The Meaning of Cars and Other Vehicles in Dreams

By: Tania Harris

Have you ever had a dream of a car, bus, bike or a train? Vehicles appear frequently in our dreams, but what do they mean?

Remember dreams usually speak a symbolic language. That means, objects, animals and even people may represent an idea or concept in our dreams. Imagery is a clever and effective way to communicate a message. When we look at how to interpret our dreams, it is important to identify the key symbols. If your dream features a vehicle of some sort, it is likely to be significant.

To understand the symbolic meaning of vehicles then, think about what they do. Cars, trains, buses and the like all take us from one place to another. They are the means by which we reach our destination. Therefore, in most cases, vehicles symbolize our job, career or some other important pursuit.

Questions to Ask

Once we’ve understood the general meaning of vehicles, it’s helpful to look at the specifics. Ask, what kind of vehicle is it? Is it a bus that has others with you, or are you riding solo as on a bike? How fast or slow is the vehicle? What condition is it in? Are you driving, or is someone else while you are just enjoying the ride? Should you be in the vehicle or is it time to change to another? Have you arrived at your destination or are you just halfway there? The specific details of the vehicle in your dream will point to its meaning.

Now think about what is happening in your own journey of life. Can you see the connections?

Some Examples

Here is an example from a lady I met on one of our God Conversations seminars. She told me about a recurring dream she’d been having: “I was driving my car so fast that I crashed.” When I asked her why it crashed, she said she knew in the dream that it hadn’t been well-maintained. My next question was, “how fast-paced is your life right now? Are you taking time to rest and refuel?” The woman blushed. The meaning of the dream was crystal clear.

Another woman shared her dream with me. She’d been having it every few months for nearly ten years. In the dream, she saw herself in the backseat of her car, waiting for her husband to drive off. But the car was going nowhere! After learning about the meaning of vehicles in dreams, she suddenly realised what the dream was all about. Since her husband had died ten years earlier, her life had been “going nowhere.” Her husband was never going to drive the car again. The dream was telling her it was time to get into the front seat and take the wheel. It was a major aha moment.

In my own life, vehicles have often been used to send a message about my ministry career. In one dream, I saw myself travelling from one destination to another. I was on a train, but I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was on a bus. I had changed vehicles. When I woke up that morning, I realised my job was about to change. That week, my boss told me about a restructure that had been taking place behind the scenes at work. “I need to change your job,” he said. “It’s like we’ve been on a train, but now we’ve changed vehicles!”

Dreams of vehicles are common, likely because our working lives are such a big part of who we are. They speak to us about where we are going in life. Watch out for them in your dreams!

But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Jeremiah 23:18


Article supplied with thanks to God Conversations.

About the Author: Tania Harris is a pastor, speaker, author and the founder of God Conversations.

Feature image: Photo by Olav Tvedt on Unsplash