When and where was the first automobile invented?

There's no single answer to who invented the first automobile, as it was a gradual process of invention and refinement. However, many historians credit Karl Benz with inventing the first practical automobile. He received a patent for his Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886 in Germany. While other inventors were working on self-propelled vehicles around the same time, Benz's design is widely considered the first to be truly functional and commercially viable.