A golf cart is a small vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course faster and with less effort than walking.

Golf carts now come in a wide range of formats and are more generally used to convey small numbers of passengers short distances at relatively slow speeds.

While some golf carts come with small gas engines the majority are electrically powered; they are the first mass-produced electric vehicles for private consumer use. This variety is now used in many communities where their lack of emissions, lack of noise, and safety (slow speeds) are prized attributes. When purpose-built for general transportation these are called Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs).