Front vs Mid vs Rear-Engine Cars Compared — Pros and Cons Explained

Published on 22 Dec, 2021, 9:47 AM IST

Updated on 29 May, 2025, 9:54 AM IST

Team Ackodrive

10 min read

Interesting Articles

Generally, if you need to look at the engine of your car, you open the bonnet in the front. But did you know that there are cars with engines at the rear or middle of the vehicle? Yes, we are talking about mid and rear-engine cars. Car manufacturers use various engine placement configurations to get the maximum performance out of the car. In this article, we throw light on one of the most interesting topics in the automotive world, which is front vs mid vs rear-engine cars.

Contents

Why Does Engine Placement Matter in a Car?

The engine placement is not just about finding the right location to mount the engine. There’s much more significance to the location of the engine in a car. Whether it’s a front, mid or rear, each configuration affects the key aspects of a car. Here are the key aspects of a car that are influenced by the placement of the engine.

Interior space (rear passengers)
Traction
Steering dynamics
Acceleration
Braking performance
Weight distribution
Serviceability
Boot space

If you are wondering how exactly these parameters are affected by the engine's location in a car, we will cover all these things in the following sections of this article.

Front, Mid and Rear-Engine Cars

The names are self-explanatory; they describe the location of the engine in a car. Refer to the points below for a better understanding of these terms.

A front-engine vehicle has an engine at the front of the car (in front of the driver).
In mid-engine cars, the placement shifts to the rear of the driver or, say, behind the front seats.
Similarly, in a rear-engine car, the engine moves further away from the front, that is, behind the rear passenger seats.

Front vs Mid vs Rear-Engine Cars: Comparison Table

If you're still not sure which engine configuration is for you, this table provides you with a brief side-by-side comparison. It points out the main differences in performance, room, and maintenance between front, mid, and rear-engine vehicles. This will assist you in knowing which type is practical for daily driving and which is designed solely for performance.

Feature	Front-Engine	Mid-Engine	Rear-Engine
Interior Space	Excellent	Poor (no rear seats)	Moderate
Boot Space	Good (rear boot)	Usually split (small front)	Poor
Handling	Average	Excellent	Good
Traction	Front-wheel (moderate)	Balanced (best)	High (rear-wheel)
Maintenance Cost	Low	High	High
Used in Cars Like	Hatchbacks, SUVs, Sedans	Sports cars	Porsche 911, Tata

The following sections will give you a detailed picture of each type of engine placement.

Front-Engine Cars

It is one of the most common configurations in the world of cars. It is a configuration where the engine is at the front of the driver. To be precise, the engine is mounted above the front axle. You can find this arrangement in almost all commuter passenger cars. Some of the highlights of front-engine cars are affordability, comfort, practicality and ease of maintenance.

List of Front-Engine Cars in India

Almost all the passenger cars in India, hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) and MPVs (Multi-Purpose Vehicles), are front-engine vehicles. So, you can assume that all the mass-market cars in the country have the front-engine layout.

Advantages of Front-Engine Cars

Here are some of the pros of the front-engine arrangement in cars.

The front-engine vehicles are easy to drive. Since the engine's weight is on the front wheels, there's no chance of understeer. It can only oversteer, which is easy to manage.
The layout offers ample space for passengers. It also results in enhanced boot space.
Generally, front-engine cars are front-wheel drive vehicles. So, it eliminates complex mechanical parts. The overall arrangement is compact and also cost-effective.
The cooling system also works efficiently in a car with a front-engine. When the vehicle moves forward, the air helps with efficient engine cooling.
Lastly, the engine is easily accessible, providing easy service and maintenance.

Disadvantages of Front-Engine Cars

Below are some of the cons of cars with front-engine configuration.

Front-engine cars have a high centre of gravity due to the poor weight distribution.
They do not offer superior high-speed handling.
High body roll due to the high centre of gravity.

Mid-Engine Cars

It is an arrangement in which the engine is behind the driver’s seat. Now, you may be wondering what happens to the rear passenger seats. This arrangement is used in sports cars with only front seats. Hence, the engine is between the rear axle and the driver. Some of the main highlights of mid engine cars are uniform weight distribution and impressive handling.

List of Mid-Engine Cars in India

Here’s the list of cars with a mid-engine arrangement.

