Used coupe cars for sale

You can’t really determine how fast a car will be simply from its body style. However, as a generalised guide, coupes tend to be slightly lighter and more aerodynamic than an equivalent saloon model so, in many cases, can be faster than their four-door siblings. This effect is even more exaggerated when comparing coupes to SUVs.

Plus, most carmakers tend to sell coupes with the more powerful engine options in a vehicle lineup, meaning coupes are often equipped with more horsepower as standard compared with similar saloon models.

As with musical genres, vehicle categories can be a little fuzzy at times, with plenty of crossover between different types. However, when we refer to a model as a coupe, we’re usually talking about a hard-top vehicle to deliberately distinguish it from something like a convertible, which explicitly includes a folding roof – for example, to mark out the Mercedes C-Class Coupe from the C-Class Convertible.

The definition of a ‘sports car’ is even more contentious. Some hard-line enthusiasts insist it only applies to two-seater convertibles, while others expand the category to include some models that could also be counted as coupes.

Insurance costs are subject to a wide variety of influences beyond simply the type of vehicle you’re taking a policy out on. However, coupes tend to be more expensive, more powerful and slightly rarer than equivalent saloon or estate alternatives. These factors will usually conspire to push up insurance costs for coupes compared to other equivalent categories, so it’s worth weighing up what a coupe might do to your insurance premium.

We’d love to tell you to follow your heart and treat yourself to that new two-door Mercedes immediately after passing your test but, for most first-time car buyers, it’d probably be a very bad idea.

As mentioned above, coupes can often cost more to insure than other vehicle types, and insurance costs can be eye-wateringly high for new and young drivers. This combination means coupes are likely beyond the budget of most new drivers, so we’d suggest driving a cheaper hatchback around for a few years until you build up some no-claims bonus, and then treating yourself to a coupe when the insurance costs are a little more affordable.

You’ve probably seen how popular SUVs have become in recent years and, with carmakers constantly hunting for new vehicle niches to capitalise on, this has led to the development of SUV coupes. These blend the taller ride height and spacious cabins common to SUV models with the kind of swooping sporty roofline you’d expect to find on a traditional coupe.

Dyed-in-the-wool petrolheads don’t look too kindly on these models – they tend to be quite large with brash styling details, and are inevitably heavier and, thus, slower than the saloons and coupes they borrow parts from. However, they’re undeniably popular with buyers looking to blend SUV practicality with handsome coupe-like looks, so they’re not going anywhere any time soon.