Getting around as a world leader can be a complex business. You can’t even hop in your car and nip down to the local shops without a host of security and staff. A smooth ride is also a consideration for top-ranking politicians, meaning their motorcades are often impressive, both in appearance and cost.
We decided to have at look at the different cars leaders around the world rely on for their road travel, and how much the bills for their motorcades come in at.
Read below to find the details of motorcades of six major world leaders, ranked by their cost.
£12,630,250 – Donald Trump, USA
Trump’s motorcade leads the way in terms of cost, and when you see what is included in his fleet of vehicles, it is easy to understand why.
The Beast
Trump’s personal car is a custom build – based on a Cadillac and is sometimes known as Cadillac One. The vehicle is equipped with military grade bullet proof glass, a separate oxygen supply in case of chemical attack and two pints of the president’s blood type.
Cost: £11,548,125 (according to General Motors paperwork)
23 Chevrolet Suburbans
Trump’s car is accompanied by 23 other vehicles on an average trip, usually Chevrolet Suburbans. These vehicles carry a range of equipment and personnel including staff, security, advisors and medical professionals.
Cost: £971,221 (£42,227 per vehicle)
8 BMW 2016 R 1200 RT-P Motorcycles
The motorcycles in Trump’s motorcade precede and follow the president’s fleet of cars. They help to open and close routes through traffic to ensure his safety. Motorcycles take a similar role in all world leaders’ motorcades.
Cost: £110,904 (£13,863 per vehicle)
Coming in at a total of £12,630,250, Trump’s motorcade is the most expensive in our list. The Beast also ranks top of any vehicle on our list for carbon dioxide emissions. The car produces 1196g of CO2 for every kilometre travelled. In comparison, the average new car produces just 120.1g of CO2 over the same distance.
£9,655,518 – Vladimir Putin, Russia
The President of Russia ranks as a relatively close second to Trump’s motorcade cost, although far fewer vehicles accompany Vladimir Putin on the road. His motorcade is made up of:
The Aurus Senate
Like Trump, Putin travels in a custom-built car. The Aurus Senate was designed specifically for the president and is the result of joint effort from NAMI and Porsche engineers. The vehicle weighs in at six tonnes and is a mammoth 23 feet long. Equipped with extensive security features, which are kept under wraps by the president’s security detail, the Senate is powered by a 4.4l V8 engine.
Cost: £9,150,780
3 Mercedes G Class
Although Putin transports far less of his staff with him on the road than Trump, they definitely travel in style. The Mercedes G Class is a luxury SUV, capable of handling almost any terrain, and has a top speed of 220km/h (137mph).
Cost: £421,560 (£140,520 per vehicle)
6 BMW 2016 R 1200 RT-P Motorcycles
Putin details six police riders to accompany his motorcade to clear roads and monitor crowds whilst he is on the move.
Cost: £83,178 (£13,863 per vehicle)
Looking at the £9,655,518 Putin’s modestly sized motorcade already costs, it may explain why his entourage is much smaller than the US president’s. Again, environmental impact hasn’t been high up on the list of considerations by those putting together this fleet of vehicles. With its huge engine and substantial bulk the CO2 emissions of the Aurus Senate are likely to be up there with Trump’s Beast, and the Mercedes G Class produces 261g of CO2 per km, well above the 176g of the Chevrolet Suburban used by Trump’s entourage.
£3,869,315 – Xi Jinping, China
There is a steep jump between the price of Putin’s motorcade and that belonging to the President of China. The difference in costs is largely down to the fact that Jinping does not have a custom-built car, as Trump and Putin do. Jinping’s motorcade is still significantly more expensive than other leaders on this list, however, as the same standard of luxury he travels in, is also provided for those who travel with him:
5 Hongqi L5
This is the car of choice for the President of China, and his entourage. The L5 is the height of Chinese luxury motoring in the same way the Rolls Royce Phantom – Queen Elizabeth’s car – is in the UK.
Cost: £3,800,000 (£760,000 per vehicle)
5 Haojue GW250J Motorcycles
These motorcycles are the Chinese equivalent of the BMW police bikes used in other countries. We couldn’t find a cost for this vehicle, so we have estimated it based on the BMW prices.
Cost: £69,315 (£13,863 per vehicle)
Xi Jinping differs from other world leaders in this list in that his vehicles are only used on the road in china. When Jinping visits other countries he uses transport provided by their governments.
