Speaking of new, vehicle leasing offers all the benefits of a brand-new car or van without the hefty price tag or commitment of ownership. We have a wide range of cars, EVs, and vans available to lease on easy-to-manage contracts with payments tailored to suit you.
Explore Jurni’s latest lease deals and offers and enjoy hassle-free driving and total peace of mind.
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