Audi R8
BMW i8
Ferrari 488 GTB
Ferrari F8 Tributo
Lamborghini Aventador
Lamborghini Huracan Evo
Porsche 718 Boxster Cayman

Advantages of Mid-Engine Cars

Here are the pros of mid-engine cars.

The cars deliver superior handling due to the balanced weight distribution.
A mid-engine car has equal weight distribution, resulting in a low centre of gravity. Hence, the high-speed handling is excellent.
The cars have enhanced traction and braking performance due to the balanced weight distribution.

Disadvantages of Mid-Engine Cars

Below are the cons of mid-engine cars.

There's no room for rear passenger seats.
The mid-engine arrangement is complex and expensive.
Maintenance costs are high due to complex repair work.
The engine is behind the driver. Hence, there's no engine to absorb the frontal impact in case of an accident.

Rear-Engine Cars

The rear engine cars are mounted above the rear axle or wheels in this type of arrangement. Generally, rear-engine vehicles have a rear-wheel-drive system. This configuration is commonly seen in performance sports cars. Some of the highlights of rear-engine cars are better initial acceleration, superior handling and high-speed stability.

List of Rear-Engine Cars in India

Rear-engine cars are rare in India. Currently, Porsche offers rear-engine cars on the market. The Tata Nano also used the same layout, but it is no longer in production.

Advantages of Rear-Engine Cars

Here are some of the pros of cars with rear-engine cars.

They offer excellent handling due to good traction.
Since the engine's weight is on the rear wheels, the traction is high. Hence, the initial acceleration is also better (for rear-wheel-drive cars).
The power delivery and steering are split between the rear and front wheels. Hence, they do not undergo high loads as in a front-engine car.

Disadvantages of Rear-Engine Cars

Below are some of the cons of rear-engine cars.

Rear-engine cars are prone to oversteer as the rear wheels get all the power.
Like mid-engine cars, the rear-engine arrangement is complex, and costs are high.
A complex engine cooling system since the engine is in the back of the car.
The maintenance and repairs are expensive.
The engine eats up the boot space at the rear.
The danger of a heavy frontal impact is high in case of an accident due to the absence of an engine at the front.

Also, read: CNG or petrol car, which is better

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most common question and their answer related to Front vs Mid vs Rear Engine

Are front-engine cars better than rear-engine cars?

From a consumer perspective, front-engine cars are always better as they are easy to drive, practical, and easy to maintain. However, front-engine cars are no match for rear-engine vehicles when it comes to performance.

What is the advantage of having the engine at the car's rear?

Generally, the rear-engine arrangement is ideal for getting the best performance out of the car. And fittingly, you can see this type of configuration in performance cars. Having the engine at the rear improves acceleration and high-speed stability.

Do mid-engine cars have rear passenger seats?

There's no room for rear passenger seats in a mid-engine vehicle. Hence, most mid-engine cars have only two doors.

Are mid-engine cars viable for Indian roads?

Mid-engine vehicles are primarily meant for high-performance driving, and not for use in the city on a daily basis. Because of low ground clearance and high maintenance costs, they are not suited for bumpy or uneven Indian roads.

Are rear-engine vehicles better handling in rainy or slippery weather?

Rear-engine vehicles tend to have improved traction since the engine's weight rests on the rear wheels. This improves conditions in slippery situations. They may be more difficult to handle if the back end skids, though, so caution is still required.

Which engine location is safest during a crash?

Front-engine vehicles tend to be safer in a frontal collision as the engine takes some of the impact. Mid and rear-engine vehicles have less protection at the front end and thus are marginally more dangerous in head-on crashes.

Can a mid or rear-engine configuration make a vehicle more fuel efficient?

Not really. Engine location primarily impacts performance and handling. Fuel efficiency is more a function of engine size, weight, aerodynamics, and driving style than of engine placement.

Which Car Engine is Best in India?

To answer this question in one line, front-engine cars are best for mass-market buyers. They are affordable, practical and easy to maintain. That’s the reason why almost all commuter passenger cars come with a front-engine configuration.

Mid and rear-engine configurations are best when it comes to pure performance. Here, practicality and affordability take the back seat. Hence, the mid and rear-engine cars are expensive, but they deliver excellent performance. These configurations are only used in high-performance sports cars.

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