Are These Common Auto Facts True or False?

By: Robin Tyler
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Are These Common Auto Facts True or False?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

The world of the automobile is a fascinating one. Wait ... are we living in the 1900s here? It's a car, right?

Cars are fascinating. From their early beginnings, the modern car is light years away from the first Benz Auto Wagen that made its appearance in the late 1880s.

There is so much information, facts, figures and statistics that not only deal with cars themselves, their parts, performance figures and the like but also with the people who designed them, made them and the companies behind the brands. 

For instance, did you know that the Ford Model T was made over a period of 19 years? That's incredible but certainly not the longest a model has been produced. The Volkswagen Beetle was made between 1937 and 2003 while the Toyota Corolla, still going strong today, was first marketed in 1966.

So what we have before you is a facts quiz covering a range of different subjects but all relating to cars. There is a twist, however. All questions are true or false.

Do you think you could ace this difficult quiz? At least you have a 50% chance of getting the answer right, even if you don't know it.

So let's see how you do.

Good luck! 

Henry Ford started his first motor vehicle company in 1899. It was called the Detroit Automobile Company. Is this statement true or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After leaving his job working for Thomas Edison, Henry Ford started the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899. He dissolved it in 1901 after the vehicles produced were too expensive.

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True or false? Electric cars were common in the early 1900s.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, they were. In fact, Henry Ford bought his wife an electric car every year from 1908 until 1914. The model was a Detroit Electric.

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The first car produced by Henry Ford under the Ford brand was the Model T. Is this a true or false statement?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although Ford did produce the Model T, perhaps their most famous car ever, their first vehicle was in fact the Model A. Makes sense, doesn't it?

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Historians recognize the Benz Patent Motorwagen as the first official modern car. True or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, the Benz Patent Motorwagen is recognized as the first modern vehicle. It first came on the motoring scene in 1885.

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The United States is home to around a third of all the cars in the world. Would this statement be true or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's not that high but it is high. In fact, a quarter of all the world's cars are found in the United States. That's incredible!

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Leonardo da Vinci invented the car (only in drawings) in around 1478. True or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

True. As with many other machines including gliders and tanks, Da Vinci drew up plans for a vehicle in around 1478. In 2004, a replica was made in Italy.

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True or false. Chevrolet, another of the big automakers in the United States and the world, was formed by William C. Durant and Louis Chevrolet on November 3, 1911.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

William C. Durant had extensive knowledge of auto manufacturing in the United States having experience with Buick and having started General Motors. Louis Chevrolet was a Swiss racing driver.

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In the 1980s, Honda became the first Japanese car maker to open a manufacturing plant in the United States. Is this statement true or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Up until that point, Japanese vehicles available in the United States were all imports.

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The much-loved Volkswagen Beetle sold over 51 million models between 1937 and 2003. Is this statement true or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's a false statement, but the Beetle still did sell millions and millions of models, over 21 million, in fact.

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True or false. Even though the Beetle sold all those millions of models, it is not the top-selling model of all time. That honor belongs to the Toyota Corolla.
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

True. The Toyota Corolla, introduced in 1966, has sold over 40 million units worldwide since then.

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America's "Big 3" automakers are Ford, Chrysler and Chevrolet. Is this true or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That's correct. In terms of sales, Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler have always led the way in terms of innovation, models available and sales.

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The Nissan Leaf is the top-selling electric car in the world.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An all-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf went into production in 2010. Of course, perhaps the most important thing with such a car is the range. Today, a fully charged Leaf has a range of 107 miles with the larger 30 kWh battery. Perhaps more importantly, a flat battery can be charged to 80% within a mere 30 minutes. This is the best-selling electric car in the world.

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Does Lamborghini form part of the Volkswagen group?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Super car manufacturer Lamborghini is part of the Volkswagen Group. The German auto manufacturer bought the company in 1998.

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The world, excluding America, sees around 70% of cars having manual transmissions. True or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

False? Really. Well, actually the percentage is higher. It is around 80% in fact.

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When it comes to car parts, a spark plug is found in a diesel engine and a glow plug in a gasoline engine. True or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is false, in fact it is the other way around. Spark plugs are found in gasoline engines and glow plugs in diesel engines.

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True or false. Ensuring gasoline entering the engine is free from impurities is the job of the fuel filter.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Impurities in gasoline can make your engine run poorly, it could even cause it not to start. A fuel filter will remove any impurities in the gasoline before it enters the engine.

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German manufacturer Volkswagen, when translated to English, means "People's Car." Is this true or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, it is true. Volkswagen has even used "People's Car" in its advertising campaigns.

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The state of Nevada in the United States was the first to issue licenses to self-driving cars. True or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As far back as 2012 already, Nevada began issuing licenses for self-driving cars.

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True or false. Chevrolet invented the three-point seat belt as we know it today.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

False. It was actually Swedish manufacturer, Volvo. They didn't patent it either, allowing all other auto manufacturers to copy their design.

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Was the inventor of cruise control blind?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cruise control was invented by Ralph Teetor, who was indeed blind. He first tried the system in 1948.

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All the gases produced by the combustion process in the engine leave the car through the muffler. Is this true or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

False. They leave through the exhaust system and out of the tailpipe. The muffler is part of the exhaust system and is tasked with muffling the sound of the engine.

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True or false. Opel forms part of the Volkswagen group.
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No they do not! Opel was part of General Motors from 1929 to 2017 before it was sold to Groupe PSA.

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True or false. Close to 75% of all Rolls Royce models ever produced are still on the road.
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unbelievable isn't it, considering that the company have been making cars since the early 1900s.

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In their final years of production, a Ford Model T took just 24 seconds to assemble. True or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

What! That can't be right. It is, though! Thanks to moving assembly lines and super-efficient workers, assembling the Model T became a breeze.

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Black is the most chosen color for new cars that are purchased around the world. True or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Actually, it's white that is the favorite color. A study in 2013 found out this interesting fact.

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True or false? The radiator on your car helps to keep the gasoline flowing into the engine cool.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No! The radiator holds the coolant that is released into the engine when it is needed. It then takes on the heat the engine produces, returns it to the radiator, cools and then goes off again when needed. This process is controlled by a thermostat.

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Around 95% of cars in the United States have an automatic transmission. True or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, that is true! Americans don't like driving a manual stick shift!

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Is this true or false? Modern cars are made up of around 75,000 parts.
False
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's not that many parts, but modern cars are made up of around 30,000 parts.

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Seat belts have saved countless lives around the world. Reports suggest that they save a life around once every six minutes worldwide. Do you think this is true or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unbelievable isn't it? What a brilliant invention.

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Staying with safety, airbags were introduced in cars in 1974. Do you think this is true or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Thank heavens for airbags, another genius safety device!

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The longest car in the world is around 100 meters long. True or false?
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unbelievably, yes, it is true. The car is a custom limo built by Jay Ohrberg.

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True or false. The Bugatti Veyron hypercar is used by police in Dubai.
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Well, nothing is going to outrun that! The Veyron can reach 253 mph.

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Around 16% of car owners have never cleaned or washed their cars. True or false?
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Now that is just shocking!!

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The founder of Ferrari was Benzo Ferrari. True or false.
False
True
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Enzo, not Benzo ... did we catch you out?

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True or false? In 1964, Ford released the Mustang. From it, the term "pony car" was coined.
True
False
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

First released in 1964, the Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic muscle cars ever built. Sales in its first year were well beyond what Ford had envisioned, as around 400,000 vehicles were shifted.

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