Bill Gates once drove turbocharged Porsches and racked up 3 speeding tickets on one trip but now he drives something far different
Published on Oct 03, 2025 at 3:29 PM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Oct 03, 2025 at 5:21 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Bill Gates has always loved a good old-fashioned turbocharged Porsche, to the point where he racked up three speeding tickets on one trip. But now he drives something unfathomably different, entering his sassy Fiat era.
Once the richest man on the planet, Bill Gates has more money than he knows what to do with.
As his collection of toys goes, he tends to splash the cash on vessels and aircraft, but he does enjoy a good turbocharged Porsche. So much so that he even found a loophole to get a brand-new one every few months.
Nowadays, though, he’s left his speeding days behind in favor of a ‘special’ modest car.
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Bill Gates was once a turbocharged Porsche speed demon
It’s well-documented that Bill Gates loves a Porsche.
The billionaire Microsoft owner has an abundance of cars in his collection, ranging from a turbocharged Porsche 930, countless 959s, a 911, a Taycan, a Ferrari 348, and a bulletproof Volvo.
Having bought his beloved 1979 911 as his first car, he went on to find a legal loophole that saw him pay a daily fine just to own a 959.
But he had a taste for pushing them to the limit, too.
Speaking to CBS, Bill Gates revealed that he once took his turbocharged Porsche 911 on a high-octane 21-hour journey from New Mexico to Washington, where he had multiple run-ins with officers.
“It was driving from Albuquerque up to Seattle that I got three very serious speeding tickets,” he said.
“On that one trip. But, it’s a long trip!”
But while Porsche is just catching up in the electric sports car genre, with a Cayenne Turbo confirmed to be on its way boasting 1,000hp, Gates has now changed up his driving habits for a cleaner journey.
He now drives a modest $30k Fiat 500e because of Bono
Just as he captains a hydrogen yacht that emits no carbon dioxide pollution, he also has a very healthy car.
Instead of speedy German sports cars, he now drives a modest Fiat 500e.
Why the switch-up? And, why the modest daily driver when he has over $100 billion in the bank?
Well, this particular cherry red Fiat 500e is a birthday gift from Bono. Yes – THE Bono.
The U2 rock legend gifted Bill Gates the car as part of their shared mission to combat AIDS and other global health crises through the charity (RED).
“We’ve been working together on this global health stuff for a long time,” he said.
Every sale of these red Fiat 500e cars sees a portion of the money go to the Global Fund, so Bill Gates now uses his daily driver as a rolling ad campaign.
It’s a big change from the Porsche days, but whatever floats his $650m boat, we guess.
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Jack Marsh is a journalist who started his media career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from the University of Chester. As an avid supercar and racing enthusiast, he has a passion for everything from Formula 1 to NASCAR. Whether it's highlighting the intricacies of McLaren’s anti-dive suspension revelations or recognizing celebrities’ multi-million-dollar rides, he has a keen eye for the faster things in life.
