The Most Unique Vehicles Domino's Has Used (Or Tried To Use) To Deliver Pizza

Domino's has been spearheading the pizza business innovation since the 1960s. It invented the pizza box, streamlined the pie-making process to make it faster, and championed the concept of delivery. America's number one pizza chain was already delivering orders two decades before Pizza Hut, and at one point, it was promising its customers they'd receive their order within 30 minutes, or else the pizza would be free. This promise was ultimately nixed in 1993 after a string of car accidents involving Domino's delivery drivers, but the company's laser focus on prioritizing fast delivery remained unchanged.

Through the decades, Domino's has tested a long line of unique delivery vehicles, some more successful than others. The chain has partnered with car manufacturers and robotics companies worldwide to create the kind of vehicles no other pizza company could claim to have, from self-driving cars to small delivery robots. It has also kept up with modern tech developments, such as drones and e-bikes, integrating them into delivery. Below, you will find a list of the 10 most offbeat vehicles that Domino's has ever used (or at least attempted to use) to deliver pizza to its hungry customers.

It all started in the '60s with a small Volkswagen Beetle. As the restaurant's only vehicle at the time, it was shared between just two delivery drivers, but it set in motion the evolution of pizza delivery. Eventually, this iconic vehicle was given to one of the original founders of Domino's in exchange for his share of the business. Pictured above is a replica of this historic car, displayed at Domino's headquarters.

In 1984, Domino's purchased 10 Tritan A2 trikes that looked more like an aircraft than a standard road vehicle. Coincidentally, they were also shaped like a pizza slice. The models purchased by the pizza chain did not have a back seat, as they needed to accommodate a pizza warmer instead. Initially, Domino's wanted to integrate the Tritan A2 nationwide, but the plan never made it past the testing phase — presumably because these aircraft-like vehicles were small, uncomfortable, and not compatible with different weather conditions.

In October 2015, Domino's announced the launch of its brand-new delivery vehicle, the DXP (short for delivery expert). The story of this car actually started three years earlier, when the pizza chain had invited its customers to help with designing the ultimate delivery vehicle by submitting their ideas through a special website. The final result was a small-but-mighty delivery car that only had the driver's seat, came with a built-in warming oven, and could hold up to 80 pies.

Just six months after the DXP was announced in the United States, Domino's in New Zealand rolled out DRU, the delivery robot. The name was an acronym for Domino's Robotic Unit, and according to the official announcement, DRU had "a friendly persona" and was "cheeky and endearing." At 3 feet tall, it only traveled on sidewalks and had separate compartments for hot and cold items with the capacity to hold 10 pizzas.

Not only was Domino's in New Zealand testing out DRU, but in November 2016, it also delivered the very first pizza by drone in a historic moment. The interest in drones stems from Domino's desire to ensure fast delivery that's not dependent on the ever-unpredictable traffic conditions. Food delivery via drone continues to gain momentum; in the most recent example, Domino's in Sri Lanka tested the concept in August 2025.

Not all of Domino's delivery adventures centered around technology, though. In late 2016, Domino's tested reindeer delivery in Japan, trying to find a solution for cold and snowy conditions. However, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was not destined to be a delivery driver, and hauling pizza boxes to the customers' doors wasn't the same as pulling Santa's sleigh. The program only lasted one week because the animals proved impossible to train. Luckily, the Japanese Domino's took this failure with great humor and instead introduced reindeer-styled scooters with antlers on the roof.

In 2017, Domino's announced a collaboration with Ford; the two companies were testing the concept of self-driving delivery cars. Select customers were able to track the vehicles and had to enter the last four digits of their phone number to open the compartment where the pizza was stored. At the time, the plan was to start manufacturing these cars within four years, but in 2022, Ford shut down its self-driving venture, citing a lack of commercial profitability. Womp womp.

While self-driving pizza delivery cars are still in the future, electric bikes are already here. In August 2019, Domino's supplied custom electric bikes to its locations nationwide, each bike with the capacity to hold 12 large pizzas. The perks of using e-bikes for delivery are not just the ease of weaving through traffic and not having to look for a parking spot, but also the assistance of the integrated motor, which can relieve the couriers from vigorous pedaling when needed.

When partnering with a car manufacturer doesn't fully pan out, the other option is a robotics company. Domino's joined forces with Nuro to create a special self-driving delivery robot, which hit the streets of Houston in April 2021. The robot was called R2 and was "the first completely autonomous, occupantless on-road delivery vehicle with a regulatory approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation," according to the press release. Nuro later partnered with Uber as well, bringing the era of driverless food delivery even closer.

In November 2022, Domino's rolled out the largest electric pizza delivery fleet in the States, with 800 electric cars supplied by Chevy Bolt. The shift towards electric vehicles was a consequence of Domino's commitment to net-zero its carbon emissions by 2050, as well as recognizing the convenience of electric cars. There's no expensive gas, maintenance is more affordable, and the cars have great battery life. But there was another reason for the shift — the pizza chain wants to rev up the recruitment of delivery drivers, hoping to attract people who don't have personal vehicles.