Are “flying cars” real? The 2025 state of play

Yes—companies are building and certifying aircraft that take off and land vertically, and a few “roadable” airplanes exist, but mass‑market, drive‑and‑fly personal vehicles are not here yet. Limited, regulator‑approved passenger demonstrations have begun (notably in China), and several firms target initial air‑taxi services in 2025–2026, pending certification and infrastructure.

What people mean by “flying car”

In common usage, “flying car” covers two different ideas: a road-legal vehicle that can also fly, and a new class of electric aircraft designed for short urban and regional hops. The distinction matters for timelines, regulation, and what you might actually see on your commute.

Two paths: roadable aircraft vs. eVTOL air taxis

The following points explain the practical differences between roadable “cars that fly” and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis that don’t drive on roads.

• Roadable aircraft: Fold wings or convert between drive and flight modes; use runways or short strips; regulated like airplanes; examples include PAL‑V Liberty, Klein Vision AirCar, Samson Switchblade, Terrafugia Transition, and Alef’s concept.
• eVTOL air taxis: Don’t drive; lift vertically using multiple electric rotors; aim for quiet, short-range urban/regional service; initially piloted (some designs fully autonomous in certain markets); examples include Joby, Archer, Volocopter, Lilium, Vertical Aerospace, and EHang.
• Use cases: Roadable craft target owner-operators willing to get a pilot’s license; eVTOLs target on-demand city-to-airport shuttles and intercity hops via booked rides.
• Regulatory path: Roadables pursue conventional aircraft certification plus road homologation; eVTOLs follow new “powered-lift” frameworks (FAA) or Special Condition VTOL (EASA) with vertiport approvals.
• Scale and access: Roadables are niche; eVTOLs aim for airline-like fleets with professional pilots, then gradual automation.

Taken together, both tracks are advancing, but eVTOL air taxis are closer to near-term urban deployment than a garage-friendly flying family car.

Who’s actually flying—and where certification stands

Several programs have logged thousands of test flights and are inching through certification. A handful have flown passengers under demonstration approvals, but large-scale commercial service depends on final type certification, pilot training rules, and ground infrastructure.

Here are notable players and milestones to date, focusing on verifiable progress.

• EHang (China): Its EH216-S, a pilotless two-seat eVTOL, received type certification from China’s CAAC in 2023. Through 2024–2025, it has conducted regulator-approved passenger demonstration flights in multiple Chinese cities as local authorities prepare initial routes. Wider commercial rollout depends on continued operational approvals and production ramp-up.
• Volocopter (Germany): Crewed test flights in Paris airspace and ongoing EASA certification under Special Condition VTOL. Paris’s hoped-for 2024 Olympic showcase shifted to continued trials; commercial launch awaits certification and local permissions.
• Joby Aviation (US): Progressing through the FAA’s multi-stage type certification; holds Part 135 air carrier certificate and has begun elements of “for‑credit” testing with the FAA. Targeting initial piloted services as early as 2025–2026, subject to certification and city agreements (including a planned launch in Dubai, pending approvals).
• Archer Aviation (US): Part 135 certificate awarded in 2024; flight-test program advancing toward type certification. Target service in select US cities and the UAE in the 2025–2026 window, contingent on regulators and infrastructure.
• Lilium (Germany): Building its 7‑seat jet-powered eVTOL; EASA-certified design organization; type-conforming aircraft in assembly with targeted entry into service later in the decade, pending flight test results and certification.
• PAL‑V Liberty (Netherlands): A gyroplane that can drive on roads; road homologation in parts of Europe is underway, and flight certification with EASA continues. Customer deliveries are contingent on certification completion.
• Klein Vision AirCar (Slovakia): The prototype completed intercity flights and received a Slovak Certificate of Airworthiness in 2022; partnerships aim at broader production, but EU-wide certification is still ahead.
• Samson Switchblade (US): A roadable, pusher-prop aircraft that achieved a first flight in 2023; continues testing toward certification.
• Terrafugia Transition (US): A long-running roadable aircraft program with limited FAA exemptions; its path and timeline remain uncertain under current ownership.
• Alef Aeronautics (US): A low-speed, road-legal VTOL concept that obtained an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate for limited purposes in 2023; still pre‑certification with ambitious delivery targets that depend on substantial additional testing and approvals.

In short, eVTOL air taxis are closest to early commercial service, led by China’s demonstrations and US/EU programs racing through certification. Roadable “fly/drive” machines exist but remain niche and pre‑mass-market.

Regulators and rules: what changed recently

Policy has moved from concept papers to operational frameworks, a prerequisite for any real service launch.

The following highlights summarize regulatory momentum shaping 2025–2026 deployments.

• FAA (United States): Created a powered‑lift category and, in 2024, issued a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) detailing pilot training and operational rules for near‑term eVTOL entry into service. Type certification programs for multiple manufacturers are active, along with vertiport design guidance.
• EASA (Europe): Using Special Condition VTOL and associated Means of Compliance to certify eVTOLs; also developing operational/pilot licensing frameworks and urban air mobility guidance with member states.
• China (CAAC): First national regulator to type‑certify a passenger-carrying eVTOL (EHang EH216‑S) and authorize expanded demonstration operations with passengers.
• UAE: Abu Dhabi and Dubai have formal advanced air mobility initiatives and MOUs with manufacturers, aiming for early services once aircraft are certified and vertiports are ready.

These steps don’t guarantee rapid rollouts, but they substantially reduce uncertainty for pilot training, airspace integration, and city operations compared with just a few years ago.

What to expect on timing, cost, and limits

If you’re picturing a private car that lifts off from your driveway, temper expectations. Near‑term deployments will look more like quiet helicopters you book by app, flying from designated vertiports.

The points below outline the realistic near-term outlook for consumers and cities.

• Timeline: Initial eVTOL services are targeted in select cities from 2025–2026, scaling through the late 2020s. Roadable aircraft will remain limited-production, pilot‑operated machines.
• Cost: Early rides will be premium‑priced—closer to car‑service plus helicopter fares—until fleets scale and utilization rises.
• Range and speed: Most early eVTOLs target 15–30+ minute urban hops or 20–100+ km regional legs, constrained by battery energy density and reserves.
• Noise: Quieter than helicopters but not silent; communities will scrutinize routes, vertiport siting, and operating hours.
• Safety: Aviation-grade redundancy is central; certification requires stringent testing. Initial operations will be piloted in most markets, with autonomy phased in cautiously.
• Infrastructure: Vertiports, charging, air traffic integration, and emergency procedures must be in place. City partnerships are critical.

As technology, regulation, and infrastructure mature, costs should fall and routes expand, but widespread, everyday ubiquity will take years.

Bottom line

Yes—“they” are making flying machines that ordinary people can ride, and a few that you can (eventually) drive and fly. The vehicles closest to reality are eVTOL air taxis, some already flying passengers in regulated demonstrations and several aiming for first commercial routes in 2025–2026. True drive-and-fly family cars remain a niche, certification-heavy pursuit rather than an imminent mass-market product.

Summary

Flying cars are real in the sense that eVTOL air taxis and a handful of roadable aircraft are flying today, with regulators in the US, EU, China, and the UAE putting rules in place. Expect limited, premium urban air-taxi services to begin in select cities over the next one to two years, while fully mainstream, garage-to-sky personal “cars that fly” remain farther off.