Suicide, scissor, butterfly, gullwing or just plain regular — a tour through every car door type ever offered, where they came from and what they're like to live with.
1. Conventional / hinged doors
The default: hinged at the front, opening outward. Simple, cheap to build and cheap to repair, which is why 95% of cars have them. They do need parking space to open.
2. Suicide doors (rear-hinged)
Hinged at the back instead of the front, so they open away from the driver. Pretty on 1930s coupés, convenient for climbing out of the back of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Called ‘suicide doors’ because a loose latch opens the door at speed — modern versions are heavily reinforced.
3. Scissor / Lambo doors
Hinged at the front and swinging straight up. Lamborghini has used them on its V12 flagships since the Countach (1974). Dramatic, impractical in low-ceiling garages, popular as an aftermarket mod.
4. Butterfly doors
Similar to scissor but hinged along both the roof and the A-pillar, so they lift up and out. Easier to get in and out of than scissor doors. Think McLaren, Ferrari Enzo, BMW i8.
5. Gullwing doors
Hinged along the roof, opening upward like a bird’s wings. Mercedes 300 SL (1954) invented the look; Tesla Model X revived it with powered falcon-wing versions that fold in half.
6. Sliding doors
A minivan staple — track-mounted, parallel-sliding doors that need no clearance to open. Great in tight parking lots and perfect for parents loading kids.
7. Canopy doors
The whole roof lifts up as one piece. Rare: Saab Aero-X concept, Jaguar C-X75 concept, some kit cars. Spectacular but impractical.
8. Swan doors
Aston Martin’s specialty. Conventional in principle but hinged at a slight upward angle so they clear kerbs. Elegant and subtle.
9. Coach doors (modern suicide)
The modern reinterpretation of suicide doors — paired front-conventional + rear-suicide with no B-pillar between them. Rolls-Royce Phantom, BMW i7, Mazda RX-8.
10. Dihedral synchrohelix doors
Koenigsegg’s signature. The door swings outward and rotates 90° on a complex arm. Astonishing to watch, infamous to maintain.
Which type is right for you
For 99% of buyers the answer is conventional — reliable, serviceable and cheap. If you have small children, sliding doors on a minivan outperform every other type for daily life. The rest are jewellery.
Final thoughts
Research moves on, prices change, new models and options launch every month. The right pick for you is the one that fits your constraints — budget, use case, climate, time commitment — not the one that scores highest on paper. We update this article at least every six months. If something here is out of date, email [email protected] and we will fix it quickly.
Keep reading
- Different Types of Car Doors Explained (With Pictures and Pros/Cons)
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