The trunk is the luggage compartment at the rear of a sedan. It is separated from the passenger cabin by a fixed bulkhead and accessed through a hinged lid. That separation keeps cargo hidden and reduces noise. It also limits what you can carry.

Before the automobile, a trunk was a piece of luggage strapped to the back of a carriage. The name stuck. Early cars had external trunks. By the 1930s, automakers integrated the trunk into the body, creating the three-box sedan shape: engine, cabin, trunk.

Trunk features and limitations

• Hinged lid with gas struts or torsion bars.
• Often lockable and remotely releasable.
• Pass-through or folding rear seats on some models.
• Spare tire and jack usually stored under the floor.
• Capacity measured in cubic feet, typically 12 to 20.

A trunk is more secure than an open pickup bed or a hatchback cargo area. It is also less flexible. A large box that would fit through a hatchback opening may not fit through a sedan trunk opening, even if the trunk volume is technically larger. Buyers who regularly carry bulky items often choose a hatchback or SUV instead. For everyone else, the trunk does its job quietly and without complaint.