What the world’s royal families drive

Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce appear in more of the world’s 29 monarchies than any other make. The rest of the list runs from a Russian Aurus in Bahrain to a London taxi in Tonga that ran on wind power. The UAE and the Gulf come first, then the rest of the world.

Dubai’s ruler drives himself, on plate number 1

In a BBC report of January 2014, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, drove the BBC’s Jon Sopel around the city in a white 4x4 with the registration number 1. Sopel called the drive “pleasingly sedate”.¹ In October 2015 he took Egypt’s President Sisi around Dubai in a white Mercedes G63 AMG, the car Al Ghad TV says he likes to drive himself.²

By January 2025 the Dubai 1 plate was on his new Land Rover Defender Octa, according to a post by a Jaguar Land Rover director.³ In April 2025 RM Sotheby’s offered a 2013 Mercedes G 500 reportedly used for his hunting trips, with an estimate of $125,000 to $175,000. It did not sell.⁴ A 2008 G 55 AMG in the same sale, also reportedly used by him, was delivered new to Dubai in Andradite Metallic Green and showed 3,473 km. It carried an estimate of $150,000 to $200,000 and did not sell either.⁵

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, is often seen driving his own car, according to his official site.⁶ In 2017 he was filmed towing a loaded truck out of the sand with his Mercedes-AMG G63.⁷ The G63 bogged down and a Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up was roped in to help.⁸ In August 2020 he stopped using his Mercedes SUV after birds nested on the windscreen, then posted a video of the chicks.⁹ He has also posted pictures of himself driving a Tesla in the rain¹⁰ and, in December 2025, at the wheel with Elon Musk beside him.¹¹

The UAE President drove a Togg at Qasr Al Watan

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed drove a white Togg T10X around the courtyard of Qasr Al Watan in July 2023, with President Erdogan beside him. The electric car was a gift.¹²¹³ In Moscow in January 2026 he left the Kremlin in an Aurus that was waiting for him.¹⁴ In August 2025 he took the wheel in New Alamein with President Sisi beside him.¹⁵ Vietnam’s Bao Nghe An newspaper reports that he has often driven heads of state in a Nissan Patrol.¹⁶

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the owner of Manchester City, is usually seen in a white Mercedes-AMG G63 or Range Rover, and his collection is said to include five Bugatti Veyrons, according to the South China Morning Post in 2020.¹⁷ The Ruler of Sharjah’s 1969 Mercedes Pullman limousine is at the Sharjah Classic Cars Museum.¹⁸

Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, is known as the Rainbow Sheikh.

About 200 of his cars are at the pyramid-shaped Emirates National Auto Museum, about 45 km south of Abu Dhabi.²⁰ They include a Hummer H1 that stands 21 feet tall and a Dodge Power Wagon with bedrooms and a bathroom.²¹ The Sandy Times says the Dodge is 64 times the original size, and The Times of India says eight times.

Guinness World Records credits him with the largest collection of 4x4 vehicles, 718 cars, recorded in Sharjah in 2020.²² GTspirit reported in 2010 that he owned Black Spider, a stretched Nissan Patrol on six wheels.²³

Sheikh Zayed ordered Pullmans when Abu Dhabi had no roads

Saeed Al Fahim’s father brought Mercedes to Abu Dhabi in 1962. He told The National that Sheikh Zayed placed “the largest order of Mercedes in the history of the Pullman” in 1968. “I think 12 or 14 for him; those cars were special. And we still had no roads.”²⁴ Another National report dates the Abu Dhabi government’s Pullman order to the early 1960s.²⁵

Sheikh Zayed’s Rolls-Royce Phantom V was shown at the 1965 Earls Court Motor Show and delivered in 1966 to Sheikh Shakhbut, then Ruler of Abu Dhabi. It passed to Sheikh Zayed about six months later.²⁶ Khaleej Times says the car was part of the UAE’s formation day on 2 December 1971 and Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 1979.²⁷

In 2018 the motoring historian Mohammed Luqman Ali Khan spotted a photograph of a Rolls-Royce being unloaded on an Arabian shore. He traced it through the UK, France and the Netherlands to a suburb of Vienna and test-drove it on 19 February 2019.²⁷ He bought the car on behalf of a UK collector and said he planned to bring it back to the UAE.²⁸

