The manufacturers' championship has been a component of the World Rally Championship since the series began in 1973. Alpine-Renault won the first title with the Alpine A110 in that inaugural season. Lancia followed with the championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976 using the Lancia Stratos HF, the first car designed specifically for rally competition rather than adapted from a production model. Fiat subsequently took three manufacturers' titles between 1977 and 1980 with the Fiat 131 Abarth.
To be eligible to score in the manufacturers' championship, a manufacturer must register with the FIA before the season begins and must compete in every rally of the WRC calendar using Group Rally1 specification cars. Manufacturers nominate up to three crews per event, and only the results of the two fastest nominated crews from each manufacturer contribute to the manufacturers' points tally. This means a driver can win the drivers' championship while a different manufacturer takes the manufacturers' title, a situation that has occurred on several occasions including 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024.
Priority 1 status is granted to crews entered by registered manufacturers, allowing them to run the stages before other competitors. Because manufacturers invest the most resources and typically employ the fastest drivers, the manufacturer crews tend to dominate the overall classification and the media coverage of the championship.
Championship points are based on the two-fastest nominated crews per manufacturer per round. Since 2021, manufacturers have also been eligible for Power Stage bonus points, awarded under a system parallel to that used for driver classification points. The structure underwent revision for 2024 when a new overall points system was introduced that moved away from the traditional final classification format.
Lancia holds the record for the most manufacturers' championships in the history of the WRC, having won the title ten times. The marque dominated through the late 1970s with the Stratos, the early 1980s with the Lancia 037 (the last rear-wheel-drive car to win a manufacturers' world championship), and through the Group A era from 1987 to 1992 with successive Lancia Delta HF variants.
The 1980s Group B era saw Audi take the manufacturers' title in 1982 and 1984 with the Audi Quattro, though Lancia won the 1983 title using the rear-drive 037. Peugeot won in 1985 before Group B was banned following a series of fatal accidents in 1986. In the subsequent Group A era, Lancia won six consecutive manufacturers' titles from 1987 to 1992.
The Japanese manufacturers became dominant through the 1990s. Toyota took the manufacturers' championship in 1993 and 1994, Subaru won three titles in a row from 1995 to 1997, and Mitsubishi won in 1998. French manufacturers reasserted themselves in the 2000s, with Peugeot winning in 2000 and 2002, and Citroen following with an extended period of dominance through the 2000s and early 2010s alongside Sebastien Loeb's nine consecutive drivers' titles.
Volkswagen entered the championship in 2013 and won the manufacturers' title in its first four seasons. Toyota returned to full factory participation with Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT and took the manufacturers' title in 2018, the first manufacturers' championship for Toyota since 1999. Hyundai won the manufacturers' title in 2019 and 2020. From 2022 in the Rally1 era, Toyota won four consecutive manufacturers' championships.
The introduction of Rally1 cars for the 2022 season brought hybrid electric powertrains into WRC competition for the first time. Only three manufacturers — Ford, Hyundai, and Toyota — competed in the Rally1 category in this era. Toyota's dominance in the manufacturers' standings reflected both the performance of the GR Yaris Rally1 and the strength of the driver lineup it fielded. The hybrid system was removed for the 2025 season due to the difficulty and cost of mid-event repairs.