Cars are common elements in dreams, but their potent symbolism is highly complex, and understanding the meaning of such a dream is not always easy.
If you dream of a car, there are many factors to consider, such as the type of car, who was driving it and where the car was going – so in this post, we delve into car dream interpretation and meanings to help you decipher what you saw.
The symbolism of cars
When we want to dream interpretation, it’s important to look at more than just the images that were present in the dream because there is no absolute meaning to the symbolism of dreams.
Rather, finding meaning is highly subjective and depends as much on the dreamer and how they feel about the images in a dream than the images themselves.
For example, a dream about a car will have a completely different meaning for someone who is passionate about cars and for someone who is ambivalent about or dislikes cars.
Similarly, it’s also important to take into account how the dreamer feels about what’s happening in a dream – because, for example, the interpretation of driving a car fast will be very different if accompanied by feelings of exhilaration or of fear.
So what associations do we have with cars that might affect the interpretation of a dream?
For many people, cars represent status, power and success, so seeing a car in a dream may be related to these ideas.
At the same time, cars are a mode of transport, so a dream about a car may be related to traveling or heading towards a particular destination, particularly in a metaphorical sense – and cars can also be associated with things like freedom and independence.
Finally, driving a car fast may be related to danger, and how the car is being driven and who is driving it may also be symbolic of control – or the loss thereof. In dreams such as these, the direction of travel can also be important.
Some common interpretations of dreams about cars
Having looked at some of the associations we have with cars and what car symbolism may represent to different people, now we can look at some of the most common interpretations of dreams about cars.
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Driving on the open road – a desire for freedom and independence
A common driving dream is one where you see yourself driving a car on the open highway, possibly accompanied by feelings of happiness and joy along with the sensation of freedom or independence.
There are a few ways to interpret a dream like this, and finding the correct meaning depends a lot on where you currently stand in your life and relationships.
One interpretation is that you desire freedom or independence, and this dream is a manifestation of your subconscious urge to break free.
Is somebody holding you back? Perhaps your parents are putting pressure on you to choose a career path that doesn’t appeal to you, and the dream is telling you that you need to assert yourself and make your own decisions if you want to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
Alternatively, the dream could be a message that you need more freedom in your relationship with your partner.
Perhaps your partner doesn’t allow you to be yourself or do the things you want to do, or maybe they are overly controlling, and the dream represents your repressed need to do the things you love and be true to yourself.
On the other hand, it could also be a message that you feel trapped in a relationship and want to break free.
In this case, the dream might be trying to help you understand what you know deep down but won’t allow yourself to admit – namely, that it’s time to draw a line and put an end to the relationship.
However, a more positive interpretation could be that you are simply an independent person who enjoys living the life you have chosen, and this dream is simply a self-affirming message, telling you that you feel happy and confident in your own skin.
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Driving yourself – you are in control of your life
If you are driving the car in your dream, it may be telling you that you are in control of your life and you are choosing the direction of travel.
It could also be telling you that you need to be the one in the driving seat and that you shouldn’t – or don’t want to – let other people determine the goals you pursue.
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Being driven by somebody else – you are not in control of your life
Conversely, being in a car that’s being driven by somebody else is likely to mean that other people are making important decisions in your life and that you are being too passive.
How did you feel about this in the dream? Were you ok with that? Or did it make you feel uncomfortable?
If you felt a sense of unwillingness to go where you were being taken or experienced a desire to get out of the car before it was too late, it could be a sign that you need to take more control of your life instead of passively accepting what other people decide for you.
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Driving towards your destination – you are pursuing your goals
If you dream of driving a car towards a particular destination, it is likely to mean that you know what you want, you know what your goals are and you know what you need to do to reach them.
This kind of dream could tell you that you are a driven individual with a single-minded focus on success.
At the same time, it could be a dream of encouragement to remind you that you shouldn’t give up because through perseverance, you will reach your goals in the end.
In other words, the dream is telling you to keep going because the destination will be worth the long journey it took to get there.
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Driving in the wrong direction – your life is not going the way you want it to
The meaning of a dream about driving in the wrong direction away from your destination is quite clear – it means that your life is not working out the way you want it to.
There might be lots of things that aren’t the way you hoped they would be, but you seem unable to make the necessary changes.
However, this dream can also remind you that all you need to do is stop the car and turn it around, and you can start heading in the right direction.
Take time to consider what is wrong in your life – and then make the changes that will allow you to follow your dreams.
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Driving a fast, red car – power, status and confidence
For people who see cars as a status symbol, a fast, red car in a dream can represent power, status and confidence.
In this case, dreaming about driving such a car can represent your confidence and security, telling you that you see yourself as a powerful and influential person.
However, it could also tell you that this is how you want people to see you or how you believe people see you – and that you care about your image and what other people think.
This kind of dream could also reveal certain inadequacies and insecurities because you rely on such an obvious symbol to assert your personality.
Another possibility is that if you see someone else driving such a car, it may tell you that you covet power and status – or that you feel envious of powerful people and feel aggrieved that you don’t share such status.
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Driving a small, old car – how you feel about other people’s opinions
Driving a small, old or dirty car could tell you that you don’t care about other people’s opinions, or it could remind you not to be worried about what other people think.
However, if you feel embarrassed in the dream, it could mean that you are particularly sensitive about how other people see you and that you have low self-esteem.
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A car crash – a terrible situation you can’t control
Seeing a car crash in a dream can be a disturbing experience, and often it is related to a terrible or destructive situation you can’t control.
To understand how to interpret such a dream, you need to consider factors such as whether you were driving the car or just a bystander and then try to think about how this might relate to certain events or situations in your life.
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A broken-down car – your life has stagnated or isn’t going anywhere
A broken-down car in a dream may tell you that your life has stagnated or isn’t going anywhere – and that you need to jump-start your life to get things back on track.
A potent symbol that shouldn’t be ignored
A car in a dream is a potent symbol that shouldn’t be ignored, but the many associations different people have with cars can make it hard to unpick what you saw.
However, if you analyze the dream through deep thought and meditation and try to apply it to your current life situation and the challenges you have recently been facing, your instinct and intuition will lead you to the correct interpretation of your dream.