Adam Opel founded the company in Rüsselsheim, Hesse, Germany, on January 21, 1862, initially producing sewing machines. In 1886, Opel began to sell high-wheel bicycles. By 1895, at the time of Adam Opel’s death, the company was a leader in both sewing machine and bicycle markets.
The first Opel automobiles were designed in 1898, after Opel’s widow Sophie and her sons partnered with Friedrich Lutzmann, a locksmith. The first Opel production Patent Motor Car was built in Rüsselsheim in early 1899, with 65 motor cars delivered between 1899 and 1901. In 1901, Opel signed a licensing agreement with Automobiles Darracq France to manufacture vehicles under the Opel Darracq brand name. The company first showed cars of its own design at the 1902 Hamburg Motor Show, with production beginning in 1906 after the licensed Opel Darracq version was discontinued. In 1909, the Opel 4/8 PS model, known as the Doktorwagen, was produced, appreciated for its reliability and affordability, selling for 3,950 marks.
In the early 1920s, Opel became the first German car manufacturer to build automobiles with a mass-production assembly line. In 1924, they introduced the Laubfrosch, finished in green lacquer. By the 1930s, the Laubfrosch’s price had fallen to 1,930 marks. In 1929, General Motors bought 80% of the company for $33.3 million, gaining full control by 1931. The "Regent" – Opel’s first eight-cylinder car – was offered in 1928, the same year the RAK 1 and RAK 2 rocket-propelled cars made record-breaking runs. In 1935, Opel became the first German car manufacturer to produce over 100,000 vehicles annually with the Opel P4, which sold for 1,650 marks. By 1937, Opel’s Rüsselsheim facility was Europe's top vehicle producer, ranking seventh worldwide.
In the 1920s, Fritz von Opel, grandson of Adam Opel, initiated the Opel-RAK program, the world’s first rocket program. In 1928, Opel piloted the Opel RAK2 at the AVUS speedway in Berlin, reaching a record speed of 238 km/h. In 1929, he piloted the world's first public rocket-powered flight using Opel RAK.1, a rocket plane designed by Julius Hatry. In April 1929, two liquid-fuel rockets were launched at Opel Rennbahn in Rüsselsheim, the first European, and second in the world, liquid-fuel rockets. During World War II, Opel produced trucks for the Wehrmacht, including the Opel Blitz, some of which were used as gas vans.
In March 2017, the PSA Group acquired Opel, Vauxhall, and their European auto lending business from General Motors for US$2.2 billion. In June 2017, Michael Lohscheller replaced Karl-Thomas Neumann as CEO. On January 16, 2021, Opel became part of Stellantis following the merger of its parent company PSA Group with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Opel has won the European Car of the Year award five times: 1985 (Kadett E), 1987 (Omega A), 2009 (Insignia), 2012 (Ampera), and 2016 (Astra K). Opel’s motorsport division took part in the World Rally Championship in the early 1980s, with Walter Röhrl winning the 1982 World Rally Championship drivers' title. The brand also won the 1996 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft with the Calibra.
Opel has exported vehicles to numerous countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and New Zealand. Opel vehicles have also been rebadged and sold under other brands, such as Vauxhall in the United Kingdom, Holden in Australia and New Zealand, and Chevrolet in Latin America.
Opel currently has partnerships with association football clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and 1. FSV Mainz 05. Opel cooperates with TotalEnergies on plans for a battery cell factory.