If you own a car, you’ve certainly considered the many different types of cars available. Each vehicle comes with its own specific set of features and benefits, which makes the decision more difficult.
Before you can decide and buy a new car, you need to specify your requirements, like luggage space, passengers, engine size, and consumption.
The automotive industry has many types of cars, which means car technology is ever-changing. In fact, car technologies have developed multiple new types of cars that were not manufactured a few years ago, and there are now far better than twenty types of cars in the market.
In this post, we will break down the 30 most common types of cars and give some information on each. So, if you are buying a new vehicle or just being curious about the different types of car vehicle, continue to read!
Types Of Cars Body Style
Below is list of the top 30 cars available on the market based on body style.
| Sedan | Coupe | Sportscars | Station wagon |
| Hatchback | Convertible | Sport-utility vehicle (SUV) | Minivan |
| Pickup truck | Jeep | Electric car | CUV/Crossover |
| Spyder | Hot hatch | Limousine | UTE |
| Pony car | Sports sedan | Military vehicle | Dragster |
#1. Sedan.
Sedans are the most common type of car, and are easily identified by the four-door in a traditional style, or with a trunk. The difference between a sedan and a hatchback is that the door to the rear luggage compartment does not include the rear window and the door hinges are on the bottom outside of the window.
Trunk space in sedans tends to be somewhat limited; although if you are looking for a sporty look to your four door car it is usually very sporty looking. The sedan also comes in many different variations. Here are some examples:
Here are some examples:
- Full-size: Dodge Charger, Toyota Avalon
- Subcompact: Nissan Versa, Kia Rio
- Compact: Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic
- Mid-size: Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry
#2. Crossover (CUV).
Often confused with an SUV, A crossover is often available as two wheel drive, but may be also available as 4 wheel drive. It is a basically an off-road vehicle chassis but has been made for more in city traffic.
One important differentiating factor is the chassis. The crossover uses a lighter monocoque chassis. The SUV uses a ladder frame chassis.
Basically, this means a CUV is sharing the frame of a car, an SUV is sharing the frame of a truck. It may be referred to as a cross hatch versus a hatchback. The Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica are two good examples of a CUV.
#3. Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs).
Another type climbing this list of car types is the SUV. The SUV is a big vehicle capable of carrying often five to seven passengers, with three rows of seats.
They are essentially the same as a crossover, but are built on a body-on-frame chassis. They usually have 4wd and good terrain capable.
They usually come with lights with a ton of electronics in it and they are very comfortable to ride. They usually come with off road accessories such as better suspension and bigger wheels than what road vehicles come equipped with.
You can have SUVs in different dimensions – compact, medium and full size. A good example of an SUV is the Range Rover, Jeep Cherokee and Suzuki Vitara.
#4. Hatchback.
A hatchback car is essentially a combination of a sedan and station wagon. Hatchbacks typically come as 5-door vehicles with a hatch that opens up. Like estate cars, a hatchback has hinges above the rear window.
The only difference between a hatchback and an estate are the dimensions, plus estate cars have a much steeper tailgate angle. Typical hatchback models are the Volkswagen Golf and Kia Rio. You can also find hatchbacks with enhanced performance called hot hatchbacks.
Today there are large luxury vehicles also classed as hatchbacks with a steep tailgate angle like Audi A7, Kia Stinger, and Tesla Model S.
#5. Station Wagon.
A wagon is similar to a sedan, but has a roofline that extends all the way to the hatch door instead of a trunk. Station cars are often an exceptional option for families and extended trips because they usually have a lot more cargo space than a sedan.
Station cars often come with more ground clearance and four-wheel drive, so they are practically SUVs. In the United States, station wagons have lost popularity in recent years but remain more common in Europe.
Some common station wagon models include BMW 5-series, Audi A4 or A6, Volvo V90, and Subaru Outback.
#6. Coupe.
A coupe is a two-door car, very similar to a sedan, except it has two doors instead of four. Coupé cars may have a rear seat for two or three more passengers, however you often need to fold down one of the front seats to access the rear area. Coupé cars are also usually more sporty looking.
Common coupé car models include Ford Mustang, Audi A5, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche Boxter.
#7. Pickup Truck.
Pickup trucks are very popular these days. A pickup truck has a cab and open cargo area. The cab can seat two or four passengers. All pickup trucks are made with a cab mounted on a separate steel frame with very few exceptions such as the Honda Ridgeline.