Other cars linked to Sheikh Zayed are a Chrysler he was filmed humming in as he drove,²⁵ a Land Rover Series 2 photographed outside Qasr Al Hosn in the early 1960s²⁸ and an Aston Martin Lagonda.²⁹ His 1976 Range Rover hunting car no longer exists. The Al Ain Classic Car Museum built a replica.³⁰

Five Gulf leaders were given the same Turkish electric car

President Erdogan gave Togg cars to three Gulf leaders in July 2023.³¹ Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received two and drove Erdogan to his hotel in one.³²³³ Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim, received two³⁴ and tested one with him.³⁵ The UAE President received his the next day.¹² Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Mishal, received a white T10X at Bayan Palace on 21 October 2025.³⁶³⁷ Oman’s Sultan Haitham received a red Togg at Al Alam Palace the next day.³⁸³⁹

Bahrain’s King rides in a Russian Aurus

President Putin gave King Hamad an Aurus limousine during his visit to Moscow in May 2024, the Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.⁴⁰ Bahrain’s embassy in Russia said the King travelled in it at the head of the royal motorcade in Manama on 8 September 2025.⁴¹

Bahrain has given cars as well. King Hamad gave King Charles a Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II as a coronation gift, thought to be worth at least £300,000.⁴² In 1986 the Emir of Bahrain gave Prince Charles an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante for his 38th birthday. Charles disliked the body kit, so Aston Martin built a plainer version, later known as the Prince of Wales specification. He sold the gift for £111,500 in 1995, after consulting the Emir, with the proceeds going to charity.⁴³

Other royal cars have arrived from Russia and China. Malaysia’s King took delivery of an Aurus Senat after a visit to Moscow, reported in May 2026. It joins a Hongqi L5 and a long-wheelbase Genesis G90.⁴⁴ China gave Cambodia 12 Hongqi cars for the King’s 20th coronation anniversary in 2024.⁴⁵

Oman opened the Sultan’s car collection in December 2024

The Royal Cars Museum at Al Barakah Palace in Al Seeb opened to the public in December 2024.⁴⁶ The collection began with two cars of Sultan Said bin Taimur, and visitors need an advance reservation.⁴⁷

Sultan Qaboos used its 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI at the Sandhurst graduation in 1983.⁴⁸ A 1979 Range Rover went with him on his tours of the country, and a Wiesmann GT MF5 was built by hand for him.⁴⁹ The museum also shows a 1923 Daimler Majestic, a 1954 Mercedes with gullwing doors and a 2019 Pagani Huayra Roadster,⁴⁷ plus a 1939 Bentley 4¼ Litre, a Koenigsegg Regera, a 2017 Tesla Model X and an armoured 2012 Audi A8 L.⁵⁰

Sultan Qaboos ordered a 1981 Aston Martin V8 Vantage new.⁵¹ In 2026 a UK dealer offered a 2006 Range Rover it says was his, with his seat covers and a bull bar for touring.⁵² At his funeral in January 2020 his casket was carried in a Land Rover 110.⁵³ Lovin Muscat reported Sultan Haitham driving a dark green Bentley Bentayga through Salalah in September 2026.⁵⁴

Kuwait’s Emir once took a speeding ticket from a sergeant

When he was deputy chief of the National Guard, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad was stopped for speeding on a highway and ticketed by Sergeant Sami Shaker Al-Shatti. He then called the sergeant in, thanked him and rewarded him, Al Qabas reported.⁵⁵

Kuwait’s historic car museum showed Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad’s restored 1956 Chrysler Imperial in 2010.⁵⁷ His 1960 Rolls-Royce Phantom V and Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem’s 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood were on show at a display of rulers’ cars in 2011.⁵⁸ A gold, copper and silver 1956 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV commissioned by the Emir of Kuwait in 1955 is now at the Torre Loizaga museum in Spain. A red spotlight under the radiator lit up when the ruler was on board.⁵⁹ Kuwaiti author Bassem Al-Loughani says the first car used in Kuwait was a Belgian Minerva imported by Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, and that it did not last long because of breakdowns.⁶⁰

King Abdulaziz gave away Churchill’s Rolls-Royce

The wheel was on the right, which would have put the King on the driver’s left. He passed the car to his brother.⁶¹ His later cars included Cadillacs, among them a red 1953 model.⁶² Indonesian media reported that King Salman would bring 459 tonnes of equipment to Indonesia in 2017, including two Mercedes-Benz S600s.⁶³

