The automotive industry remains one of the most significant contributors to total global emissions worldwide. This growing challenge is primarily attributed to the high dependency on fossil fuel as its primary source of energy. This review highlights the current state of the application of fuel cells in the automotive industry, as well as the technological advances made in comparison to the early years of the automotive sector. Future prospects of these technologies are also thoroughly reviewed. Factors impeding the advancement of these technologies while also impeding their commercialization are presented, with possible solutions to this problem also suggested. In summary, this investigation seeks to explore pragamatic approach that can be adopted to reduce the overall cost of fuel cells and their possible integration in the automotive industry.