Pickups are ideal for transporting items and for farmers as they can hold a large amount of items with a powerful engine that can tow heavy implements. Most pickup trucks are either full-time all wheel drive, or part-time all-wheeel drive. However, many pickup trucks also have options with only 2-wheel drive.
Pickup trucks also are in two size categories: full size and mid-size. Typically, there are a lot of choices that involve size of the cab as well–extended cab, single cab or crew cab. Some basic examples of pickup trucks include Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge F150.
#8. Minivan (MPV).
The minivan or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) is a van, but has passenger seats instead of a cargo area. Because it often has 7 or 8 passenger seats this is a great vehicle for large families or can also be a taxi.
Minivans often have cabin space designed for very large quantities of passenger, with cargo space still there, the emphasis on the cabin space really differentiates it from a van.
Minivans often will have a sliding door on one or both sides of the car. Great examples of Minivans are one of the original minivans the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica.
#9. Roadster.
A roadster car is generally classified as a convertible vehicle, but is more specifically a two-door car, and they usually have no rear seat. Therefore, they are meant for use by only two people. In terms of their size, they are often very small with limited cargo space.
They are usually sporty looking and serve ideal in warm weather if you want to enjoy ice cream with your friend or fiancée. A few common roadster models on the market include the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, Mercedes-Benz SLC and Jaguar F-Type Roadster.
#10. Van.
A van is a car model built to transport primarily goods – either as a 2-seater or 3-seater vehicle. Vans usually have a sealed cab from the cargo area, and most of the time there are no windows to the cargo area, although some vans have glass windows at the rear doors.
Vans have great utility when transporting goods, usually with a very high load capacity over a ton. Common van brands include the Volkswagen Transporter or the Chevrolet Van or the GMC Vandura.
#11. Sports Cars.
A sports car is whatever looks sporty to you, it can be a roadster, coupe, or sedan. Sports cars are basically the same as supercars, in that a supercar is also a sports car, but typically the sports car is a notch down from the supercar in performance and price.
Sports cars are typically so much cheaper than supercars, and usually does not perform nearly as well. Sports cars typically handle really well, a decent amount of road capacity, and have a relatively powerful engine to be able to put on the streets, and take to the track if needed.
Sports cars typically are soft tops, but do not have to be. Examples of sports cars could include the Porsche 911, Mazda MX-5, and BMW M3.
#12. Convertible/Cabriolet.
Convertible/ cabriolet car models have a retractable roof, ideal for hot summer days when going on holiday to the beach.
Many convertibles use an automatic system to retract the fabric rooftop, but older models were manual. There are models that have a retractable hardtop, which are just like normal cars with the rooftop closed.
The examples can be two-seaters or four-seaters and can be pretty much any car model with a roof to retract, while roadsters are commonly its own car type. Sports cars are often an option for a convertible type. Examples of many different convertibles available are BMW Z4, Fiat 500 and Chevrolet.
#13. Supercar.
Supercars are fast high-performance cars with powerful, large engines, even an engine making over 500 hp. Most supercars are two-seater cars, and they tend to be very expensive. Some supercars are even priced at over one million dollars.
Depending on the model, the supercar it can be a convertible. Supercars usually have zero or little storage space; in other words, no one buys a supercar for the storage room.
Common supercars include the McLaren 720S, Lamborghini Huracán, Lamborghini Aventador.
#14. Luxury Cars.
What is a luxury car? Luxury cars are exactly what they sound like, luxury. Luxury cars are very expensive and have all the latest, great features for an excellent ride.
Luxury cars often have a powerful engine, but they are not very fast around corners or on the racetrack. They often have so many features for comfort that they tend to get heavy.
Luxury cars can also be a supercar or sports cars and often define an expensive car with comfort. Common luxury cars include the Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari Portofino, and Rolls-Royce.
#15. Jeep.
Jeep is synonymous with outdoor adventures, just like Kleenex is with facial tissue. Jeep, the model, is made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. It made its debut in November 1940 just before the USA began to fight WWII.
They were utilized quite a bit during that war and subsequent wars due to the fact they could travel all kinds of terrain.
In 1987, Chrysler Corporation bought the Jeep brand, and Chrysler has continued to evolve and expand the models ever since. The typical hard-bodied Jeep is still in demand, but Chrysler has also invented the SUV model called Cherokee.
#15. Muscle Cars.
Muscle cars have big muscles in their engine compartments and were usually manufactured in the US. Muscle cars are usually older cars with a large and powerful v8 or v10 engine. Today, there are also modern muscle cars.
