Hatchbacks in America?

I've been to America a few times in the last few years, and one thing I notice, being from the UK, is that in America, the common hatchback seems to be a very rare thing. Why is this?
In the UK, people who drive hatchbacks are mostly young people who've just started driving or have only been for a few years, as they are good with fuel, compact and easy to drive.
What do young, new drivers in America drive?

 

I haven't seen many people owning a hatchback around here but I know a couple of friend owning a Honda Fit, and a Nisssan cube. It seems very trendy for young college students and just seem very interesting as their prices are quite relatively cheap compared to most car types. However, I still do prefer my BMW over Mini.

 

I guess it could be to do with the fashion but with any car over here the insurance is sky high its ridiculous.

 

The hatchbacks themselves are pretty cheap to buy but with most people the insurance is ridiculously high on any thing you want to insure, that is usually the problem.

 

And I would be his brother in law LOL.

The reason why hatchbacks are so popular in the UK is mostly because of the smaller streets, but that's not all. Parking structures and home garage sizes in the UK tend to be smaller than that of North America. I think it is for these reasons that smaller cars such as hatchbacks are more popular in the UK. Also, when you think about it, hatchbacks for the most part give you more room for storage than a regular sized sedan would - I know for a fact because I owned one - that is another reason why they are so popular in the UK because they are a smaller car with more storage space in the boot. For example, you may not get as much storage in the trunk of a mini-cooper as you would with a vehicle with a hatchback. Also, petrol consumption is another reason why hatchbacks are more popular in the UK due to the fact that the cost of petrol is so high. If you think about it, a vehicle with a smaller cubic capacity for engine size is more likely to burn less fuel than a vehicle (such as a sedan) with higher cubic capacity.

The rates for young drivers in the UK don't really work the same as here in Canada. Here in Canada, based on your age your premium tends to be lower, but that's because we don't have a high "uninsured" rate of drivers in Canada. In the UK, they have a program called No Claims Bonus which travels with them from insurer to insurer and they accumulate for each year you are accident free. Its sort of like a "good drivers" bonus here in North America, only in the UK its mandatory that every insurance providor provides it and you can carry it from provider to provider (USA and Canada should adopt this theory). New drivers in the UK don't normally see a dip in their premiums until after they have at least earned one year of no claims bonus with their insurance provider, but that can be different from provider to provider in the UK because its possible some providers give lower premiums to newer drivers because of the competition. If your wondering why insurance is so high for new or young drivers, these are the reasons, its all because of risk and statistics:

1. one in five drivers has an accident in the first year of driving
2. 26 per cent of road accidents involve at least one young car driver aged 17 to 24
3. 79 teenage drivers were killed on the roads in 2009, another 770 were seriously injured and 9,500 slightly injured
4. a higher proportion of young driver accidents occur on Friday and Saturday nights
5. 57% of reported accidents involving young car drivers occur in urban areas*

 

I will also add, from my experience, most young drivers see the biggest part of the dip in their premium once they hit the age of 25 because they will have accumulated 8 years of NCB if they are accident free, and are out of the #2 area above - they are no longer part of that statistic.

 

They are becoming more popular now that people are getting away from driving cars and trucks with huge engines. Hatchbacks give you a little bit more room to move cargo without sacrificing the gas mileage. I want to get the Ford Focus hatchback myself.

 

Hatchbacks are getting a quite large amount of popularity nowadays, I think it's due to the high rising average gas prices, so many people are buying new hatchbacks or used to travel in a more alternative way. I'm still gonna stick with my car, no matter what unless I find a Mini Cooper S for sale around here.

 

Yeah. It's frustrating, because I love my Dodge Avenger.....but to put that on a full tank costs me around $74.00 (which still really isn't that bad compared to a SUV or a van). I have often thought about purchasing a mini cooper or a Smart car down the road....but I also hope to have a kid(s) by then and that wouldn't make sense.

 

I can go to Sussex NB and back. 600km's. So I get pretty good gas mileage on the highway. For city driving, it lasts a little over a week.....maybe about 8 days?

 

I hate the look of the hatchback. Come to think of it, I have seen less and less of them on the road. Good riddance I say! I would say we do not see them around too much because they are not a popular choice in a vehicle body perhaps.

 

Thank you Jame I am looking forward to reading and sharing a lot here.