Best 4-Door Hatchbacks | 2023 Ratings

Characteristics of Four-Door Hatchbacks

Since just about any type of car can be equipped with a hatch-like liftgate, there aren’t as many common qualities defining the segment. Nevertheless, these are some of the things you might expect or ideally hope for when perusing your 4-door hatch options:

Design: While the body style may vary between models, each is equipped with a 5th-door liftgate that makes it easy to access the cargo area. The particular design also serves to maximize the available space while ensuring an ideal loading height.
Practicality: There is more interior space in modern four-door hatchbacks because they are not restricted to the old compact design. As such, they are more practical, especially for back-seat passengers. The trunk can also be larger, which is why they are so desirable alongside popular crossovers.
Price: Larger than the classic hatchbacks but smaller than crossover SUVs, these cars are priced somewhere in the middle. This makes them a very affordable way to gain access to a decent amount of passenger and cargo space. Overall gas mileage ranges from mediocre to excellent, but few such cars are truly inefficient, so the overall cost of ownership is reasonable.

What to Consider When Buying a 4-Door Hatch

While the best small 4-door hatchbacks combine the elements from a variety of other cars, but with the good comes the bad. So, to make sure this is the right type of car for you, consider these facts:

Pros

More rear cargo space that is easy to access
Taller bodies usually have more interior space
Costs less to insure
Many get better gas mileage than larger vehicles
Available in almost every configuration, including gas, hybrid, plug-in, or electric

Cons

You lose out on slick sedan and coupe styling
Four-doors lack sporty appeal
Rear visibility can be negatively affected by the design

FAQs

What are hatchback cars?

This style of car comes equipped with a ‘fifth’ door in the form of a liftgate that provides easy access to the cargo area. It usually also has an economical engine and automatic transmission, although manuals are not uncommon.

Are hatchbacks better than sedans?

These vehicles offer a decent amount of interior space but, more importantly, they give better cargo space and access than a sedan thanks to their rear liftgate. Sometimes they sacrifice rear-passenger space, but if you look for a four-door hatch that has a more sedan-like design, you can avoid this.

Can four-door hatchbacks be hot hatchbacks?

Four-doors have been associated with performance driving for ages. Just look at the Golf GTI, a forerunner in the hot hatch race.

Best 4-Door Hatchbacks of 2023