Muscle cars are often not very fast around the corners of racetracks but in a straight line as they have been built to do (drag racing), there are not many other vehicles which can beat them.
Some car models that would be include as muscle cars include: Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Dodge challenger.
#16. Microcar.
The microcars/minicars are small cars most often with an engine size of less than a litre. There are outlandish models of microcars/minicars and they are good for city use as they provide excellent fuel efficiency and easy parking.
Microcars/minicars are usually two passenger vehicles. Some examples of microcars include bicycle cars, bubble cars, and the Tata Nano car. Today’s microcars are frequently electric.
The disadvantage of the microcar in most models is the almost non-existent cargo space.
#17. Camper Van.
A camper van is usually a truck chassis rebuilt for camping and usually has a kitchen, toilet, and other necessary accessories for the perfect camping trip. For instance, a motorhome can also refer to a minivan rebuilt for camping, like a Volkswagen transporter.
Either way, many camper vans are built that way from the factory, some examples of a few of those include the Fiat Ducato, Winnebago revel and Nomad Vanz Sprinter.
#18. Mini Truck.
A mini truck is exactly what you think – a small truck, and it is a mix between a pickup and a truck. They usually have two or three seats and open cargo area, but can also have closed cargo area.
Generally, they are built on a truck chassis and generally they are nice and strong as they are designed for heavy use transportation of goods. Some examples of mini-truck includes Nissan clipper, Suzuki carry and Mazda scrum.
#19. Limousine.
A limousine is a stretched car often used by celebrities and pop stars. It has an elongated base and it could be rebuilt from different types of base car.
Usually they are not built this way from the factory but they are rebuilt later after they leave the factory by specialized companies.
But there are also some luxury car types that are called limousines that are not stretched at all, but they have a slight longer wheelbase than normal ones even if they may look like a normal car for you. Vehicles like Chrysler 300, Hummer, and Mercedes Benz S are usually rebuilt to a limousine.
#20. Truck.
Finally, at the bottom of the list, you have the truck. While it’s not really a type of car, trucks can take many different forms and are still a form of vehicle, so we wanted to put it down.
Most people can probably recognize what a truck is. Essentially, it is a vehicle type that can either be a two-seater or three-seater vehicle, and sometimes has a bed behind the seats.
It is a large vehicle type, there is a great deal of cargo space, and its main purpose is for companies to transport their goods. There are many truck manufacturing companies such as Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Scania, and DAF.
We have provided you with the most common car types that you will see on websites when you are looking to buy or sell a car, but it is important to recognize there are smaller car type categories too, and we present to you ten less recognized car types that are worth a mention.
#21. Hot Hatch.
Hot hatches are much like hatchback cars, which we mentioned earlier in the article. However, a hot hatch is a hatchback that has been altered to improve its performance and is generally a little more “sporty”.
In most cases, this means adding a more powerful engine to the factory standard one, and also upgrading the suspensions and brakes. Hot hatches generally are designed as driving fun and driving enthusiasts seem to gravitate towards them making them popular cars for weekend track days, or simply for spirited driving rides on twisty roads.
#22. Ute.
Utes are popular vehicles in Australia and New Zealand commonly used as work vehicles. Ute is short for coupé utility or utility.
Utes are compact cars that have been modified from a regular car with a cargo bed in the back (instead of standard passenger seats). This makes them perfect for carrying strangely sized objects like timber or building materials.
The difference between a pickup truck and a ute is the chassis. Pickup trucks use pickup truck chassis’, whereas utes are made with regular car chassis’. This is why utes can be considered a little weaker and have much smaller cargo space than a pickup truck.
#23. Pony Car.
The term “pony car” refers to a class of slightly old compact, usually affordable coupe or convertible. The origin of the term is thought to originate from either the Ford Mustang or Plymouth Barracuda that debuted in 1964.
Pony cars have long hoods , short rear decks and are designed to be sporty and stylish, with decent high-performance engines.
The pony car was a very rapid response to customers that wanted small cars that had sporty -stylish and with some luxury.
#24. Military Vehicle.
A military vehicle is defined as a vehicle that is intended for, or modified for, military use. For some common examples, think tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, and the like.
There two types of military vehicles, built factory direct, or modified. It depends on what military vehicle you are talking about. Each type of military vehicle is established based the needs of different militaries, but all have the same goal in mind; that is to provide soldiers with the best equipment possible for protection and efficiency.
#25. Dragster.
