Imodoka ya peteroli yavumbuwe hagati -1880s. Mu mwaka w’1885, Karl Benz wo mu Budagi yubatse imodoka zitatu - Imodoka ifise moteri ntoyi y’amavuta, maze Gottlieb Daimler yararemye peteroli ya mbere kw’isi{5}=amashanyarazi ane. Ku wa 29 Nzero 1886, Karl Benz ni we ya mbere yaronkeye uburenganzira bwo gukoresha imodoka y’amaguru atatu, itariki ubu yari ihimbazwa nk’umunsi w’imodoka mpuzamakungu w’imodoka. Ivyo bahingura ni vyo vyashizeho umushinge w’iterambere ry’imodoka kandi bigashika mu gihe c’ibinyabiziga vy’amavuta y’amavuta y’ibinyabiziga vy’ubu.
Karl Benz’s yahinguye yari ifise akamaro kadasanzwe. Hashingiwe kuri moteri ya kane ya Otto - y’umuriro, yahumekewe n’ikintu c’uguturika kw’amavuta y’ibitoro, yarateguye neza moteri imwe y’amavuta ya gaze y’amavuta maze arayishiramwo mu buryo bw’ubwenge ku modoka zitatu z’amafarasi. Iyi modoka itatu - Ibarabara, yitwa Benz Patent Motorwagen, yari irenze gusa uburyo bworoshe bwo gutwara; yari kandi iherezo ry’ubuhinga bushasha.
Muri ico gihe nyene, Gottlieb Daimler na we nyene yariko ararondera no gukora ibintu bishasha mu bijanye n’imodoka. Mu mwaka w’1885, yubatse amavuta ya mbere kw’isi - yarakoresheje imodoka zine - imodoka y’amaguru, yafunguye inzira nshasha yo gutegura imodoka. Kuza kw’ibinyabiziga bine -vyaro vyarateye imbere cane mu gutwara imodoka, bikaba bitanga ubumenyi n’inyigisho bihambaye ku bijanye n’iterambere ry’imodoka rikurikiraho.
Ku wa 29 Nzero 1886, Karl Benz ni we ya mbere yaronka uburenganzira bwo gukoresha imodoka y’imodoka zitatu, ikaba yari igenewe imodoka, ikaba ari ikintu gihambaye mu mateka y’imodoka. Iryo tegeko ryari rigaragaza ko ryemewe ry’ibinyabiziga vy’amavuta y’ibinyabiziga - maze rishinga umushinge w’ugucapura n’ugucuruzwa kw’inganda z’imodoka.
Muri rusangi, ivyavumbuwe vya Karl Benz na Gottlieb Daimler hagati -1880s vyashize ahabona igihe gihambaye mu mateka y’imodoka. Ubuhinga bwabo n’ubuhinga bushasha bwatumye haba igihe gishasha ku binyabiziga bikoreshwa na peteroli, bikabahindura kuva ku ciyumviro gusa kikaja mu vy’ukuri. Baciye kandi bategura inzira y’ubuhinga bwo gutwara imodoka bwakurikiyeho maze bugahindura uburyo bwo gutwara abantu n’ibintu.