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Qiaochu_Yuan comments on The cup-holder paradox - Less Wrong Discussion
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How prevalent are drive-through restaurants and coffee shops in Europe? I think those are the biggest sources of stuff-to-put-in-cup-holders for most Americans, and it's plausible to me that they're less common in Europe.
They pretty much don't exist. In my 50-odd years of living in the UK, I think I have seen a drive-through exactly once. (It's in a built-up area a mile or two from Heathrow Airport.) I have never seen one anywhere in Europe. And I rarely see drivers eat or drink while driving. In some circumstances, the police may even take the view that you are Driving Without Due Care and Attention.
I don't even know if my car has a cupholder. There's an odd-shaped recess near floor level, between and in front of the front seats, with no obvious function, but I have never had reason to put anything in it. A cupholder is not a thing it would even occur to me to look for when considering a new car.
ETA: Having just been in it, I can see that the "odd-shaped recess" is indeed a cupholder. One learns something every day.
They're rare.
Some fast food restaurants do also have a drive-through window, but IME few people actually use it. I guess that unlike Americans, we're not so strapped for time that it'd be a big deal to park the car and sit down in the restaurant for the ~15 minutes it takes to eat a fast food meal. (I dunno whether this also applies in larger cities or wealthier, more northern parts of Europe, though.)