Curious about how to name various vehicles in French? Whether you’re planning a trip, describing your daily commute, or just building up your vocabulary, knowing the right words for cars, boats, planes, and everything in between will make your French sound much more natural.
This comprehensive list covers more than 75 vehicles and modes of transportation, from everyday words like une voiture (a car) and un vélo (a bike) to more specific terms like un tractopelle (a backhoe loader) or une montgolfière (a hot air balloon). Each word includes its gender, so you’ll always know whether to use un or une.
To make learning easier, the vocabulary below is organized into clear categories — cars, public transit, motorcycles and bikes, boats, farm and construction vehicles, aircraft, and recreational gear — with example sentences and pictures throughout. Dive into the list below to start enhancing your French vocabulary today!
n.m stands for masculine word and n.f. for feminine word
Jump to a category:
- 🚗 Cars & Road Vehicles
- 🚆 Trains & Public Transit
- 🏍️ Motorcycles, Bikes & Personal Transport
- ⛵ Boats & Watercraft
- 🚜 Farm, Construction & Military Vehicles
- ✈️ Aircraft & Aviation
- ⛷️ Winter Sports & Recreational Gear
🚗 Cars & Road Vehicles
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une voiture (n.f.) | a car |
| une voiture de sport (n.f.) | a sports car |
| un pick-up (n.m.) | a pickup truck |
| une voiture de police (n.f.) | a police car |
| un taxi (n.m.) | a taxi |
| une jeep (n.f.) | a jeep |
| une ambulance (n.f.) | an ambulance |
| un camion de pompiers (n.m.) | a fire truck |
| un camion (n.m.) | a truck/lorry |
| un camion poubelle (n.m.) | a garbage truck |
| un camion-citerne (n.m.) | a tank truck |
| un camion toupie (n.m.) | a cement mixer |
| une camionnette (n.f.) | a delivery van |
| une fourgonnette (n.f.) | a delivery van |
| un camping-car (n.m.) | a motorhome/RV |
| une caravane (n.f.) | a caravan/trailer |
| un fourgon blindé (n.m.) | an armoured van |
🚆 Trains & Public Transit
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un bus (n.m.) | a bus |
| un car (n.m.) | a coach/bus |
| un tram (n.m.) | a tram/streetcar |
| un métro (n.m.) | a subway |
| un train (n.m.) | a train |
| un téléphérique (n.m.) | a cable car |
🏍️ Motorcycles, Bikes & Personal Transport
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une moto (n.f.) | a motorbike |
| un scooter (n.m.) | a scooter/motorcycle |
| une mobylette (n.f.) | a moped/motorcycle |
| un quad (n.m.) | an ATV |
| un side-car (n.m.) | a sidecar |
| un vélo (n.m.) | a bike |
| une bicyclette (n.f.) | a bicycle |
| un vtt (n.m.) | a mountain bike |
| une trottinette (n.f.) | a scooter |
| un pousse-pousse (n.m.) | a hand rickshaw |
| un tuk-tuk (n.m.) | a rickshaw |
| un segway (n.m.) | a segway |
⛵ Boats & Watercraft
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un bateau (n.m.) | a boat |
| un bateau de croisière (n.m.) | a cruise ship |
| un porte-conteneurs (n.m.) | a container ship |
| un porte-avions (n.m.) | an aircraft carrier |
| un yacht (n.m.) | a yacht |
| une péniche (n.f.) | a barge/houseboat |
| un voilier (n.m.) | a sailboat |
| une barque (n.f.) | a rowboat |
| un kayak (n.m.) | a kayak |
| un canoë (n.m.) | a canoe |
| un radeau (n.m.) | a raft |
| un bateau gonflable (n.m.) | an inflatable boat |
| un hydroglisseur (n.m.) | an airboat/swamp boat |
| un sous-marin (n.m.) | a submarine |
| un jet-ski (n.m.) | a jet ski |
🚜 Farm, Construction & Military Vehicles
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un tracteur (n.m.) | a tractor |
| un char (n.m.) | a tank |
| un chariot élévateur (n.m.) | a forklift |
| une grue (n.f.) | a crane |
| une pelleteuse (n.f.) | an excavator/digger |
| un tractopelle (n.m.) | a backhoe loader |
| un rouleau compresseur (n.m.) | a steamroller/road roller |
✈️ Aircraft & Aviation
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un avion (n.m.) | an airplane |
| un avion de chasse (n.m.) | a fighter aircraft |
| un hydravion (n.m.) | a seaplane |
| un hélicoptère (n.m.) | a helicopter |
| une montgolfière (n.f.) | an air balloon |
| un dirigeable (n.m.) | an airship |
| un deltaplane (n.m.) | a hang glider |
| un parachute (n.m.) | a parachute |
| un paramoteur (n.m.) | a paramotor |
| une fusée (n.f.) | a rocket |
⛷️ Winter Sports & Recreational Gear
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une motoneige (n.f.) | a snowmobile |
| une tyrolienne (n.f.) | a zip line |
| une calèche (n.f.) | a carriage |
| une poussette (n.f.) | a baby carriage/pram |
| des skis (n.m.) | skis |
| un snowboard (n.m.) | a snowboard |
| un skateboard (n.m.) | a skateboard |
| des rollers (n.m.) | rollerblades |
| des patins à roulettes (n.m.) | rollerskates |
| des patins à glace (n.m.) | ice skates |
| une planche à voile (n.f.) | a windsurf board |
| des palmes (n.f.) | flippers |
| une soucoupe volante (n.f.) | a flying saucer |
Want to practice with a real French tutor? Get $10 USD in italki credits with a $20 purchase (credited within 48 hours).
