A coupé is traditionally a car with two doors and a fixed roof which slopes down at the back. Today the term has expanded to include four-door cars that have a sloping coupé roof. Even some SUVs now have a coupé-style roof to add an element of sportiness.

A coupé is traditionally a car with two doors and a fixed roof which slopes down at the back.

Coupé car

A crossover car is one that combines the design features from two (or even more) traditional types of car. A crossover tends to involve some element of an SUV. Often described as a mid-size or small SUV, it might look like a 4x4 car, but take up the same amount of room on the road as a family hatchback and not have four-wheel drive. Alternatively, it might be an estate car that has had its body raised so it can go off-road. 

A crossover car is one that combines the design features from two (or even more) traditional types of car and often involves some element of an SUV.

Crossover car

A grand tourer (known as a GT, for short) is a high-performance car, but is more practical than an out-and-out sports car, because it can cover longer distances, and often has four seats and a larger boot (for carrying enough luggage for a longer trip).

A grand tourer. or GT, is a high-performance car that is more practical than an out-and-out sports car, because it can cover longer distances and often has four seats and a larger boot.

Grand Tourer

An estate car has an extended boot area behind the rear seats. A large boot-lid at the back of the car is usually hinged at the top and opens up in the same way as a hatchback car. Most estate cars also have rear seats that fold down, creating an even larger load area for all your gear as well as a mucky Labrador or two.

An estate car has an extended boot area behind the rear seats with a boot-lid at the back of the car that opens in the same way as a hatchback car.

Estate car

SUV stands for sport utility vehicle, a type of car that was originally a rugged machine, fitted with four-wheel drive and built for use off-road.  However, a growing trend for this type of vehicle – which is often thought to be safer, as the passenger compartment sits higher off the ground, giving the driver a better view of the road – means that SUVs are now available in a variety of sizes. And, as many of them are not required to go off-road, they tend not to be fitted with four-wheel drive.

Sport utility vehicle - or SUV - a type of car fitted with four-wheel drive, which was built for use off-road.

Sports Utility Vehicle

A city car is a small, compact vehicle designed for efficient urban driving.

They're usually small, which makes it easy to drive down tight streets, and they make light work of parking in tight spaces.

They usually offer lower fuel consumption and are ideal for short-distance commutes and crowded city environments.

City car

What is a city car?

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