In Qatar, the bulletproof 1970 Mercedes-Benz 600 of Sheikh Khalifa Al Thani was used during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1979 state visit. It is on show at the National Museum of Qatar until 2 February 2027.⁶⁴ Sheikh Tamim drove Saudi Arabia’s then crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, in a Bentley Bentayga in 2016, ArabGT reported.⁶⁵

King Charles has an Aston Martin that runs on “wine and cheese”

King Charles’s 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Volante was a 21st birthday gift from his mother. It was converted in 2008 to run on bioethanol, which he has described as “wine and cheese”.⁶⁶

The two state Bentleys were built for the 2002 Golden Jubilee. They are armoured,⁶⁷ with rear-hinged rear doors.⁶⁸ One has been converted to ethanol, and the second was scheduled for 2025-26.⁶⁹ He has also been seen in a BMW i7,⁷⁰ a Lotus Eletre⁷¹ and an Audi e-tron.⁷²

Mercedes-Benz appears in the most monarchies

Mercedes-Benz appears in 14 of the 29 monarchies and Rolls-Royce in 13. 31 of the 56 makes on the list appear in one monarchy only.

By model line, the Rolls-Royce Phantom reaches the most monarchies, seven, across its generations. The Mercedes-Benz 600, the Audi A8, the Range Rover and the Togg each appear in five.⁷³

Some households state their rules.

• Belgium. The King chooses among four supplier groups: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, D’Ieteren (Volkswagen and Audi) and Jaguar Land Rover.⁷⁴
• Netherlands. Official court cars have been Volvo and Audi since 1998. Cadillac held the role from 1925 to the late 1950s, then Ford.⁷⁵
• Monaco. Lexus was named the Prince’s official car brand in 2011.⁷⁶
• Vatican City. Mercedes-Benz said in December 2024 that it had supplied the Vatican for 94 years.⁷⁷
• Japan. The government chose the 2019 parade car from a pool of five carmakers.⁷⁸

Brunei’s Sultan drove Malaysia’s prime minister to Putrajaya

The Sultan of Brunei took the wheel on arrival in Malaysia in November 2022 and drove Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim about 41 km to Putrajaya in a BMW, with Prince Mateen on board.⁷⁹⁸⁰

King Abdullah II of Jordan drove Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa at Marka airport in February 2025.⁸¹ In December 2025 his son, Crown Prince Hussein, drove India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Jordan Museum in his BMW.⁸²

King Mohammed VI of Morocco told TIME in 2000: “I have always driven myself. I can’t imagine not doing it.” He was at the wheel of a black custom Carlsson Mercedes in Rabat traffic, stopping at red lights.⁸³ On a visit to Mali in 2014 he asked President Keita’s driver, Moussa, to hand over the wheel.⁸⁴ For Eid prayers in May 2026 he arrived in an open-top Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet.⁸⁵ His father, King Hassan II, had a 1977 Rolls-Royce Camargue rebuilt by Franco Sbarro for falconry.⁸⁶

Thailand’s royal cars run from a Fiat Topolino to a Lạc Hồng

The future King Bhumibol asked his mother if he could buy a Fiat Topolino because it looked “funny and cute”. He later bought a red Delahaye 135M convertible.⁸⁷ As king he usually travelled in a Maybach 62, VnExpress reported in 2016.⁸⁸

In January 2020 King Vajiralongkorn ordered police to stop fully blocking Bangkok’s roads for royal motorcades.⁸⁹ In Hanoi in September 2026 he and Queen Suthida rode from the aircraft steps to the VIP terminal in a Vietnamese Lạc Hồng car.⁹⁰ The Lạc Hồng 900 LX is an armoured electric SUV built on the VinFast VF 9.⁹¹

Princess Bajrakitiyabha used to drive herself in a red Mini Cooper S.⁹²

A London taxi in Tonga and a Hilux in Bhutan

He converted one to run on electricity generated by a windmill at his home.⁹³ “A London taxi has the right proportions, and makes it easy for you to get in and out whilst wearing spurs and a sword,” he said.⁹⁴

Bhutan’s Fourth King, who stepped down in 2006, is often seen driving in a convoy of two army-green Toyota Hiluxes with no lead car. The Hilux often carries footballs for children he meets by the road. On a family trip through India he stopped at every toll gate to pay for all the cars himself.⁹⁵ Nissan gave two Leafs to mark the present King’s birthday in 2014. Nissan says the cars went to the Kingdom,⁹⁶ and Environment News Service says to the King.⁹⁷ Bhutan’s Queen Mother recalled that on her first car ride, in a jeep, villagers took it for a dragon and brought grass to feed it.⁹⁸

