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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →These ten women shaped automotive history in different ways: helping make early cars practical, patenting useful devices, advancing vehicle design, leading a major automaker and breaking barriers in racing. This is a curated selection, not a measured or universally agreed ranking; the women are grouped by the contributions and milestones documented in the cited sources.
How to read this selection
“Influence” in automotive history is broader than invention. This selection includes practical support and public demonstration, patents, corporate leadership, design and motorsport. Those achievements are not directly comparable, so the order below is not a claim that one contribution outweighs another. The lineup follows Regit’s 2024 list, with an important correction to its account of Florence Lawrence’s inventions.
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Ten influential women in automotive history
1. Bertha Benz: demonstrating the car’s potential
Bertha Benz’s contribution was not inventing the automobile; Carl Benz held the patent for the car associated with the journey. She supported his early work, including financially, and in August 1888 took his Patent-Motorwagen on a journey of more than 100 kilometres with their sons. Mercedes-Benz says the trip took more than twelve hours and followed mostly unpaved roads. It demonstrated the car’s potential for a substantial journey and exposed practical needs that could be addressed along the way. Mercedes-Benz’s account of the journey and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office’s historical account document its significance. The DPMA attributes this recollection to Carl Benz: “She was more daring than me and undertook a journey that was decisive for the further development of the motor car.”
2. Mary Barra: leadership at General Motors
Mary Barra represents executive leadership rather than an invention or racing milestone. General Motors’ biography says she began her career at the company in 1980 and has served as its CEO since 2014; it also identifies her as GM’s chair. Because that company biography is dated 2021, the CEO tenure is the sourced historical claim here, not a guarantee of her current title. GM’s biography of Barra provides the company’s account of her career.
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3. Florence Lawrence: early automobile signals
Actress Florence Lawrence is credited with an “auto-signaling arm” and an automobile brake signal—devices intended to make a driver’s actions more visible to others on the road. The National Women’s History Museum says she did not patent the inventions or receive profits from them. That distinction matters: an invention credit does not establish a patent, and Regit’s 2024 list conflicts with the museum on this point. The National Women’s History Museum’s biography is the basis for the description here.
4. Susie Wolff: a career spanning racing and leadership
Susie Wolff’s place in this selection reflects a long motorsport career as well as leadership associated with F1 Academy. Regit’s 2024 list identifies her in connection with the series, but leadership titles can change and that source does not establish her present role. This entry therefore focuses on the documented breadth of her racing and organizational work rather than presenting a time-sensitive title as current. Regit’s 2024 profile list provides the source for this entry.
Rank #2
5. Mary Anderson: an early windscreen-wiper patent
Mary Anderson is associated with an important early windscreen-wiper design. Haynes Motor Museum says she patented a manually operated, lever-driven wiper in 1903. The museum also notes that manufacturers initially did not consider it commercially viable, so the patent should not be mistaken for immediate adoption throughout the industry. Haynes Motor Museum’s account of women in motoring describes the patent and its reception.
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6. Janet Guthrie: breaking barriers in major US races
Janet Guthrie is included for pioneering achievements in American racing. Regit’s 2024 list identifies her as the first woman to qualify for and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. Those milestones mark access to two prominent races, not a claim that she was the first woman to compete in motor racing generally. Regit’s list is the source for the specific qualification and competition claims.
Rank #3
7. Dorothy Levitt: racing driver and motoring author
Dorothy Levitt was an early racing driver and author of The Woman and the Car: A Chatty Little Handbook for all Women who Motor or Who Want to Motor. Her work connected motoring with a female readership at a time when women drivers were still challenging social expectations. Regit’s list identifies both her racing and writing as part of her place in automotive history. See Regit’s profile list for its account of Levitt.
8. Michèle Mouton: a landmark rally career
Michèle Mouton’s rally career is represented here by her 1982 World Rally Championship runner-up finish, highlighted in Regit’s 2024 list. Her subsequent motorsport governance roles also show how influence can extend beyond competition. The cited list is the basis for those details; this article does not treat them as a full competitive record. Regit’s 2024 selection describes her achievements.
Rank #4
9. Hélène Rother: automotive design
Hélène Rother is included for automotive design work associated with General Motors and Nash. Her career broadens the picture of automotive contribution beyond engineering, executive leadership and driving: the appearance and usability of cars are also shaped by designers. Regit’s 2024 list supplies this summary, but the sources cited here do not establish a “first” claim, so none is made. Regit’s list is the source for this entry.
10. Danica Patrick: an IndyCar Series race win
Danica Patrick is included for winning an IndyCar Series race in 2008, a milestone Regit identifies as the first such win by a woman. That achievement is specific to an IndyCar Series race; it should not be confused with a win in the Indianapolis 500 or a claim about every form of American open-wheel racing. Regit’s 2024 list is the source for the milestone described here.
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What these contributions show
The ten stories represent different kinds of change rather than a single path into automotive history. Bertha Benz helped show what an early car could do on the road; Anderson’s patent addressed visibility and driving practicality; Lawrence is credited with early signaling devices; Rother’s inclusion points to design; and Barra’s career reflects corporate leadership. Guthrie, Levitt, Mouton, Patrick and Wolff illustrate the reach of women’s work in racing and motorsport leadership. A list like this is most useful when it keeps those distinctions visible instead of suggesting that every achievement can be ranked on one scale.
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