"Car" in Spanish

Quick Answer

Car in Spanish can be translated as el carro, el coche, el auto, or el automóvilwhen referring to an automobile, or el vagónwhen referring to a train car. But that’s not all! Keep reading to find out more about how to say car in Spanish!

Whether you’re a true aficionado del motor(motor enthusiast) or you’re simply looking for how to say car in Spanish, this article has something for you! Buckle up and come along for the ride—it’s time to get this article into gear. car

Car in Spanish: Automobiles

There are a few different ways to translate the word car into Spanish. In many parts of Latin America, one of the most common terms you’ll find as a generic word for car is el carro. Other ways to say car in Spanish include el auto, el automóvil, and el coche.

Did you know that the words carro and coche are versatile and often change meaning depending on the context? Let’s take a look at some of the other translations for these words:

Carro Can Be…	Coche Can Be…
car	car
shopping cart	stroller
horse cart	horse carriage
train car	train car
tank
typewriter carriage
cartload (figurative; a lot)

Thinking about taking a road trip? Brush up on your travel-related vocabulary here.

Car in Spanish: Types of Cars

If you want to speak Spanish like a pro, don’t just limit yourself to carro and coche. To describe a vehicle properly, you’ll need more concrete vocabulary. Here are a few other ways to refer to vehicles in Spanish:
minivan

Spanish	English
la camioneta, la furgoneta	pickup truck
la camioneta, la ranchera, la rural	station wagon
la camioneta, la furgoneta, la vagoneta	van
el carro deportivo, el coche deportivo, el auto deportivo	sports car
el carro eléctrico, el coche eléctrico, el auto eléctrico	electric car
el convertible, el descapotable	convertible
el cupé	coupe
la/el miniván	minivan
el sedán	sedan
el SUV	SUV

If you really want to get specific when talking about cars in Spanish, here’s some vocabulary that you can use to talk about different types of fuel. If a term is region-specific, we’ve included the region in parenthesis after the word.

Spanish	English
el diésel, el gasoil, el gasóleo	diesel
la electricidad	electricity
la gasolina, la nafta(River Plate), la bencina(Chile)	gas
la pila de combustible	fuel cell

Speaking of climate-friendly vehicles, learn how to describe the climate with this article!

Let's check out how we can use these words in context:

Sergio:

¡Hola, Ángela! Tú sabes mucho de carros, ¿no? Necesito comprar un carro nuevo.

Hi, Angela! You know a lot about cars, don’t you? I need to buy a new car.

Ángela:

Bueno, sí, un poco. ¿Qué tipo de carro quieres? ¿Un descapotable?

Well, yeah, a little. What type of car do you want? A convertible?

Sergio:

¡Ja! Ya me gustaría. Lo que pasa es que mi mujer está embarazada de gemelos. Necesitamos una miniván.

Ha! I wish. The thing is, my wife is pregnant with twins. We need a minivan.

Ángela:

¡Enhorabuena! Pues sí, necesitas un carro más grande. ¿Qué prefieres: un carro de gasoil, de gasolina o eléctrico?

Congratulations! Well, yeah, you need a bigger car. What do you prefer: a diesel, gas, or electric car?

Sergio:

Nos apetece comprar un carro eléctrico. Han subido mucho los precios de los combustibles. Además, tenemos placas solares en casa ya. También nos preocupa mucho el cambio climático.

We’d like to buy an electric car. The price of fuel has gone up a lot. Also, we already have solar panels on our house. We’re also really concerned about climate change.

Ángela:

Me parece una buena idea. ¿Quieres que te ayude? Mis padres tienen un carro eléctrico.

That sounds like a good idea. Would you like me to help you? My parents have an electric car.

Car in Spanish: Trains

When you want to talk about a train car or railway coach in Spanish, use el coche or el vagón. If you’re talking about a streetcar or tram, use el tranvía.

examples
Voy al coche comedor a por un café y un sándwich. I’m going to the dining car for a coffee and a sandwich.
A mi hijo le gusta mucho viajar en el tranvía de Bilbao. Es verde y se parece a una oruga. My son really likes to take the tram in Bilbao. It’s green, and it looks like a caterpillar.