There's no single definitive answer to who invented the first four-wheeled automobile, as the invention was a gradual process with many contributors. However,
Karl Benz is generally credited with inventing the first practical automobile, his Benz Patent-Motorwagen of 1886, which was a three-wheeled vehicle. While not a four-wheeler, it's considered a pivotal step.
Shortly after, several inventors created four-wheeled vehicles, making it difficult to pinpoint a single "first." There wasn't a sudden jump to a universally accepted four-wheeled design.