Vehicles in French: Full List with Pictures and Examples
Une voiture / La voiture = A car / The car
Martin a acheté une nouvelle voiture. = Martin bought a new car.
Un taxi / Le taxi = A taxi / The taxi
J’ai pris un taxi pour rentrer à la maison. = I took a taxi to go home.
Un camion de pompiers = A fire truck
Je rêve de rouler dans un camion de pompiers. = I dream of riding in a fire truck.
Un camping-car = A motorhome/RV
Mes parents veulent acheter un camping-car. = My parents want to buy a motorhome.
Un tracteur / Le tracteur = A tractor / The tractor
J’ai souvent roulé dans le tracteur de mon grand-père. = I often rode in my grandfather’s tractor.
Une moto / La moto = A motorbike / The motorbike
La moto de mon frère a été volée. = My brother’s motorbike was stolen.
Un VTT (vélo tout terrain) / Le VTT = A mountain bike / The mountain bike
Je roule souvent dans la forêt avec mon VTT. = I often ride my mountain bike in the forest.
Un porte-conteneurs = A container ship
Un porte-conteneurs a coulé dans l’océan atlantique. = A container ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean.
Un radeau / Le radeau = A raft / The raft
Ils ont traversé la rivière avec un radeau. = They crossed the river with a raft.
Une montgolfière / La montgolfière = An air balloon / The air balloon
Je ne suis jamais monté dans une montgolfière. = I have never been in a hot air balloon.
I hope this list of vehicle names in French has been helpful for you. If you prefer, you can also watch the accompanying video for a more interactive learning experience. Should you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to leave a comment below. Happy learning!
Now that you know these vehicles in French, you can talk confidently about transportation in everyday conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is “un vélo” always masculine and “une voiture” always feminine, no matter who’s driving?
In French, every noun has a fixed grammatical gender that has nothing to do with who owns or uses it. Un vélo stays masculine (mon vélo, le vélo) even when it belongs to a woman, and une voiture stays feminine (ma voiture, la voiture) even when it belongs to a man. The gender is attached to the word itself, not to the person — unlike English, where “his bike” or “her car” reflects the owner.
Is “un car” the same thing as “une voiture”?
No — this is a classic false friend. Un car actually means “a coach” or “a bus” used for longer trips, not a car. If you mean a car, always say une voiture.
Does the French verb for “to drive” change depending on the vehicle?
Yes, and this trips up a lot of learners. You use conduire for une voiture or un camion (to drive a car or truck), but for a bike or motorbike you say rouler à vélo or rouler en moto (literally “to roll”). For a plane, use piloter un avion, and for a boat, naviguer or piloter un bateau. Using conduire for a bike or a boat will sound off to a native speaker.
What’s the difference between “un camion” and “une camionnette”?
Un camion is a large truck or lorry, while une camionnette is a smaller delivery van. Think of the size difference between an 18-wheeler and a UPS van.
How do you make compound vehicle words plural, like “un porte-avions” or “un camion-citerne”?
French compound nouns follow different rules depending on their structure. Un porte-avions (aircraft carrier) stays exactly the same in the plural — des porte-avions — because porte- comes from the verb porter, and verbs don’t take an “s.” But un camion-citerne (tank truck) pluralizes both parts: des camions-citernes, since it’s two nouns joined together. When in doubt, check whether the first part of the compound is a verb (invariable) or a noun (it pluralizes too).
