26 June, 2018   By: Courtney Pearson

There are no bounds to the brains behind the biggest sci-fi flicks.

Years after some of these films were released, many of their futuristic features have become reality. Like driverless vehicles.

While some driverless cars in films were designed for the everyday passenger, many carried extra special features like electronic jamming or night vision to help the hero of the hour beat the bad guys and win the day. 

And in doing so, they became major characters in the film themselves.

Here’s some of our favourite driverless cars on film. Click a thumbnail below to start the image gallery.

Driverless on film

  • Batman: Even if you don’t like comic books, the Batmobile is one of the most recognisable vehicles in pop culture. Since its first foray on-screen, the Batmobile has gone through some facelifts. Audiences were first introduced to its driverless capabilities in the 1960s, enthralling viewers with this fanciful – yet now realistic – technology. Just don’t expect stealth mode anytime soon.
  • Cars: A world with anthropomorphic cars is total fantasy – but imagine if technology became so advanced that you could communicate with the vehicle like you would a friend? The film follows Lightning McQueen, a racer determined to win the Piston Cup championship who becomes lost in a small desert town. A driverless car race might not be out of the question in the distant future.
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: This fine four-fendered friend is beloved across the generations. The film follows the story of a widowed father who tells his children a story about an evil villain who kidnaps their grandfather, mistakenly identified as the inventor of magical car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. With a mind of its own, the car helps the family to safety. The primary film car was bought by director Sir Peter Jackson in 2011, and now resides nearby in New Zealand. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you.
  • Christine: Trust Stephen King to create a murderous, sentient vehicle, but thankfully this horror flick is entirely fantastical. The iconic Plymouth Fury saw red after being vandalised by the bullies of its unpopular driver/owner Arnie, deciding to pick them off one by one. With collision avoidance and auto-braking technology in driverless cars continuing to be developed, we don’t have to worry about Christine copycats on the road.
  • The Fifth Element: Driverless cars in this film take it one step further by being able to fly as well. These 23rd century sky cars could be flown on autopilot or switched to manual mode, which Bruce Willis has to employ at some points in order to get out of some sticky situations. Clearly our hero wasn’t yet ready to let the car completely take over.
  • The Love Bug: Herbie is a pop culture icon. This mischievous little Volkswagen Beetle had a mind of its own behind the cream-coloured paint, giant 53 decal, and racing stripes. We’re not sure what its real motivations were apart from winning races and making friends. The sentient VW was even capable of love – how’s that for an autonomous vehicle?
  • I, Robot: It wouldn’t be a film about sentient robots if it didn’t feature the ultimate autonomous driving machine. Will Smith is seen looking at homicide reports while chatting to the virtual assistant ‘controlling’ his vehicle. He even takes a nap. Just like modern autonomous vehicles, the Audi RSQ has a manual override when Smith feels the urge to outrun robots on his own.
  • Knight Rider: The high-powered and intelligent Pontiac Trans-Am in the crime-fighting franchise Knight Rider was way ahead of its time. Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) was grateful to leave the driving to KITT while he was busy fighting the bad guys. Aside from grappling hooks and a flamethrower, the car also had auto collision-avoidance technology and a homing device – both technologies being further developed today.
  • Logan’s Run: Although it was set in the year 2274, in this 1976 film the car’s design would be considered ‘vintage’ nowadays. But the creators of Logan’s Run were on the right track with driverless technology. The pod car was the brainchild of legendary custom designer Dean Jeffries, whose creations were also featured in movies including the Blues Brothers. The pod cars also use fictional hovercraft technology in this sci-fi classic.
  • Minority Report: This dark 2002 film optimistically predicted that traffic jams and road crashes would no longer exist in 2054. Tom Cruise’s character could be seen holding on to an autonomous vehicle for dear life as it swerved between other driverless cars on horizontal and vertical roads in a futuristic Washington DC. His Lexus 2054 had features like a colour-changing paint job and manual override – perfect for when you’re on the run.
  • Total Recall: If you hate small talk, then you’d have a hard time in the Johnny Cab - the taxi is manned by an android that specialises in it. The robot looks and sounds creepily human, perhaps to help the passenger feel more at ease in a driverless car. It even explores the frustrations of technology, with Arnold Schwarzenegger eventually taking over the controls after the robot fails to understand verbal cues.

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WA's very first driverless vehicle trial

More than 12,000 people have already taken a ride on the RAC Intellibus® - a fully autonomous, electric shuttle bus. RAC has been trialling the Intellibus® on roads in South Perth since August 2016 and recently added a second Intellibus® to the South Perth-based trial. Find out more about how it works on real roads with real passengers.

RAC Intellibus trial®

Let someone else do the work

Make like Minority Report and outsource your car wash and detail. RAC members receive 10% off wash and detailing services through Magic Hand Carwash. You can even take yourself to the movies while you wait with a member discount at major cinemas.

RAC member benefits

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