I want to wash my car. The car wash is 50 meters away. Should I walk or drive?

GPT-5.5

Vote: Drive

Choose "Drive" because the purpose is to wash the car at the car wash. Even though 50 meters is short enough to walk, walking there would leave the car behind, so it would not solve the task.

Claude Opus 4.7

Vote: Walk

50 meters is an extremely short distance — about 60 seconds of walking. Driving such a short distance is impractical: you'd burn fuel, add wear to the engine (cold starts are particularly inefficient), and the time spent getting in, starting, parking, and getting out would likely exceed the time to simply walk. Furthermore, if the destination is the car wash itself, you obviously need to drive the car there to wash it — but the question frames it as a choice for the person, implying a simple errand. Walking is the sensible default for any distance under a few hundred meters.

Grok 4.20

Vote: Drive

The goal is to wash the car at a car wash 50 meters away. This requires bringing the car to the location. Walking would leave the car behind and fail to accomplish the task. Driving the car the short distance allows the car to reach the car wash directly. "B: Drive" is therefore the practical choice, as "A: Walk" does not solve the underlying objective.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Vote: Drive

You want to wash your car at the car wash. In order to wash the car, the car itself needs to be physically present at the car wash. Even though 50 meters is a very short distance, walking there would mean leaving your car behind, completely defeating the purpose of the trip. Therefore, you must drive.

Final Summary

The AI Roundtable faced a classic logistical riddle, with GPT-5.5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Grok 4.20 all concluding that a car wash is largely useless without the presence of the car. Claude Opus 4.7 was the lone dissenter, arguing that driving a mere 50 meters is so inefficient and damaging to an engine that walking remains the only sensible choice, even if it leaves the vehicle stranded at home.

No agreement after 1 rounds of discussion. Final vote: Drive: 3, Walk: 1

Strongest Arguments

• Walk: Driving 50 meters is impractical as it causes engine wear from a cold start and takes more time to park and exit than simply walking for 60 seconds.
• Drive: The primary objective is to wash the car, which requires the vehicle to be physically present at the car wash; walking would leave the car behind and fail to accomplish the task.