A dragster is designed for drag racing, typically a straight-line race from one end of the track straight to another where finishing first is the goal.
To finish first a dragster relies on only two things – speed, and acceleration. Some dragster cars have more than 8,000 horsepower!
While the term dragster can also be used for standard cars that are modified to perform in drag racing, dragster typically refers to a true dragster like the one pictured above.
#26. Grand Tourer.
A grand tourer is typically a high-performance luxury car capable of long-distance driving. The term “grand tourer” or “GT” is sometimes used to mean just a high-performance sports car, however a grand tourer is usually less of a sports car, and more spacious and comfortable.
Most grand tourers have two seats and occasionally have 2+2 seats, and usually have sporting power, and a great suspension to manage curves.
#28. Hot Rod.
A hot rod is all about engine performance, style and attitude. In short, it’s a classic American car that is modified to improve performance. This can have modifications done to the engine, suspension or any other component of the car.
Hot rods are usually old-school cars, which is typically defined as something like a muscle car or even a classic car. Most hot rods take their base of vehicle from same type of cars to obtain that better hot rod look, but really, you can make a hot rod out of just about any old car with the right modifications.
#29. Low Rider.
A low-rider can be pretty much any type of car that is lowered but commonly refers to old American lowered cars using air suspension. This is commonly done by modifying or replacing the suspension, springs, and shock absorbers of the car.
Low-rider cars are often considered a style of car and many are fans of them for the customization and modification aspects of it.
#30. Electric car.
I can’t wait to lease my next car – an electric one! It’s exciting because in a few years, most automobile makers are going to have a lot of electric options. Audi, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes are all rolling out electric cars in the near future.
Tesla is currently the top player in the game but in the next 5 years it will have tougher competition. GM’s Volt is also an exciting option.
While I like Tesla’s designs, it doesn’t compare to how cool the first Porsche electric car looks. Check it out… Mission E. It’s a 4 door and still looks super cool, which I love! I have young kids, so I have to have a 4-door car, no more 2-door cars for me!
Classifications Of Cars
There are different classifications of cars due to many things. Below are some classifications to follow:
1. By Body Style:
Cars are classified based on the style of the body. This group includes convertibles, coupes, hatchbacks, minivans, crossovers, etc.
2. By Segment Car:
Cars are classified according to the parts that your car is made up of. Examples of this group are subcompact cars, green cars, compact cars, muscle cars, luxury cars and so on.
3. By Overall Size:
Cars are classified based on the size of the car. Examples of this group are micro cars, compact cars, mid-size cars, extra-large, and so on.
4. By Fuel:
Cars are classified based on the type of fuel it uses. This group includes diesel cars, electric cars, natural gas cars, hydrogen cars, etc.
5. By Purpose:
There are cars that are classified based on the purpose it provides. Examples of this group are commercial cars, family cars, exotic cars, racing cars, and sports cars.
What is the most popular car type?
The most popular car type in the US is mid-sized sedan. However, there is not a simple answer to this question, as it depends on what region of the world you are looking at. SUVs, Sedans, compacts and trucks are very popular all over the world.
How many types of cars are there?
There are over 25 different types of cars depending on how you want to group them. There are many different ways to categorize car types or models, like by body style (Sedan), size (compact), car segments (Muscle Cars), purpose (Family Cars) and fuel type (Electric vehicle). There are also over 400 car models available in the market today.
What types of cars can pull a trailer?
Any type of car with a hitch can pull a trailer. Some cars come with a hitch installed at the factory and others might allow you to upgrade to one as an add on.
However, if you are looking for a car that can haul a heavy trailer you should look to an SUV or truck.
What vehicle type is the safest?
There is no simple answer to this question. Different types of vehicles are safest under different situations. Though, generally, larger and heavier vehicles are considered safer than others – however – you must still consider the rest of the car’s safety features and safety preferences.
For example, a smaller car would typically be less safe in a collision than a larger car, and an SUV would typically offer more protection in the event of a collision than any other vehicle type.
What type of car is best for learners?
Most learners find it easy to learn in a smaller car that is easy to control and has good visibility. Although most larger cars are typically safer – so it is important for you feel comfortable and safe while learning.
There is so many ways you can divide car types, probably into hundreds different car types depending on how far you want to stretch them. In saying that, the types of cars listed above are the most common types of cars that you will encounter when looking at any car marketplace.
I hope this list should give you a good starting point to figure out which car type you should get. If you’re still unsure after going through this post, feel free to reach out to us in the community and we can help steer you in the right direction!