An official state car is an automobile used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from other countries. A few countries bring their own official state car for state visits to other countries, for instance, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany and Japan. It also may serve as an automotive symbol of the head of state and their country. An official state car must have adequate security, capability and stateliness for its duty. A limousine or other luxury vehicle is usually chosen to be an official state car.
Due to the high security risk of the passengers, these vehicles are often heavily modified with armored reinforcements, either by the manufacturer or an after-market specialist. When carrying an important passenger, the vehicle itself may be surrounded by a motorcade consisting of police or military personnel. The vehicle's driver might also be from the law enforcement or military pool.
In some cases, state cars may bear standard number plates; in other instances, special or no license plates are used.
Sourcing In countries that have domestic automobile manufacturers, the government will usually commission one of the national automakers to provide a state car, or allow several to provide cars for an official state fleet. It is considered an honour for a car manufacturer to be selected to provide a state car for their respective country and a demonstration of the confidence of a government in their national industry. For example, the president of the United States currently uses a Cadillac with special undisclosed security features commissioned by the United States government, built by General Motors. Historically the president also used Lincoln, manufactured by Ford Motor Company and also Chrysler vehicles having been used in the past, representing the Detroit Three of American manufacturers.
Soviet leaders used custom-built limousines made by the ZiL company, and though the Russian presidents switched to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class due to ZiL's decline after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin commissioned a new official state car from the national automotive establishment, which was delivered in early 2018.
In 2018, the Government of South Korea commissioned a highly modified Hyundai Nexo SUV to serve as the official state car of South Korea.
The emperor of Japan uses a Toyota Century, the prime minister of Italy uses a Maserati, the prime minister of Malaysia uses a Proton Perdana, the president of the Czech Republic is driven around in a Škoda Superb, the president of Taiwan employs a BMW 760i Protection, and the British monarch uses a Bentley.
The president of France can choose from cars manufactured by Renault or PSA Peugeot Citroën, and all major German manufacturers (Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen Group) are represented in Germany's pool of vehicles available for use by state officials. The prime minister of India uses a Land Rover Sentinel high security edition as Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Tata Motors, an Indian automobile company.
For countries without major indigenous manufacturers, an official state car may be purchased from a suitable manufacturer in a nation with strong economic and diplomatic ties. Canada typically aims to exclusively use state cars manufactured by the Detroit Three, many of which are made in Canadian factories, with the United States and American car manufacturers having a historically strong relationship with Canada. These companies have a well established and rich manufacturing history dating back to the 1920s in Ontario.
Cars by state This is a list of state cars and their respective users, belonging to various sovereign states and territories around the world. This list is subject to change and could be outdated in some instances, as both the individuals holding official positions and the vehicles themselves change frequently. + Details of state cars State Users Cars Motorcade or support vehicles License platesImageNotes Afghanistan former president Ashraf Ghani Mercedes-Benz W221 Toyota Land Cruiser J200 (2007) None Albania President Bajram Begaj Mercedes-Benz S350 Mercedes-Benz GLS The current Prime Minister Edi Rama was seen driving a GMC Yukon.Abkhazia President of Abkhazia Badra Gunba Lexus GX460 Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune black armoured Mercedes-Benz S-Class 9680 4matic a BMW 7 Series and a Range Rover Vogue (for travels to the Algerian South). Toyota Land Cruisers J200s and Hyundai Palisades Andorra Audi A8 Škoda Octavia Combi police car Audi Q5 and Seat Leon Angola President João Lourenço an armored Mercedes-Benz S-Class a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Mercedes-Maybach W223 S600 Antigua and Barbuda Prime minister Gaston Browne Ford Expedition Chevrolet Tahoe and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Argentina President Javier Milei Toyota Fortuner Peugeot RCZ, and a Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W210)(the last one was seen in Milei's presidential inauguration) Toyota Hilux SW4, Toyota Corollas Milei also has a small car collection consisting of cars such as:a 1961 Cadillac DeVille a 1988 Mazda MX-5 Miata and his Peugeot RCZ. while the former Argentine president Alberto