Media post: Vehicle Glovebox History

Automotive makers have put gloveboxes in cars for a number of decades. Some gloveboxes that are an opening in the dash just above the feet of the front passenger, but the large majority have doors, that with a simple twist or push of a pushbutton latch, will open or close.  Today, most glove boxes can be locked so valuables can be safely stored.

The “glovebox” name comes from the compartment’s original purpose – glove storage. In motoring’s early days, many car models were open; meaning that they had no tops, or just had partial convertible tops.  With cars like these, a car operator’s hands could be subjected to fast-moving air’s cooling effects, and this could get uncomfortable.

Historians trace the start of glove boxes to the Packard Motor Company, which made items like the modern-day gloveboxes in the 1900s. The term “glove box” isn’t universal, though. In Britain, they are referred to as “cubby holes.” In the Northwestern United States, glove boxes are “jockey boxes”.  “Glove compartment” is an alternative term in the western world.

For decades, glove boxes had internal lights that turned on when one opened up the unit.  This was a great help to those who had to dig around in the glovebox at night to get documents or other items. At least the team at this Roswell, GA Dodge dealer thinks so!

In the 1960s and 1970s, glove boxes came with an embossed area on their doors. When one folded down the embossed area, cups could have been placed on the door.  However, these shallow impressions didn’t stabilize cups well when cars were being driven. It’s a logical conclusion to say they these soft drink stabilization attempts lead to the design and implementation of the cup holders you see in almost all cars these days.

And glove boxes have received technology features, too. For the 2008 model year, Dodge put “Chill Zone” glove compartments in their Avengers. The Chill Zone was a big refrigerated storage bin in the passenger’s side upper dash.  The Chill Zone had many folding doors and could hold up to four twelve-ounce cans of a soda of your choosing. Also, Nissan has glove compartments on some vehicle models. Targeting young drivers, the Sentra sedan and Rogue SUV both have glove compartments deep enough for laptops. That capability has been put in cars to help drivers who would like a secure and safe place to secure their laptops while driving.

As you can gauge, a glovebox’s purpose has changed throughout the years.  You do not need gloves to drive anymore, so gloveboxes serve as a predictable space in a vehicle for item storage.  Today, glove boxes have turned into the place to store automotive documents, such as car registrations, and other things.  As for the automotive future, it is hard to tell where we may see the glove box evolve, but we are only able to predict that they’ll be around for a long while!