Coulthard was born in Burnley, England but raised in Auckland, New Zealand. He started his career in karts before moving into Formula Ford. He competed in the Formula Ford support races at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, winning the Alan Jones Trophy with two wins and a second place in the three races. Coulthard also won the 2001/2002 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship. In the United Kingdom, Coulthard competed in British Formula Renault, where he was teammates with future Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton. With his budget exhausted, Coulthard returned to Australia to race in the Australian Carrera Cup Championship, finishing third and best rookie in 2004 and winning the title in 2005.