What if Cars Were Invented Today?

By Mika Horelli, BRUSSELS – If cars were introduced in the modern era, would we design a system where two-thirds of households owns one, sitting idle most of the time? This blog post explores how private car ownership has shaped our cities, economies, and daily lives—and questions whether smarter, shared mobility solutions in urban areas could offer a more sustainable way forward.

If cars were invented today, it’s unlikely we would design a system where every household owns a vehicle that sits idle most of the time. Private car ownership has made us reliant on an expensive and inefficient mode of transportation that consumes vast amounts of space and resources. Could shared mobility and smarter transportation solutions offer a more sustainable path forward?

Since the early 20th century, the car has been a symbol of modern life. It promised freedom, independence, and limitless possibilities—a personal four-wheeled oasis for every individual. But if we take a moment to consider the role cars play in our daily lives today, it’s not an exaggeration to say we’ve built a deeply irrational system around car ownership.

In this system, cars—often among the most expensive purchases people make after housing—spend the vast majority of their time unused, sitting in parking spaces. On average, a car is in motion only about 4–5% of the time. The remaining 95%? Parked by the curb or in a garage, waiting for a moment of usefulness.

If cars were invented today, it’s hard to imagine anyone proposing the current model, where 70–80% of European individuals or households owns a car that spends most of its existence idle. Instead, cars would likely be designed as a service—like taxis or commercial airplanes—constantly in motion and in use.

Visit any city, and it quickly becomes clear how much space cars take up—not for driving, but for parking. It’s estimated that in major cities, 30–40% of urban land is dedicated to parking. This means we’ve effectively reshaped public space to serve vehicles that are inactive most of the time.

I understand the appeal of cars. The last time I lived in Finland, two moments stand out as particularly joyous. The second happiest moment was when I finally bought a car after managing a decade without one while living in the U.S. I drove it 25,000 kilometers (about 15,500 miles) annually, even though I worked from home and lived in the center of Helsinki. The happiest moment? When I got rid of the car—and the costs that came with it.

Private car ownership largely rests on the illusion of freedom. The assumption is that owning a car gives us the ability to go anywhere, anytime. In reality, most cars rarely stray far from home, and their owners drive the same routes day after day—to work, the store, and back. Studies show that Europeans drive an average of about 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) annually, which translates to just 30–40 kilometers (18–25 miles) a day. Hardly the grand promise of freedom that car culture sells.

Economically, private car ownership is equally questionable. A car is rarely an investment in the sense of gaining value. On the contrary, it starts losing value the moment it leaves the dealership. Add in fuel, insurance, maintenance, and parking, and cars become a constant financial drain.

If cars were invented today, they would likely be integrated seamlessly into a broader transportation ecosystem. Instead of each person owning a car, we’d use shared vehicles, available on demand at nearby hubs. This concept isn’t even futuristic—it’s already a reality in cities where car-sharing services like Zipcar or Share Now are gaining traction. A shared car spends more time moving and less time idle, serving many users over its lifespan compared to a privately owned vehicle.

Consider New York City: only about 45% of households own a car, thanks to robust public transportation and efficient taxi services. In Los Angeles, the car ownership rate is roughly double that. It’s not that wealthy New Yorkers couldn’t afford more cars—they’ve simply learned that buying mobility as a service is often more practical in a city where options are available. Los Angeles, with its sprawling layout and weaker public transit system, tells a different story.

Some experts, like transportation researcher and Zipcar’s Co-founder Robin Chase, have argued that shared cars could play a key role in freeing up urban space and reducing emissions. “Car usage only makes economic and ecological sense when the vehicle isn’t sitting idle 95% of the time,” Chase has repeatedly pointed out.

While the current system is impractical, it’s also deeply ingrained. Cars are part of culture, identity, and economy. For many, a car isn’t just transportation—it’s a symbol of independence, status, and success. Additionally, car culture is a massive economic force. Automakers, fuel companies, insurers, and infrastructure builders form a multibillion-dollar industry that doesn’t change easily. And as we transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles, the psychological, technical, and logistical challenges have only become clearer.

Yet the conservative culture of private car ownership is beginning to shift. Technology, like electric and autonomous vehicles, is challenging old assumptions about how we use cars. While self-driving cars are still in development, they are on the horizon. When cars can drive themselves, they won’t need to wait for their owners—they can immediately move on to the next user.

Looking back, in the early 20th century, cars were a luxury for the few, but they were marketed aggressively as a middle-class dream. As the middle class began to achieve that dream, urban planning shifted to accommodate it. Parking became mandatory, and public transit was often deprioritized. Only in recent decades have we begun to rethink this approach.

To avoid being labeled an urban elitist, I must acknowledge that rural areas have different needs than cities. In low-density areas, car-sharing systems aren’t as economically viable. Personal cars are often essential for getting to work, accessing services, and navigating daily life without spending an unreasonable amount of time in transit. Cities and rural areas have fundamentally different transportation needs, and solutions must reflect this reality.

I openly acknowledge the car usage needs of urban families with children, but it’s worth noting that already by 2016, around 70% of single- or multiple-adult households in EU countries were childless. Perhaps it’s time for us city dwellers to ask ourselves how much we truly need private cars—or whether our mobility could be smarter and more efficient. Mobility-as-a-service might not be a perfect solution for everyone, but it could be a step toward a more sustainable and economical system.

In the future, we might look back at 20th- and early 21st-century car culture the way we now view 19th-century steam engines: a necessary phase of development, but also a system it was time to leave behind. And the next time you circle the block hunting for parking, ask yourself: does any of this really make sense?