The most significant popemobiles in history

For most car brands, a VIP using their vehicle is one of the biggest honours, but you can’t get more important than the Pope and the accompanying Popemobile.

The Popemobile has a long history in the automotive industry, with various car makers such as Mercedes-Benz receiving the privilege of building the pontiff's cars throughout the years. But vehicles weren’t always the way the Pope got around.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, before the introduction of vehicles into the Vatican fleet, His Holiness used a special chair/throne dubbed the sedia gestatoria (loosely translated to chair for carrying) for public visits.

The pontiff’s chair was carried on the shoulders of the sediari, a group of uniformed officers tasked with moving the Pope to and from different destinations.

While the term Popemobile wasn’t officially coined until 1978, you might be surprised to know the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has used vehicles as a mode of transport since as early as 1930.

As the world celebrates the election of the next Pope – Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a dual American-Peruvian citizen, now known as Pope Leo XIV – following the death of Pope Francis in late April 2025, we take a look at some of the most significant popemobiles in history.

It would be remiss not to mention the genesis of the Popemobile. According to the Vatican Museum, the Graham-Paige Type 837 was the first automobile inducted into the Vatican fleet on November 10, 1929.

The car was created by the Graham brothers – Joseph, Robert and Ray – who created the Graham-Paige brand sometime in the late 1920s.

The Type 837 etched itself into Catholicism’s history when Pius XI used the vehicle to travel to the Basilica of St John Lateran. The historic moment marked the first time a Pope left the Vatican since the fall of Rome on September 20, 1870.

The Graham-Paige Type 837 was adorned with Pope Pius XI and Pius XII’s crest on the doors, while the rear passenger section was equipped with a retractable seat for His Holiness.

While Mercedes-Benz has had a long history of donating a range of Popemobiles, the German car maker’s first donation to the Vatican was the Mercedes-Benz 480 Nürburg limousine.

The vehicle was given to Pope Pius XI on November 30, 1930, to mark the Lateran Treaty between the Vatican and Italy, which recognised the Vatican as a sovereign and independent nation.

The Mercedes-Benz 480 Nürburg limousine was designed by the legendary Ferdinand Porsche, a German automotive engineer best known for his namesake luxury label.

The Mercedes-Benz 480 Nürburg made its debut at the 1928 Paris Salon, with the Vatican Museum stating Pope Pius XI was enthusiastic about the vehicle. As is protocol, the limousine's passenger area was modified to house a single crimson seat for His Holiness.

Renault Donates Electric Kangoo Z.E. Popemobile to Vatican

While Pope Francis made electric vehicles the new normal during his papacy, it’s worth noting he wasn’t the first pope to utilise a battery-powered vehicle.

Instead, that honour belongs to Pope Benedict XVI, who utilised two electric Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E. people-movers during his time as the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

As previously reported by Drive, the French marque donated the two examples at Pope Benedict’s summer house in September 2012, with His Holiness previously using the white people-mover, featuring the Pope's insignia on the sides for travel.

The second blue and yellow Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E. was used by the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City, the Pope's personal security in and around Vatican City.

Coachbuilder Gruau was tasked with customising the people-movers to fit with papal duties. The modifications included: a retractable roof, removable side windows and rear-hinged back doors.

While most of the cars on the list mark positive moments in the Pope's history, this Fiat 1107 Nuova Campagnola is a dark reminder of Pope John Paul II's papacy.

The Italian marque donated this specific example to His Holiness on May 12, 1980, and it served as Pope John Paul II's car for approximately a year before a near tragedy struck.

According to the Vatican Museum, the Pope was the target of an assassination attempt by a Turkish terrorist who shot Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981.

His Holiness was shot twice but miraculously recovered, with the pontiff stating his life was saved by the Virgin Mary, with one of the bullets placed in the crown of the statue of the Virgin in Fatima.

Pope Francis was known for his outspoken beliefs on protecting the environment and fighting climate change, and it was his Toyota Mirai popemobile he used during his 2019 visit to Japan.

Though the pontiff and Vatican City utilised a range of electric models, like the Mercedes-Benz G580 and Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, the Mirai sedan was the first hydrogen-powered popemobile.

Toyota built two Mirai popemobiles and donated one to Pope Francis in 2019. The sedan measured 5.1m in length and 2.7m in height, and was modified to suit the pontiff's travel plans.

As previously reported by Drive, the Toyota Mirai popemobile wasn't armoured – unlike previous iterations of the popemobile – and instead featured an open rear-mounted platform lit by an LED overhead system.

Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.

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