Exotic Cars & Supercars... What's The Difference?

Exotic Cars & Supercars... What's The Difference?

Posted on November 5, 2021

At the highest end of the luxury cars market, it's common to see individual vehicles labelled as exotic cars, supercars, or even hypercars. And while it's clear that these descriptions mark the vehicles out as something very special, the three terms aren't necessarily interchangeable. Each one tends to reflect different characteristics, and when premium price tags are involved it's important to know the differences.

What Are Exotic Cars?

Some people use the term 'exotic car' to refer to anything with a huge engine output, an eye-watering price, or a limited production run compared to similar models. However, a closer definition is that an exotic car is one that's not often seen for whatever reason, and offers features that really stand out from the crowd.

For example, an exotic car doesn't necessarily need to have huge engine horsepower - although they often do - but could be a vintage model that's hard to obtain nowadays. Equally, it could be a high-powered version of a mainstream vehicle, built in limited numbers, and attracting higher prices on the used car market. But either way, an exotic car is one that will definitely catch the eye of anyone with an interest in high-end vehicles, and will make a purchase to treasure.

Supercars

A supercar is one that operates at the very highest range of the auto market, whether that's in terms of performance, design,or price tag. They also often offer the latest and greatest in features, from cutting edge engineering to luxurious interiors.

How can you decide if a particular car is a supercar? In essence, the price tag is usually the biggest clue. Two cars might be comparable in performance, both with mammoth engine outputs and searing acceleration, but if one costs $80,000 and the other $800,000, it's clear which one is more likely to take the supercar description.

But in general, if a car is leagues ahead of the competition in terms of performance, luxury, design, or technology, and is available only to a very few, then it can fairly be described as a supercar.

Hypercars

But if a supercar isn't exclusive and impressive enough, the relatively new category of hypercar pushes the boundaries to new extents of desirability. A true hypercar takes the best of the supercar feature set and adds even more, whether that's pushing up performance to incredible levels, adding luxury that's unmatched elsewhere, or developing new engineering that's a leap beyond the norm.

Hypercars are truly rare, possibly covering only the top 1% of the supercar bracket, and what's described as a hypercar now could well be downgraded to the supercar bracket as technology advances and standards improve across the whole market.

Explore the Finest Luxury Cars in Toronto

Whatever your taste in luxury vehicles, you'll find a perfect model at our Toronto dealership. From exotic cars that stand alone in style to supercars that tear up the track, our inventory covers the whole range of premium vehicles at unbeatable prices. Call us now to book a test drive of any model, and see where your next high-end car could take you.