Cars - Car body style

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	Cars - Car body style

Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production, while others are of historical interest only. These styles are largely (though not completely) independent of a car's classification in terms of price, size and intended broad market; the same car model might be available in multiple body styles.

Plese note that while each body style has a historical and technical definition, in common usage such definitions are often blurred. Over time, the common usage of each term evolves. For example, people often call 4-passenger sport coupes a 'sports car', while purists will insist that a sports car by definition is limited to two-place vehicles.

Styles in current use

;Cabrio coach or Semi-convertible : Style of automobile roof. A car that has a retractable textile cover for what amounts to a large sunroof. Used on several older cars such as Citroën 2CV and Fuldamobil. ;Cabriolet : Another term for a convertible, rarely used in North America. ;Convertible : Style of automobile roof. A body style with a removable or retractable roof and rear window. The convertible has roll-up side windows as contrasted with the roadster, which does not. ;Coupé (UK/EU) or coupe (US) : A 2-door, 2- or 4-seat car with a fixed roof. Its doors are longer than those of a sedan, and the rear passenger area smaller. In cases where the rear seats are very small and not intended for regular use it is called a 2+2. ;Coupé convertible : A type of convertible with a rigid roof (as opposed to a fabric or vinyl roof) that retracts into the lower bodywork.

;Coupe Utility (ute): the Coupe Utility is a passenger-car derived light truck with coupe passenger cabin lines and an integral cargo bed. See Coupe Utility for more details.

;Crossover SUV
(or XUV) : A type of Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)which is based on a car platform rather than truck chassis. This also refers to a vehicle which is marketed as neither an SUV, a minivan nor a wagon, but combines design elements of those types. ;Estate car : A British English term for what North Americans call a station wagon. ;Fastback : A style of coupe in which the back slopes at a smooth angle from behind the front seats all the way to the tail. ;Hardtop : A style of automobile roof. Originally referred to a removable solid roof on a convertible; later, also a fixed-roof car whose doors have no fixed window frames, which is designed to resemble such a convertible. A pillarless hardtop (the most common kind) is completely open on the sides with the windows down. ;Hatchback : Identified by a rear door including the back window that opens vertically to access a storage area not separated from the rest of the passenger compartment. May be 2 or 4 door and 2 or 4 seat, but generally called in British English 3 door, 5 door. ;Liftback : A style of coupe with a hatchback; this name is generally used when the opening area is very sloped (and is thus lifted up to open). ;Limousine
: By definition, a chauffeur-driven car with a (normally glass-windowed) division between the front seats and the rear. In German, the term simply means a sedan. ;Minivan : A boxy wagon-type of car usually containing three or four rows of seats, with a capacity of six or more passengers. Often with extra luggage space also. As opposed to the larger van, the minivan was developed primarily as a passenger vehicle, though is more van-like than a station wagon. In Britain, these are generally referred to as People carriers. ;MPV : Multi-purpose vehicle, a large car or small bus designed to be used on and off-road and easily convertible to facilitate loading of goods from facilitating carrying people. ;Notchback: A cross between the smooth fastback and angled sedan look. It is a sedan type with a separate trunk compartment. ;Pickup truck
aka pick-up : Small or medium sized truck. Not based on a passenger car, but of similar size. This light commercial vehicle features a separate cabin and rear load area (separate cargo bed). ;Ragtop: An open car like a Roadster, but with a a soft top (cloth top) that can be raised or lowered. Unlike a convertible, it has no roll-up side windows. ;Roadster : Originally a two-seat open car with minimal weather protection — no top was provided, neither any side glass. In some cases an optional hard or soft top might be offered, along with side curtains, but there was no side glass. In modern usage, the term is often used mean simply a convertible two-seat sports car, similarly to spyder. ;Saloon : The British English term for a sedan. ;Sedan : A car seating four or more with a fixed roof that is full-height up to the rear window. Normally a 4 door; 2 door is rarer in the US but they do occur (more so historically). This is the most common body style. In the U.S., this term has been used to denote a car with fixed window frames, as opposed to the hardtop style where the sash, if any, winds down with the glass. As hardtops have become rarer, this distinction is no longer so important. ;Sport utility vehicle
(SUV) : Derivative of off-road or four-wheel drive vehicles but with car-like levels of interior comfort and drivability. Also sometimes called a "soft-roader". ;Spyder (or Spider) : Similar to a roadster but originally with even less weather protection. Nowadays means simply a convertible sports car. ;Shooting brake : A two-door estate car/station wagon in (somewhat antiquated) British usage. Often based on a higher-end luxury coupés, they were vehicles for the well-off shooter and hunter, giving space to carry shotguns and other equipment and are usually made to order by coachbuilders.

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