Eli5: Why steam cars aren’t used anymore?

Question

I was told that Steam cars were fast, clean, and efficient, and at one time it was the vehicle of choice.

In: 6

Answer 1

In trains, maybe. Steam road cars were never a vehicle of choice. Insofar as they existed, they had poor range, were inefficient, heavy, slow, and stinky. Even modern steam engines suffer from most of these issues.