3 Door Hot Hatches Are Going Extinct, Here’s Why

Do you love the idea of cruising around in a 3-door hot hatch? Perhaps a better question is when was the last time that you saw one on the market that people were rushing to buy. The fact is that these vehicles are no longer fashionable, exciting or even recommended. Like other cars of the past, they are quickly becoming extinct. You might be old enough to remember when there were a fair few three wheel cars on the roads. Today, that’s not the case of course and soon it will be the same for the 3-Door Hatch. Why is this?

No Target Buyer

Hot Hatch

Who’s going to buy the 3-Door hot hatch? You might think that this is going to be a great choice for young families who want a cheap and cheerful car that’s still big enough for the kids in the back. While some hatches provided ample space, moving the seat back and forth made them a nuisance. As well as this, as the kids grew up, there just wasn’t enough leg room in the back seats. Instead, families, these days will opt for the four-door vehicle, even if it costs a little more.

Students were another popular target buyer for the 3-Door Hatch. But carpooling has become popular with students, and no one wants the vehicle that squashes everyone’s legs as the seats slide back. So, if you do see students cruising in a 3-Door, you can bet the vehicle has not been bought new.

Low Supplies To Match Low Demand

Hot Hatch

Look at the car market today, and you’ll find that vehicle manufacturers are focusing on cars with four or more doors. Unless you’re purchasing a two-seat sports car, you can bet that the vehicle will have rear doors. Why is this? Well, first we are having more kids on average, and this means that parents need more seats. It’s natural then for car manufacturers to rise up and meet this challenge, providing more room, more space and more comfort in the back. This never used to be a priority but it is now.

Better Options

Hot Hatch

As well as this, there are just better possibilities on the market for similar or even cheaper prices. The new Ford Fiesta, for instance, provides 4 large doors with plenty of room for both kids and adults to hop inside. This is a far stretch from the original compact fiesta that could barely squeeze in three adults. But while the Fiesta has grown in size over the years, the price has actually stayed the same. This means there’s no reason to opt for the smaller model in hopes of saving money.

Practical Trumping Style

Finally, it seems that buyers are starting to lean more towards practical options rather than buying a vehicle that looks more stylish. With large sweeping doors, two-door hot hatches often looked stunning, but logically a four-door car will always provide the better option at the same budget beating price.

As you can see then, there are various reasons why the 3 doors hot hatch will soon no longer have a presence on our roads.