The first car ever made came along in 1886 in the form of the Benz Patent Motor Car. However, the first drive-in gas station didn't arrive until 1913 when the Gulf Refining Company set one up in Pittsburgh. That's a gap of 27 years, and that raises a question — how did motorists get their gas before drive-in gas stations?
Well, before the first drive-in station was opened, there were still gas stations which you could visit. They just weren't configured in the same way we know them today. You would have to visit them as you would any other store and leave carrying your gas. But these didn't arrive until 1905, which still leaves us with a gap of 19 years between the invention of the car and the building of the first gas station.
Now, while geniuses today can make gas out of sunlight and CO2, making your own gasoline at home wasn't an option at the turn of the 20th century. Instead, motorists would have to buy five-gallon containers of the stuff from places like hardware stores and pharmacies. This might've been enough to see their car running for a week or so. If they were planning a longer trip, they could buy two cans worth of gas or call ahead to providers on their planned route to place an order. It lacks the convenience and thought-free approach of today's huge gas stations, but it worked just fine for those earlier motorists.
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Remarkably, the needs of the motorist haven't changed much in the 112 years that have followed. You can see this with some of the services offered by the Pittsburgh station. In addition to selling gas, it gave motorists access to free air and water, which was a must for cars which had been running hot and boiling their radiators. You can commonly find all of this at modern gas stations, but these older stations went one step further, also offering crankcase services in addition to fitting new tires and inner tubes.
It might seem strange to lump all of these services together at a gas station, but it's easy to assume that there wouldn't be much call for independent tire shops or mechanics back in these times. As a result, having everything together at a one-stop location seems logical, especially given the small amount of cars actually out on the road.
In terms of the demand for gas, you can be the judge; the Gulf station in Pittsburgh sold 30 gallons on its opening day back in 1913, but managed to shift a more noteworthy 350 gallons on its first Saturday. Back then, gas was being charged at 27 cents per gallon. It sure sounds cheap, but it works out to around $8.86 per gallon today when you factor in inflation.
