Saloon vs Coupe: What's the Difference?

2 minutes Published: 16/03/2022

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If you're looking for a new car and you fancy something flash, you’ve probably already looked at saloons and coupes. However, you might have struggled to tell the difference between the two car body styles. Saloons are maybe a little bigger and they have four doors, right? Well, unless it’s a big coupe or a really small saloon.

The line between saloon and coupe is razor thin and it blurs whenever a manufacturer fancies marketing a car at a slightly different demographic.

“No, sir. This isn’t a saloon, it’s a four door coupe.”

Eh, if you say so.

In this blog, I’ll take a look at each body style in more detail and try and pick out the differences between the two.

What’s the difference between a saloon and a coupe

To get started, let’s try and hammer out a definition for each body style.

  • Saloon: A saloon is a three-box design, meaning its engine, cabin and boot are all separate internal spaces. A saloon will usually have four doors.
  • Coupe: A coupe is essentially just a two-door version of a saloon.

I appreciate that’s not a massively helpful description. After all, there are cars like the Audi TT Coupe that only exist as coupes so they can’t be the coupe version of a saloon.

But, really, the difference between them are fairly flexible. A coupe is smaller, sportier and has two doors. A saloon is larger, comfier and has four doors.

Unfortunately, that’s about as specific as I can be!

Best saloon cars available in 2021

Over the past few years, saloons have fallen out of favour as motorists move over to bigger body styles like crossovers and SUVs. However, premium manufacturers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes are still making outstanding saloons and they are definitely worth considering.

Saloons still offer an outstanding mix of performance, comfort and style. We've rounded up our best compact saloons, though here are a few of my favourite picks.

Best coupe cars available in 2021

Short of buying a proper sports car, a coupe is the body style to go for if you’re a fan of speed, power and corners. Here’s a bunch of my favourite coupes available in 2018.

Want to know more about body styles?

Whether you're trying to find a perfect new car or you're just hungry for knowledge, we've written a few posts to help. Read our hatchback vs saloon, crossover vs suv, and city car vs hatchback vs supermini posts for more information!

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