£572,007 – Theresa May, UK
The British Prime Minster is the first leader on this list to bring their car fleet in under £1 million. Although still luxury, the PM’s vehicles are less customised that Putin’s and Trump’s, and lack the ostentation of Jinping:
Jaguar XJ Sentinel
May rides in a Jaguar XJ Sentinel, a model of the traditional XJ, but equipped with additional security features including Kevlar backing and blast protection. Despite the increased weight of this XJ model it can still reach top speeds of 197km/h, which is well above those achieved by the heavier cars of Trump and Putin. The US President’s car is thought to max out at 96km/h.
Cost: £300,000
3 Range Rover sports
The Jag XJ is followed by three Range Rover Sports in Theresa May’s motorcade. These cars carry security, staff and other key members of the Prime Minister’s entourage. The Range Rover is a spacious luxury vehicle, with a name that still conjures images of British engineering.
Cost: £216,555 (£72,185 per vehicle)
4 BMW 2016 R 1200 RT-P Motorcycles
Like most other world leaders, May’s motorcade is accompanied by police officers on BMW bikes to clear routes ahead of her arrival in an area.
Cost: £55,452 (£13,863 per vehicle)
It is interesting to note that the cars used in May’s motorcade are from big names of British motoring. Although much production for both Jaguar and Range Rover now happens overseas, the brands still have close links with their country of origin, which is likely to have influenced the government’s choice.
£290,140 – Angela Merkel, Germany
Angela Merkel’s motorcade is almost half the cost of Theresa May’s yet still retains cars that ooze class. The cars that feature in this motorcade exemplify some of the best of German engineering, with the Chancellor being careful to include vehicles from all the top names of her country’s thriving motoring industry:
Audi R8
Merkel’s personal vehicle is notably more modest than the others in this list. Although the fashionable coupe is equipped with extra security features such as bullet proof glass, these are virtually undetectable from the outside.
Cost: £112,520
BMW 5 Series
A range of vehicles are used to accompany Angela Merkel’s motorcade, and one which features is the BMW 5 series. Another representative of Germany’s motoring industry, the 5 series is again notably less extravagant than a lot of cars on this list, but still offers a luxurious ride to those travelling with the Chancellor.
Cost: £35,285
3 Merecedes V Class
The V Class is used to transport up to seven people at a time, the perfect vehicle for Merkel’s entourage.
Cost: £142,335 (£47,445 per vehicle)
As well as coming in as one of the cheapest motorcades, the vehicles of Angela Merkel’s fleet also have some of the best records for carbon emissions. The BMW 5 Series is not only one of the cheapest cars to feature in our list, it produces the lowest amount of CO2 at just 119g per km, one tenth of that produced by Donald Trump’s Beast.
£200,062 – Justin Trudeau, Canada
Coming in with the smallest price tag is Canada’s Premier, Justin Trudeau. Trudeau is modest both with his car type and the number of vehicles that travel with him, resulting in a significant smaller cost for his road transport.
4 Chevrolet Suburbans
Like Xi Jinping, Trudeau travels in the same type of car as features in most of his motorcade. In Trudeau’s case the vehicle chosen is less flash than the Hongqi L5. The Canadian Prime Minster travels in a Chevrolet Suburban SUV. This is the same car that accompanies Trump’s Beast on the road. Whilst Trump has 23 of the vehicle travel with him, Trudeau has limited his motorcade to just four.
Cost: £168,908 (£42,227 per vehicle)
Chrysler 300
The Chrysler 300 is the flagship car in Trudeau’s motorcade and usually precedes the Prime Minister’s cars.
Cost: £31,154
Justin Trudeau’s cars certainly give off less CO2 than the big spenders on this list – Trump and Putin – but the vehicles he has chosen for road transport have higher emissions than average, with the Chevrolet Suburban producing 176g of CO2 per km, and the Chrysler pumping out 191g for the same distance.
How We Did It
The first step in our process was to put together lists of vehicles used by each world leader we studied. We did this through existing data on their motorcades, and by verifying this against images and video content.
We then went on to research the price of these cars, as correct on 28th and 29th June 2018. As we did not have exact data of extra features added onto the cars, we judged them all on their basic model price, as stated on the manufacturer’s website. Where possible, we used prices of the cars in the UK, but in instances where this was not available, such as with the Chevrolet Suburban, a price in US dollars was converted to pound sterling using the exchange rate at 4pm on 28th June.
Carbon emission data was pooled from car reviews and manufacturer specifications, before it was simplified to provide the amount of CO2 produced per km. Breakdowns of these calculations are available on request.