Label the Parts of a Car Interior – Worksheet With a Key

All 15 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Steering wheel Turning it turns the front wheels. The horn is in the middle of it.
Dashboard It holds the gauges, vents, radio and glove box. Car makers' manuals also call it the instrument panel.
Instrument cluster The gauges and warning lights are grouped here. The driver can read them through the steering wheel. The second view shows it close up.
Vents Air from the heater and the air conditioner blows out of them. This car has two in the middle and one at each end.
Radio It is part of the car's audio system.
Climate controls They set how warm the air is. Also how fast the fan blows and which vents it comes out of.
Glove box Its door drops open. It is also called the glove compartment.
Brake pedal Pressing it slows and stops the car.
Accelerator pedal Pressing it makes the car go faster. It is also called the gas pedal.
Center console It starts at the dashboard. The shift lever, parking brake and cup holders sit on it in this car.
Cup holders They hold drinks steady while the car moves.
Shift lever The driver moves it to choose a gear. It is also called the gear shift or, with a manual transmission, the gear stick.
Parking brake Pulled up, it holds the parked car still. On some cars it is a pedal or a switch instead.
Rearview mirror It shows the driver the road behind through the rear window.
Sun visors Each swings down to block glare from the sun.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30; a name is kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) A 1998 sedan owner's manual, https://archive.org/details/toyota-camry-1998-owners-manual, with a 2009 sedan owner's manual from the same maker, https://archive.org/details/toyota-avalon-02009-owners-manual; the two count as one source (dashboard and instrument panel, instrument cluster, speedometer, tachometer, odometer, fuel gauge, engine coolant temperature gauge, turn signal lever, wiper lever, ignition switch, horn, emergency flashers, glove box, cup holder, sun visor, inside rear view mirror, parking brake lever, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, vents, radio, head restraint, seatback, seat cushion, seat belt, floor mat). (2) A 2007 pickup owner's manual from a second maker, https://archive.org/details/manuals-plus-2007-honda-ridgeline-owners-manual-2362b88b (dashboard, steering wheel, shift lever, parking brake, glove box, center console, vents, climate control, radio, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, speedometer, tachometer, odometer, ignition switch, horn, hazard warning button, sun visor, rear view mirror, cup holder and beverage holder, head restraint, seat cushion, seat-back, armrest, seat belt, floor mat). (3) A 2007 sedan owner's manual from a third maker, https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-1276297 (instrument panel, steering wheel, turn signal/multifunction lever, windshield wiper lever, hazard warning flashers, shift lever, parking brake lever, glove box, center console, cupholder, sun visor, rearview mirror, climate control, radio, speedometer, tachometer, odometer, head restraint, seatback, seat cushion, armrest, floor mat, accelerator pedal, brake pedal). (4) Wikipedia, text only: Dashboard (dashboard also called instrument panel; instrument cluster; speedometer, tachometer, odometer, fuel gauge; glove compartment), Car controls (steering wheel, pedals, gas pedal, clutch pedal to the left, parking brake as a lever, pedal or switch, gear stick or shift lever, turn signal lever), Center console (automobile), Glove compartment. The owner's manuals were read as plain text copies held by this project. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's car, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

To label the parts of a car interior, write a name on the line for each number. Fifteen parts carry one, from the steering wheel in front of the driver to the two sun visors above the windshield.

Read the full guide

Label of interior of car: word bank

Fifteen names, in alphabetical order: accelerator pedal, brake pedal, center console, climate controls, cup holders, dashboard, glove box, instrument cluster, parking brake, radio, rearview mirror, shift lever, steering wheel, sun visors, vents.

Numbers that get swapped

2 is the whole panel under the glass (dashboard), 3 the hooded pod of dials on it (instrument cluster). In the middle, 5 is the wide unit with one knob (radio) and 6 the row of three knobs under it (climate controls). 8 is the wide pedal (brake pedal), 9 the tall narrow one to its right (accelerator pedal). On the console, 12 is the knob on a stalk (shift lever) and 13 the slanted hand lever (parking brake).

When marking, glove compartment is right on line 7, gas pedal on line 9 and handbrake on line 13.
This sheet is the front of the cabin only. The gauges, the column levers and a front seat are on the labeled car interior page.

Questions and answers

Why is it called a dashboard?

On a horse-drawn carriage, a board at the front kept the driver from being splashed, and dash meant splash. The first cars kept the board. Gauges and small controls were later mounted on it.

Why is it called a glove box?

It was first made to hold driving gloves. Many early cars were open to the weather, and gloves kept fast-moving air from numbing the driver's hands.

Are the pedals in the same order in a right-hand-drive car?

Yes. The accelerator is normally the pedal farthest to the right, with the brake pedal to its left, and the arrangement is the same whichever side of the car the driver sits on.

When did cars get steering wheels?

The earliest cars were steered by tiller. A steering wheel was first used in a motor race in 1894, and by 1908 most models had one.