Ultimate Guide-20 Key Car Body Parts: Names, Functions & Diagram

When someone thinking about buying a car, how it looks on the outside matters a lot. If the design catches your eye, you are more likely to check it out further. Even though cars can look different, they all have similar basic parts on the outside. So, exterior car body parts play an important role. Because of this, car makers are always trying to come up with new and cool designs to make their cars stand out and attract buyers. People these days care about how things look, and when it comes to cars, looks can play a big role in whether someone decides to buy one or not. So, all manufacturers are in the race to make exterior car body parts more attractive by improving design and shapes.

Car Body Parts Diagram

Car Body Parts Names

Car Body Parts

Bumper/Energy Absorber

The bumper is the part of the vehicle attached to the front & rear ends. The function of the bumper is to absorb a small collision force & minimize the cost required for repair.

Depending on the country’s standards & type of vehicle, bumper height varies. A bumper is very important to protect our pedestrians from becoming injured.

It shields the exhaust system, radiator, cooling systems, hoods, fenders, and headlights. The use of a good bumper ensures passenger safety up to a certain extent during vehicle crashes.

Compared to the old design, the bumper looks like an integral part of modern cars. It improves the ergonomics of the car.

Fender

The fender is the frame that covers the wheel. The fender is the same as the mudguard of bikes. Mud may adhere to stones, and other particles can temporarily be stuck into tire grooves.

These stones & particles can be thrown outside from the tire surface at high velocity. The function of the fender is to prevent rocks, liquid, sand, and other things from getting thrown into the air because of the fast rotation of the wheel.

Also, in the rainy season, when the vehicle is in motion, water gets sprayed. The fender protects it from a blowout in the air. In the UK, it is called a wing. 

Door

The door is to provide access to go inside & outside of the vehicle. It is hinged at one side & able to open from the other side. We can open the door with the help of the door handle.

It has a locking system to lock it when the vehicle is in motion. There are various shapes of the door as per the vehicle. In modern cars, we can open the door from the inside out and upside down as well.

Most car door windows retract into the door body, and these open/close with a manual crank handle or button.

Morden cars are equipped with door switches that indicate warning lights or voice messages through the speaker and help the driver when the door is not accurately closed. 

Hood/Bonnet

The Hood/Bonnet is the cover mounted on the front portion of the car. It is a hinge from one side & we can open it from the other side. A hidden latch is typically used to hold the hood/bonnet in place.

The purpose of the hood/bonnet is to give access for maintenance & repair. It also protects the engine & other parts from outside dust & weather.

In modern cars, like battery vehicles, the function of the hood is to protect other accessories like AC systems, tools, language, & other accessories from the weather. Because instead of the engine, there is a drive system at the backside of the vehicle.

Windshield

The windshield is the front window of an automobile. It is mainly for getting visibility of outer things while driving.

As the windshield name describes, it’s a shield that protects the inside person and interior of the car from sun rays, wind, rain & other external agents that you encounter on the roads.

An old vehicle, windshield glass made with glass & can break easily. But in modern cars, the windshield glass is made with curved glass with plastic laminated layers to give it good strength. It is safer than old windshields.

Roof & Sunroof

It is a top portion of the car which protects passengers from rain, sun rays, wind, & other external agents. In modern cars, the movable glass panel is there with the roof.

With this arrangement, we can open the glass to get fresh air and light inside the car. The sunroof is available in many sizes and shapes. It can operate manually or motorized.

Mirror

The function of the mirrors is to get visibility of the outer side & read the side of the vehicle while driving. Side mirrors are connected to the front of both doors, and the rear-view mirror is located at the top of the windshield inside the car.

These mirrors are of convex type because the image formed by the convex mirror provides a larger field of view and helps the driver to get a better idea of the traffic behind them.

These mirrors are made of glass & covered with plastic to protect them. It is manually adjusted or automatic. 

Quarter Panels

It is a part between the rear door & trunk of the vehicle. It serves the same function as the fender on the front side. Another function of the quarter panel is to provide structural support.

In most vehicles, the quarter panel is made with sheet metal and typically welded. It is pretty expensive to change it.

Mostly, they prefer to get replaced. Modern cars are made with fiberglass & carbon fiber.

Trunk/Boot/Dickey

A trunk is a storage system for various parts. It is on the rear side of the vehicle. The size of the trunk varies as per the vehicle type. 

Fuel Door

It is an opening to the car for filling fuel. It can open from the inside of the car with a leaver. The fuel door may be either on the right side or left side of the car, depending on the design. 

Mud Flaps

The function of the Mudflap is to prevent dirt particles from reaching out to the sensible part of the vehicle.

License plate and Brackets

The license plate is also called a number plate. It is the official registration number of your vehicle received from RTO. This license plate is attached to the car with one bracket. 

In India, there is a color scheme for the number plates depending on the type of vehicle. 

Type of Vehicle	Color & Background
Private Vehicles	Black letters on a white background
Commercial Vehicles	Black letters on a yellow background
Electric Vehicles	White letters with a green background
Foreign embassy and consultant	White letters on a light blue background
Rental Vehicles	Yellow letters on a black background
Indian President & Governors	State with a number in gold on a red background

Headlight

The function of the headlight is to give visibility at night to the driver. It mounts in front of the vehicle. The design & style of the headlight is different for different types of vehicles.

In the daytime, we can use indicators of headlights to indicate while taking turns on the right or left side.

Inside the headlight, bulbs are there that glow for the indication. The headlight of the modern car is so advanced. When a driver is taking a turn, the headlight also takes a turn to give better visibility in night driving. This technology is found in Mercedes cars.

Bumper Grill

The bumper grill is the additional support or cover to the bumper. In some cars, it comes with a bumper as added security. Generally, it is in stainless steel, aluminum, or ABS plastic. 

Tyre Wheel

The function of the wheel is to transmit force and torque into traction. It transfers from the wheel to the road. Power from the engine transfers via transmission drive to the wheel. Due to that wheel can rotate on the road to move a vehicle the road.

The sizes of the tire wheels vary depending on the vehicle type. In motorcycles two tires, in cars four tires & the heavy vehicle, there are more than 6 tire wheels.

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Wheel cover

It makes the car wheel more attractive. It protects the wheel rim from dirt and sunlight. Different cars having different designs of wheel covers are there. It is light in weight and generally made up of plastic.

Brake Light

The brake light is mounted on the backside of the vehicle. When you are slowing down the car, its function is to signal to the other car driver coming from the rear side. It helps to know the exact status of the vehicle. 

Body trims

Body trims are the car body parts that give good ergonomics to the vehicle. It makes the car more attractive.

Wiper and wiper motor

The wiper is for cleaning the rainwater & other dirt from the windscreen. It gives good front visibility to the driver in heavy rain. The material of the wiping element is rubber.

It operates by the wiper motor, and speed can be controlled at low or high speeds. Some of the cars have wipers on the rear side as well.

Water Nozzle

The function of the water nozzle is to spray water on the windscreen. Dust particles contaminate the windscreen. So, to remove it, the water nozzle sprays water on-screen & wiper cleans the dust.

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