Did you know the Toyota Corolla is the world’s most popular car? Neither did we!

Despite the modern car’s relatively short history, it has amassed enough fun facts to surprise even the most seasoned drivers — here are 11 nuggets of car trivia on the fascinating world of automobiles!

Manual Labour

Before Mary Anderson invented windscreen wipers in 1906, driving in inclement weather was dangerous and a hassle — drivers had to leave their cars repeatedly to clean their windscreens by hand!

Anderson was inspired to create the invention during a trip to New York City in 1903 when she observed a trolley car driver struggling to see through his snow-covered windshield.

Realising how this affected visibility and safety, she designed a hand-operated device to clear the windshield from inside the vehicle. Luckily, the first cars didn’t go into production until 1866, which meant drivers — and not many of them — only had to endure 40 years of manual windscreen cleaning.

Electric Dreams

Electric cars are all the rage now, but it’s not a new invention. Robert Anderson (not associated with Mary Anderson above!) created the first electric-powered vehicle in 1832.

His design was a crude and basic prototype that involved attaching a battery and motor to a carriage! A century and a half later, General Motors launched the EV1, the first mass-produced electric car, until it ceased production in 1996.

Toyota Tops

The best-selling car of all time goes to…the Toyota Corolla! Since its debut in 1966, over 43 million have been sold across 12 generations of the model. Its success comes from its reliability, affordability, and fuel efficiency, making it a favourite worldwide. In addition, Toyota’s solid reputation as a car manufacturer has cemented its place as a dependable brand.

And I Would Walk 3 Million Miles…

In 2014, Irvin Gordon set a world record in his 1966 Volvo 1800S, clocking in some 3 million respectable miles on the odometer. Can’t imagine that distance? That’s about driving up and down Singapore’s PIE at least 112,804 times!

What’s even more impressive? The car survived without breaking down!

The Long Wait

The average car spends a surprising amount of time parked — averaging 95% in general globally! In Singapore, as mentioned in a blog post by reinventingparking.org, a typical car spends 94% of its time parked.

White Hot

If you think you’re seeing one too many white cars (and possibly a Toyota Corolla), it’s not just confirmation bias — the most common car colour is white!

Its popularity comes down to practicality: white is easier to maintain since dirt and minor scratches are less noticeable. Following white in popularity are black and grey. At the other end of the popularity spectrum are green, orange, and yellow.

Gas Guzzler

You might hazard a guess that Singapore is the most expensive place to get your petrol tank topped up, but that undesirable crown goes to Hong Kong, where it costs an eye-watering $247 on average to fill a 55L tank.

The high price is largely due to hefty government taxes and limited land for storage and refineries, which drive up costs. Additionally, Hong Kong relies heavily on imported fuel, further increasing the price at the pump.

Supersonic Ride

The fastest speed ever recorded on land is held by fighter pilot Andy Green, who drove a ThrustSSC, a twin turbofan jet-powered car, to 1,227.985 km/h in October 1997.

Impressively, at Mach 1.016, it also became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. This feat was achieved in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA, chosen for its perfectly flat surface, which was critical for maintaining stability and safety at such extraordinary speeds.

You’ve Been Summoned!

The world’s first speeding ticket was issued in 1896, when Walter Arnold was caught in Kent, England, for whizzing by at a superfast speed of 12.8 km/h, where the speed limit was 3.2 km/h. A road reserved for tortoises, perhaps?

I’ll Be Home Late

In August 2010, China experienced the ultimate traffic nightmare. This record-breaking jam on the China National Highway 110 and the Beijing–Tibet expressway in Hebei and Inner Mongolia stretched an incredible 100 km and dragged on for 12 excruciating days, earning its place as the longest traffic jam in history!

The cause of the jam was a combination of road construction and an influx of coal delivery trucks heading to Beijing. All traffic was reduced to a single lane, causing traffic to grind to a halt. Let’s hope that there were portable toilets easily available along the way…

More Than Loose Change Required

In 2022, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was sold for a record-breaking $194 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold. In fact, only 75 cars have ever fetched more than $10 million at public auctions.

The car is named after Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz at the time, and is based on the W196 R race car driven by the legendary Argentine Formula 1 driver Juan Manuel Fangio, who won two World Championship titles in it.

A Whizz Through History

From the fascinating history of the electric car to the incredible feats of endurance and speed, the automotive world is full of surprising facts and stories. Next time you’re behind the wheel, remember you’re part of a rich legacy, so drive safely!