Queen Paola of Belgium owned a white Fiat 500 as her own car.⁹⁹¹⁰⁰

In Liechtenstein the plate FL 1 is fitted to the Prince’s Mercedes-Benz only for official occasions, according to the caption on a 2018 photograph.¹⁰¹ Prince Hans-Adam II says Prince Charles and Princess Anne were smuggled out of Vaduz Castle in delivery vans so they could ski in peace.¹⁰²

Lesotho is the one monarchy with no car on this list. A parliamentary committee said in 2021 that the King’s office lacked the funds to buy two vehicles.¹⁰³

Europe’s royal households are moving to electric and hybrid cars

Of the 39 electric and hybrid models on this list, 25 are in Europe.

• Denmark. The annual report for 2025 records 12 electric and hybrid cars bought that year, for 25 in all.¹⁰⁴ FDM reported in 2013 that Crown Prince Frederik, now King, was about to receive a Tesla Model S Signature, one of the first delivered to a customer in Europe.¹⁰⁵
• Netherlands. Most of about 30 court vehicles are hybrid or fully electric. The King’s diesel service car was replaced by a hybrid Audi A8 in May 2025.⁷⁵
• Norway. The palace said in January 2023 that it aims to replace all fossil-fuelled vehicles where possible and practical.¹⁰⁶
• United Kingdom. The Household reports a “move towards a majority electric vehicle fleet”, with six new charging points at the Royal Mews.⁶⁹
• Vatican City. A 2023 deal with Volkswagen targets an all-electric state fleet by 2030.¹⁰⁷ The Mercedes-Benz G 580 Popemobile was handed over in December 2024.⁷⁷
• Spain. 19 of the 44 vehicles in the 2020 royal household pool were hybrids.¹⁰⁸

Sweden’s sources conflict. Carup found no electric car or plug-in hybrid among 38 cars in January 2023.¹⁰⁹ The Royal Stables page says about 20 cars, with plug-in hybrids growing in number.¹¹⁰

A 1942 Packard is back in service in Norway

Norway’s Packard was bought in London during the Second World War. It was restored in 2024 and has been back at ceremonial audiences since 2025.¹¹¹ Denmark’s Store Krone, a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, was built in 1958 and has covered more than 140,000 km.¹¹² The UK’s Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carried the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children at Trooping the Colour in 2025.⁶⁷ Japan’s Toyota Century Royal entered service in 2006 for the Diet opening, the national memorial service and state guests.¹¹³ It carried ambassadors to the palace on 9 July 2026.¹¹⁴

Five state cars were built to order

Spain and Japan have published what they paid

Spain’s Ministry of Finance released purchase prices on a public information request. The 44 vehicles in the royal household pool cost €4,143,423, and the seven armoured S 600 cars averaged €414,824.¹⁰⁸ The 2019 car cost €549,945 with tax.¹¹⁶ Japan’s Imperial Household Agency put the 2019 parade convertible at no more than ¥80 million.⁷⁸

Other figures are press estimates. The Guardian’s 2023 estimates put the UK’s Phantom IV at £2.5 million or more and the pair of Bentleys at £1.4 million or more.⁶⁶ JFK Magazine put the Dutch King’s Audi at €700,000 to €900,000.¹¹⁷ In Eswatini, RFI reported 19 Rolls-Royce and 120 BMW cars for the King and his family in 2019, at an estimated €15 million according to The Times.¹¹⁸

Totals for the largest collections are estimates. Guinness World Records says the Sultan of Brunei is believed to have about 500 Rolls-Royces.¹¹⁹ The Drive called a total of almost 2,500 cars a rumour in 2017.¹²⁰ Prince Jefri’s settlement with Brunei listed over 2,000 cars.¹²¹ Bladi.net, citing El Debate, puts King Mohammed VI’s collection at more than 600 vehicles across 12 royal palaces.¹²²

Museums in the Gulf and Jordan that show royal cars

King Hussein’s museum in Amman holds the 1975 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman he rode in on his return from cancer treatment, the 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing he raced at the Rumman Hill Climb and an Amphicar he took out on the Gulf of Aqaba. King Abdullah II is known to drive its 2003 Porsche Carrera GT around Amman.¹²⁵ Its 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300D collected King Salman from Marka airport in 2017.¹²⁶

Cars on record, monarchy by monarchy