We'll Give You the Model of a Law Enforcement Vehicle, You Give Us the Make
By: Ian Fortey
3 min
Image: Wiki Commons by Rasevic
About This Quiz
The first police car ever was actually an electric wagon in Akron, Ohio back in 1899. By 1932, Ford was producing flathead V8 engines that proved to be exceptionally powerful and reasonably priced enough that police forces all across North America could make use of them in their fleets of cars. And really, for many years, those were the defining and important characteristics of any police vehicle. It had to be fast, it had to be reliable and ideally, it had to be cheap. These are cars purchased with the city budget, after all, so you don't have a lot of wiggle room for fancy extras. Unless, for instance, you're a police department in Dubai and can afford to get Lamborghinis for your officers.ÂÂ
Police forces don't have a lot of brand loyalty or style preference. Some forces use VW Beetles to get the job done, some use Dodge Chargers. Many have chosen various models of Fords through the years from the Crown Victoria to the Taurus to the Fusion. In Europe, you can find the Dacia Logan or the Skoda Rapid. Head to China and you might see a Hyundai Sonata or a Nissan Bluebird. There are literally hundreds around the world. So if we give you the model, can you name the make? Take the quiz and see!
Burak Ekin via YouTube / Abu Dhabi Police GHQ / W Motors / Ekin Technology
Who makes the Hypersport used by police in the United Arab Emirates?
Bugatti
Lykan
The police in the UAE are all about some amazing cars, and few are as incredible as the Lykan Hypersport. Lykan is a Lebanese supercar maker, part of W Motors, which is actually based in the United Arab Emirates. Only seven of these cars were ever made and the Dubai police got one.
Police in The United States and Canada drive the Tahoe. What company makes it?
Chevy
The Chevy Tahoe has been in production since 1995 and it's used by both the Canadian military and Royal Canadian Mounted Police as well as various police services around the United States. Chevy makes two versions specifically for law enforcement.
The Crown Victoria has a long history as a police vehicle. What company made it?
Toyota
Dodge
Chevy
Ford
Ford Crown Victorias aren't just part of US police forces, you can find them in Canada, Jordan, Mexico, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. From 1997 to 2011, the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was the most widely used vehicle in police services in the US, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.
You can find law enforcement in Canada, Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the United States behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger. The fifth generation of Chargers ended in 1987 and when Dodge brought them back in 2006 the Police version was one of the available variants.
Both Canadian and American law enforcement use the Explorer made by which company?
Nissan
Ford
In production since 1990, the Ford Explorer is one of Ford's most popular models for civilian use. For police use it's known as the Ford Police Interceptor Utility which was developed for the 2013 production year. It comes with a number of differences over the civilian model including steel wheels and larger brake pads.
You might find an officer driving an Altima in the United States. Who makes it?
Nissan
The Nissan Altima was only used as a police vehicle in parts of the United States, particularly the New York City Police Department. They used a hybrid version of the vehicle for several years until 2011 when Nissan canceled production.
Some law enforcement in the United Kingdom uses the Shogun made by which manufacturer?
Honda
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Shogun is used by the Metropolitan Police Service as well as the Ministry of Defense in the UK. it's a full-size SUV that in some parts of the world is known as the Mitsubishi Pajero or the Mitsubishi Montero.
Law enforcement in Australia uses the Commodore made by which of these companies?
Holden
Australia as well as New Zealand make use of the Holden Commodore in law enforcement. Back in the day you could get an export version of the Commodore in North America, but they were branded as either Pontac or Chevy.
Toronto police made use of a Beetle made by which of these automakers?
Volkswagen
The Volkswagen New Beetle was introduced in 1997 following decades of production for the older version of the Beetle. It was only in production from 1997 until 2011 and Toronto was the only city that used it as a police vehicle.
When a serious response is needed, some law enforcement agencies bring out the Unimog. What company makes them?
BMW
Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz is a serious vehicle that's used in both law enforcement and the military. They can come with serious armor and even be protected from mines, so these aren't everyday cruisers. You can find them in service with law enforcement in Malaysia, Italy, and Germany.
Which of these companies makes the Continental GT?
Lexus
Chevy
BMW
Bentley
The Bentley Continental GT has been in production since 2003 and is a pretty highbrow car for a police force. Unsurprisingly, it's one of the vehicles used by the Dubai police force, all of which are pretty over the top for law enforcement.
Moldovan cops might be driving a Logan. Who makes it?
Citroen
Dacia
The Dacia Logan is used by law enforcement in Moldova as well as Romania. It's marketed in numerous countries around the world under the names Renault Logan, Nissan Aprio, Mahindra Verito, Renault Tondar 90 and others.
Do you know who makes the Ram used by Mexican law enforcement?
Dodge
The Dodge Ram pickup is remarkably popular for civilian use, but when it comes to law enforcement, you won't find too many of them outside Mexico. Dodge has been actually using the Ram name since back in 1932.
The Alfa Romeo 159 is used by several branches of Italian law enforcement. If you head to San Marino, you'll also find the Alfa Romeo 156 in service. The two vehicles are very similar, through the 159 has a larger interior.
Which company makes the Gallardo you might have found patrolling streets in Italy?
McLaren
Ferrari
Lamborghini
If anywhere outside Dubai was going to be using a Lamborghini Galardo as a police car, it makes sense that it would be Italy, where Lamborghinis are made. To be fair, London also had a pair of Gallardos in its police force, but it was only temporarily. The Italian ones were also temporary but only insofar as both were destroyed in the line of duty and later replaced by Huracan models.
