Hood (car)

Hoods can open to allow access to the engine compartment, or trunk (boot in Commonwealth English) on rear-engine and some mid-engine vehicles) for maintenance and repair.

In many motor vehicles built in the 1930s and 1940s, the resemblance to an actual hood or bonnet is clear when open and viewed head-on.

Some aftermarket companies produce replacements for steel hoods in fiberglass or carbon fiber to reduce vehicle weight.

In Japan and Europe, regulations have come into effect that place a limit on the severity of pedestrian head injury when struck by a motor vehicle.

Other changes are being made to use the hood as an active structure and push its surface several centimeters away from the hard motor components during a pedestrian crash.