What is Boot Space in Car?

Most cars have a dedicated space to allow passengers to carry luggage. This is usually at the rear of the car and can be accessed via a separate door.

Cars were designed to ferry people and their belongings. Hence, right from the traditional car designs, space was always allocated for luggage.

While the boot space can be big or small based on the car’s design and size, it is essential to allow people to travel with items up to a certain size and weight.

Road Trips

Undeniably one of the most popular vacation styles, a road trip involves driving long distances in your car while exploring various locations and/or destinations. If you are not planning on staying in hotels, then you would need quite a few essentials for your trip like camping gear, utensils, cooking essentials, etc. A large boot space can help you carry all of that without cluttering the cabin space.

Grocery Shopping

Most people shop for groceries once a week or once every 10 days. This means they stock up on groceries for a few days. Hence, when they go shopping, they have many items to carry back home. A car with adequate boot space allows you to load the groceries in your car in an organised manner and unload them with ease when you get home.

Airport Drop-Offs

If anyone from our family or close friends is travelling by air and you volunteer to drop them off at the airport, then you can carry their luggage in the boot of your car. This ensures that all passengers are comfortable and is particularly beneficial if you are ferrying maximum passengers as per the capacity of your car. Cars with large boot space can accommodate large suitcases and bags.

Event Supplies

If you are organising a birthday party or any celebration away from home, then you will have numerous things to carry to the venue. Your car’s boot space can come in handy during such times. You can carry decorations, catering supplies, and various other things needed for the event in a hassle-free manner.

Sporting Activities

If you are into a sport that requires you to carry equipment, then the boot space can be helpful. If you are a budding cricketer, then the boot can carry your kit with ease. Large boot space cars in India can also help carry bicycles up to a certain size.

Emergency Supplies

Many people use the boot space to carry emergency supplies like a toolkit, spare parts for emergencies, etc., when they are not carrying luggage. These supplies can be helpful during emergencies and prevent a lot of running around.

Typically, boot space is measured in litres. So, a car offering more boot space in litres offers more space for luggage. But, unless you are planning to carry water, how would you equate litres with your luggage in length, breadth, and height?

To make this simpler, there are two methods to measure car boot dimensions:

1: The VDA Method

The Verband der Automobilindustrie, or VDA, is a German method of measuring boot space. In this method, the boot space is filled with blocks measuring 200x100x50 millimetres. Once the boot is filled, the number of blocks is counted and converted into cubic metres.

The reason behind taking these specific measurements for blocks is that one block is equal to one litre. Many popular car manufacturers like BMW, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, etc. use this method.

2: The SAE Method

The Society of Automotive Engineers, or SAE, is an American method of measuring boot space. In this method, the boot space is filled with smaller objects that can fill smaller nooks and crannies that the one-litre blocks used by VDA do not fill.

Therefore, using this method, the boot space is usually larger than the VDA method.

However, when it comes to practical use, car owners might not be able to use all the space calculated by this method.

The boot of your car is not just about how much space it offers. Here are some additional factors that you must keep in mind about the boot space while buying a car:**

Surfaces: Think about the kind of items that you would typically carry in the boot of your car. If they are delicate, look for a car with a boot with a rubber or carpeted floor and soft sides. However, carrying heavy tools or sharp objects will be useful. In such cases, you need sturdier surfaces.

Tailgate: If you have a hatchback, pay attention to the angle at which the tailgate closes. This can greatly impact the size of objects you can carry in the boot. Also, power tailgates are preferred by many car owners as they allow them to access the boot space in a hands-free manner.

Lighting: While loading or unloading, you would need light to be able to see inside the boot. This will be required at all times, whether it is day or night. Many car manufacturers provide lights on the sides and ceiling of the boot.

Folding seats: In many cars, SUVs, and minivans, the last row of seats fold flat, providing an even base for the cargo. This is beneficial for loading and unloading items.

Access to the boot space: In simple terms, this means the height of the loading floor. This is important because if you have to load heavy items and a high loading floor, you will have to put in additional physical strain. Also, there is a risk of damage to the rim of the boot if the heavy object slips a bit.

Here are some tips to help you make the most out of the available boot space in your car:

Use storage accessories: If you are planning to carry a lot of small-sized items, then make sure to carry bins, organisers, or storage nets. Apart from keeping your things organised, they will also help utilise space optimally.

Soft luggage for more space: Packing a duffel bag instead of a hard-cover suitcase is space-efficient. If there is nothing breakable in the bag, then it can be squeezed and pushed as per the available space. This flexibility is not available with hard luggage.

Load strategically: Think of it like a jigsaw puzzle. Place the pieces right, and there will be enough space for all pieces. Get a couple of pieces wrong, and suddenly, things are a mess. Load large and heavy items at the bottom and consider size and shape while loading the boot.

Use the underfloor space: In some cars, manufacturers provide space under the floor of the boot. This can be used to store items that you won’t need immediately.

Fold down the rear seats: If the car is not seated to maximum capacity, then you can fold down the rear seats and make space for more cargo. Make sure that all the items are secure and don’t fall all over the place when the car is in motion.

Here are two simple ways to help you measure car boot space:

• Go the traditional way of physically measuring the length, breadth, and height of the boot and multiply them to get the volume. Here are some suggestions for the measurement:

• Measure the length from the back of the last seat to the edge of the boot

• Measure the widest part of the boot as its breadth

• The height from the boot floor to the highest point on the interior will be its height

• If measurement is not your thing, then you can simply load different-sized bags and get an estimate of how much luggage it can carry.

If you are looking for an SUV with a spacious boot, then here is a list focused on the largest boot space of cars in India:

MG Hector: 587 litres

Hyundai Creta: 433 litres

Kia Seltos: 433 litres

Tata Harrier: 425 litres

Renault Kiger: 405 litres

As you can see, the boot space of a car is important for a range of uses. Just like you think about how much boot space you need before buying the car, consider the motor insurance policy you want to buy for your car.

When you buy car insurance, you purchase peace of mind and financial protection from damages due to accidents and mishaps.

Comprehensive insurance for cars includes third-party liabilities and damages to the insured car due to specified reasons. Tata AIG offers feature-rich car insurance plans with unique add-ons to help you customise the coverage as per your needs.

You can buy a policy or opt for car insurance renewal online and complete the process in a hassle-free manner.

Q1. Why is it called boot space?

There are many stories behind why the trunk of a car is known as boot space. One of the most popular beliefs is that in traditional days, the boots of the slaves used to be stored at the back of the carriage. Over time, the term “car” was derived from carriage and boot was taken from the usage of the term for storing items during a trip.

Q2. Why is boot space measured in litres?

Usually, space is measured in inches, metres, etc. However, making these measurements can be cumbersome for irregular shapes that are not easily calculable. The boot area of a car is not a perfect geometric shape. Hence, measurement is done in litres.