| Explanation of terms |
| Berlina | Another word for saloon car (F, I) |
| Berlinetta | Small saloon car (F, I) two-seater coupé
|
| Barchetta | Door- and roofless racing car (Ital. small boat) |
| Break | Earlier: a very simple vehicle (1894 Peugeot Type 10), later: (French) estate car |
| Cabrio (-let) | Foldable roof, without a B-pillar, windows can be rolled down (French. cabriole = caper), roll-bar (also retractable) possible. |
| Caravan | Something between a normal car and a van, possibly similar to a camping mobile |
| Convertible | Open-top car with a canvas roof |
| Coupe | Saloon car mostly with a shorter wheelbase and, at least above the rear seats, a more level roof (French - coupé = cut-off) |
| Fastback | Similar to the coupé form with a relatively gently sloping rear-end, which often ends with a spoiler, does not always have a tailgate |
| Hardtop | Solid, detachable roof, for winter use instead of a canvas top |
| Hatchback | Sloping rear-end with a tailgate (US) |
| Homologation | Recognition by the racing sport union |
| Cross-country vehicle | For heavy-duty, with all-wheel drive and mostly a mechanical differential lock, chassis often similar to a truck |
| Kabriolett | German way of spelling Cabriolet |
| Convertible-saloon | Saloon car with a roll-up- or folding roof, with however, a narrow frame above the door-line |
| Landau | A saloon where only the rear section is closed in |
| Landaulet | Originally it was a special carriage, it then became the name for a convertible rear section, used mostly for representation purposes |
| Limousine | Completely closed-in car body, at the most with a sun-roof (lat. limes = limited) |
| Estate car (-saloon) | Hatchback saloon with a tailgate or a one- or two-piece rear door (US - station wagon) |
| MPV | Multi Purpose Vehicle |
| Phaeton | Actually, a four seater convertible |
| Pullmann | Originally was a manufacturer of railway carriages, now it's the name for saloon cars with an extra-long wheelbase (US - stretch limousine) |
| Roadster | Small, narrow, open two-seater, possibly even with detachable side windows, lightweight and not excessively high performance, very simple construction (see picture) |
| Saloon | Sedan (GB) |
| Apron | Body part below the bumper |
| Running board | Lower part of the door-sill from the front -to the rear wheel-arch |
| Sedan | Limousine (US) |
| Softtop | Canvas- synthetic roof for a convertible |
| Spoiler | A plastic part (rarely metal) which diverts (spoil = disturb) the normal air-flow to generate a downforce or to improve the aerodynamics |
| Convertible top-bow | Roof arch for strengthening |
| SUV | Sports Utility Vehicle, high-roof saloon car or, more than likely an estate car with cross-country ability, chassis similar to a normal car, not always with all-wheel drive |
| Targa | Convertible with a (mostly) broad roll-bar and removable solid roof panels |
| Torpedo | Long, open-top vehicle |
| Van | A sort of high-roof estate car with enough room for seven passengers, or as a front-wheel drive, with even more seats |
| Vis-a-vis | The first carriage-like vehicles, in which the passengers sat facing the driver |