Fernández had a Toyota Corolla (in which he drove himself) also an Audi A8L was used by Mauricio Macri for more details, see Presidential car (Argentina).Armenia President Vahagn Khachaturyan Audi A8 Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Toyota Land Cruiser Artsakh former president of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan Hyundai Ioniq Australia King Charles III During King Charles III's 2024 official visit to Australia, the king and queen were driven in an Audi SQ8 e-tron. Tudor Crown instead of number plates Flies the King's Personal Australian Flag. Governor-General Sam Mostyn Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (ceremonial occasions)white armoured BMW 7 series (official business) Tudor Crown instead of number plates The official cars of the governor-general fly the flag of the governor-general. A similar arrangement is used for state governors. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese white armoured BMW 7 Series armoured BMW X5 number plate C1 (meaning "Commonwealth One") Prior to 2013, vehicles in the prime ministerial fleet were white armored Holden Caprice and Ford Territory. For more details, see Prime Ministerial Limousine (Australia).Austria President Alexander Van der Bellen armored BMW 7 Series xdrive Senior government figures in Austria drive in the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-ClassAzerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis BMW I7 and a Lexus LS460L. Davis's previous vehicle was a Mercedes W221 S500.Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Bangladesh Prime minister of Bangladesh Tarique Rahman BMW 7 Series and a Mercedes-Maybach W222 The former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina traveled in an armoured BMW 7 Series, as well as an armoured Mercedes-Benz G-Class and a Mercedes-Maybach W222.Barbados President Jeffrey Bostic White Mercedes-Benz S-Class W222 Prime Minister Mia Mottley Gray Mercedes-Benz S-Class W222 Belarus President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko armored Mercedes-Maybach W222 S600 Pullman Police cars Lexus LX570 Belgium King Philippe Mercedes-Benz S-Class or a BMW 7 Series and a Range Rover Vogue number plate '1' For his inauguration, a Mercedes-Benz 600 landaulette was used. King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola used a 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible, with a bulletproof bubble-top. Prime Minister Bart De Wever Audi A6 Federal government officials: number plates starting with an "A" followed by 1–3 numbers.Regional government officials: number plates starting with an "E" followed by 1–3 numbers. Members of parliament and the senate: number plates starting with a "P" followed by 3 numbers. Queen Paola of Belgium Fiat 500 (personal car) diplomatic plates Belize Governor-General Froyla Tzalam and prime minister Johnny Briceño convertible Genesis EQ900 Ministers generally use the Toyota Prado or the Ford ExcursionBenin president of Benin Patrice Talon armored Mercedes-Benz W222 S600 Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Lexus LX570 The former King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, drove a Toyota Land Cruiser. while Ministers and senior government officials are assigned Toyota Land Cruiser Prado for official use.Bosnia and Herzegovina Members of the presidency Audi A8 Volkswagen Passat Bosnia and Herzegovina Other government officials Volkswagen Passat or the Škoda Superb Bolivia President Rodrigo Paz armoured Lexus LS 460L four Toyota Land Cruisers Botswana President Duma Boko Lexus LX and a Mercedes-Benz W222 S600 Brazil President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva The federal government's most important officials use yellow-green brass plates with the coat of arms of Brazil and their titles. The Fusion was first used in June 2008. In February 2012 the Brazilian government bought 12 Canadian-built Ford Edge models for the use of President Dilma Rousseff and her security team. other cars such as the Mitsubishi Outlander are also used For more details, see Presidential State Car (Brazil).Brunei Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah 1992 state landaulette Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (ceremonial)black Mercedes-Benz M-Class W163 ML55 AMG, black Brabus G700, and a Maybach 62 (personal cars) The Sultan of Brunei also uses other cars as personal vehicles while he and his brother the Prince Jefri Bolkiah own several luxury and exotic cars. Queen Saleha of Brunei 2012 Rolls Royce Phantom Series II Volvo S80 V8 or the Mitsubishi 380 Cabinet ministers and visiting foreign dignitaries black Mercedes-Benz W221 S350L Other senior ranking officials black Mercedes-Benz W211 E280 Bulgaria President of Bulgaria Iliana Iotova Prime minister Andrey Gyurov Toyota Land Cruiser, and a black BMW X5 Burkina Faso Interim President and MPSR President Ibrahim Traoré Lexus LX570 Toyota Land Cruiser J70 Burundi President of Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye armored Toyota Land Cruiser 200, sometimes armored Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 and 300, and Toyota Hilux Cambodia King Norodom Sihamoni Royal Palace plate number Cameroon President Paul Biya armoured Range Rover Sentinel Toyota Land Cruisers