Hatchbacks

There are various sizes of hatchbacks ranging from tiny city cars like the Chevrolet Spark and the Fiat 500 to subcompacts like the Honda Fit and the Ford Fiesta to compacts like the Toyota Corolla Hatchback and the Volkswagen Golf.

Because of their space-efficient design, hatchbacks are common platforms for hybrids and electric cars. Just a few examples of hybrid and EV hatchbacks are the Toyota Prius and the Prius Prime, the Chevrolet Bolt, the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf, the Hyundai Ioniq, the Honda Clarity and more. That means some of the greenest and most efficient cars you can buy are compact hatchbacks.

Pros and Cons

Pros: Hatchbacks are often very affordable. Since most hatchbacks are small, entry-level cars, a lot of them have starting prices under the $20,000 mark. That said, you might be surprised by how many luxury and technology features can fit into a small, affordable hatch making them strong values.

Like we mentioned earlier, some of the most environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient cars on the market are hatchbacks. If low fuel costs and low emissions are a big deal to you, you'll be interested in super-efficient hybrid hatchbacks like the Toyota Prius and all-electric hatchbacks like the Nissan Leaf.

Hatchbacks have a similar space advantage as SUVs and vans. The 2-box shape of a hatchback makes it space efficient allowing for generous space for passengers and cargo while having a small footprint. This makes small hatchbacks good choices for urban commuters and anyone who doesn't have a lot of parking space.

Cons: The affordability of hatchbacks is one of their biggest pros, but it also means that some of them are a little lacking in modern features and technology. Even simple things that a lot of drivers take for granted, like power windows and cruise control might not be available at the base level of some entry-level hatchbacks.

Performance for hatchbacks is a bit of a mixed bag. You can get thrilling high-performance hatchbacks like the Ford Focus RS and the Honda Civic Type R, but lower-end hatchbacks sometimes leave a bit to be desired in terms of performance like the Smart for two and the Mitsubishi Mirage.