Slovakian police drive the Leon made by which of these companies?
Seat
Seat is a Spanish car maker that has been producing the Leon since 1998. State police in Slovakia make use of the standard Leon as well as the Leon Supra model, both of which are based on Volkswagen platforms.
Many law enforcement agencies use the Taurus. Do you know who makes it?
Chevy
Ford
The Ford Taurus is extremely popular around the world with law enforcement. You can find them in use in the United States, Georgia, and Canada among others. Ford rolled out the Taurus Police Interceptor to replace the Crown Victoria in 2013.
The plug-in hybrid Volt was used by US law enforcement. Who makes it?
Dodge
Nissan
Hyundai
Chevy
The Chevy Volt was made from 2010 until 2019 and was used by law enforcement in New York City. New York police have made strides for a number of years to use more eco-friendly police vehicles such as the Volt and other electric or hybrid cars.
The Bugatti Veyron is one of the fastest cars in the world. A Veyron has been clocked at 268 mph, meaning that there are probably very few speeders getting away with anything in Dubai. The new Bugatti Chiron is actually able to top that with speeds over 300 mph.
The Serbian police made use of the Rapid made by which of these companies?
Skoda
Skoda has made several models over the years called the Rapid. The first models date all the way back to 1935. The most recent Rapids were made in 2012 and are still being made today. Police in Serbia and Moldova use them.
The tiny ForTwo is used in a few countries. Who makes it?
Smart
The Smart ForTwo is not an intimidating-looking vehicle but it's used in several law enforcement agencies around the world. Canada has made use of them, as has Croatia and Luxembourg. They're definitely more for visual impact than power or performance.
France, Iran and Slovenia all use the Megane. Who makes it?
Skoda
Citroen
Renault
The Renault Megane is used by several police forces. In France, they make use of the Megane II, III and IV. They're actually very popular as civilian cars as well and were even named "European Car of the Year" in 2003.
Who makes the Grande Punto for the Italian police force?
Seat
Ferrari
Lancia
Fiat
The Grande Punto was made by Fiat from 2005 to 2018. Italian police forces used them for a time as well as the police forces in Serbia though they don't seem to be in used any longer since the car stopped production.
Japanese police forces have made use of the RX-8. What company made it?
Mazda
The Mazda RX-8 was made from 2003 until 2012. Aside from being available for law enforcement and for civilian use, the RX-8 also had some success as a race car for a time in North America and Europe as well.
Law enforcement in a few countries use the Rav 4 made by which of these auto makers?
Ford
Honda
Chevy
Toyota
The Toyota Rav 4 has been in production since 1994 and is one of the best-selling SUVs in the world for civilian use. Police forces make use of it in countries around the world like Macau, China and the Netherlands.
Police in the Cayman Islands drive the Fusion, made by which of these automakers?
Dodge
Nissan
Chevy
Ford
The Ford Fusion has found its way into the police forces of the Cayman Islands as well as the United States. The Fusion was yet another of several hybrid models put into use by the New York Police Department.
Also known as the Dacia Duster and the Nissan Terrano, the Renault Duster has been in production since 2009. It's been used by law enforcement in Colombia, Argentina, Albania, France, Slovakia and Ukraine.
Land Cruiser is a police vehicle made by which company?
Honda
Ford
Toyota
Toyota has been making the Land Cruiser since way back in 1951. It's managed to find its way into a diverse group of police forces including those in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Japan, Kosovo, Qatar, Tunisia and Serbia among others.
The Toyota Corolla is actually the best-selling car in the world with over 44 million units sold, so it's not a surprise that numerous police forces have made use of it. You can find them everywhere from Armenia to Thailand.
British police drive the X5. Do you know who makes it?
Mercedes-Benz
BMW
The BMW X5 found use in the Metropolitan Police Service in the United Kingdom. BMW has been making them since 1999 and it's the first SUV model that BMW ever produced. As a luxury SUV, it's not one that typically gets the police treatment.
Volkswagen has been making the Passat since 1972. They're used by police in China, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Switzerland, among others. In other markets, the Passat is also known as the Dasher, the Santana, the Quantum and the Carat.
In South Korea, you'll see a lot of Sonata police cars made by which manufacturer?
Chevy
Honda
Hyundai
The Sonata is made by Hyundai and has been in production since 1985. It was used prominently by police in South Korea, where Hyundai is based. It also saw use in both China and Ukraine as well. In the civilian market, the Sonata is one of the most popular cars in the world with US sales over 100,000 every year since 2004.
The NYPD used the Prius as a police vehicle. What company made it?
Toyota
By 2017, the Toyota Prius was the best-selling hybrid car in the world with over 4 million of them sold since their introduction in 1997. Aside from New York City, police forces in Ukraine, the Philippines and Japan have used them.
The Chevy Epica is also known as the Daewoo Tosca and was never available on the North American market. It's been used in the past as a police vehicle in China though production of them ended in 2015 when they were replaced in South Korea by the Chevy Malibu.
Police in Barbados, Bulgaria and Belgium all use the X-Trail made by which of these companies?
Honda
Toyota
Nissan
The Nissan X-Trail was never actually offered for sale in the United States and only briefly was available in Canada. It's been very popular elsewhere in the world and is used by police in Bulgaria, China, Malaysia, Poland and Slovakia.