2026 Bentley Continental GT vs. Aston Martin DB12 Comparison with Price, Specs, & Photos

The concept of the grand tour is one that originated in the British Isles, a tour through the European continent, especially Italy, for the purposes of learning and experiencing history and culture. Today, the finest grand touring cars are still made in the UK, with the Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB12 at the top of that list. Both are built for high performance, but don’t sacrifice comfort or luggage space, making them enjoyable and functional for the long road trips that would make up a grand tour. But there are still some differences to consider when choosing which one is best for you, and that’s where our guide comes in.

There are a lot of things that are similar about these cars. Both are available in a convertible configuration, and/or in a higher-performance variant. In fact, both have a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 under the hood, and both produce 671 horsepower in the standard configuration. They even have a 3.5-second 0-60 time. But there are still some important differences here. For starters, the Continental GT uses a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. That means you’ll be stopping for gas less often in the Bentley, but it also means that you’ll have to do the occasional stop if you want to get the absolute most out of the drivetrain. The DB12 has a harder-edged variant called the DB12 S, which increases the horsepower output to 690. The Continental GT has the Speed, which gets a similar treatment, but here the output is increased to 771 horsepower.

Out on the road, both cars are extremely comfortable, and they offer identical amounts of trunk space. The back seat might not really be the most important part of a GT car, but they do both have one, should the need arise. Both cars have extensive lists of customization options, although Bentley does offer slightly more curated selections, special editions, and interior trim materials. That said, there are a couple of big advantages from Aston Martin in the exclusivity department. While both cars occupy the same segment of the market, you’re more likely to come across a Continental GT out in the world than a DB12, for a couple of reasons. The first of these is just that the DB12 is a much newer model; Aston Martin simply hasn’t had the time to produce as many of them as Bentley has with the Continental GT, even if a new Continental GT has an updated and distinct look. Then there are dealerships; Bentley has nearly twice as many in the US as Aston Martin does, meaning it’s just logistically easier to get ahold of a Continental GT than it is to get a DB12. 

In all, there are no wrong choices here, and it comes down to personal preference. Whether your priority is more power, more exclusivity, or you just like the looks of one car over the other, you won’t miss out by choosing based on a single criterion.