Headquartered at 8, Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, it consists of 207 national member organisations in 122 countries worldwide. Its current president is Max Mosley and is generally promoted and controlled by Bernie Ecclestone through a variety of corporate entities.

For the general public the FIA is mostly known as the governing body for certain major motor racing events.

For a long time the FIA delegated the organisation of automobile racing to the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale), an autonomous committee that later became the FISA (Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile). A restructuring of the FIA lead to the disappearance of the FISA, putting motor racing under direct management of the FIA.

As is the case with soccer's FIFA, the FIA is generally known by its French name and acronym, even in English-speaking countries, but is occasionally rendered as International Automobile Federation.

In 1946 the true history of Formula One began in with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA's) standardisation of rules.

In 1950, the FIA organised the first World Championship for Drivers, known today as the Formula One World Championship for Drivers.

In 1953, the FIA created the World Sportscar Championship, the first points series for sports car racing in the world. This championship, under various names, was solely for manufacturers up to and including 1980. From 1981, a Drivers' Championship title was also awarded and from 1985 the manufacturers' title was replaced by a Teams Championship. The last World Sportscar Championship titles were awarded in 1992.

In 1973, the FIA organised the first World Rally Championship. The 42nd Auto Rally of Monte-Carlo became the first ever FIA World Rally Championship event.

In 1987, the FIA sanctioned the first World Touring Car Championship. Initially a one-off series, the title was revived in 2005.

In 1993, the National Hot Rod Association was officially recognized by the FIA World Motorsports Council and the FIA Drag Racing Commission was formed.

In 2008, the Nostalgia Hot Rod Association was officially recognized by both the FCC and the FIA as an independent entity.