Interior Design, Materials, and Comfort
Boot Lighting Coverage, Quantity, and Placement
The Issue
Boot lighting on several cars tested was limited to a single LED positioned on one sidewall of the boot interior, mounted at a height that left much of the boot floor in partial shadow when the space was occupied by bags or other cargo. On a dark evening, which represents a significant proportion of boot use during UK winter months, a single partially obscured light source left much of the boot difficult to see into clearly. The inner face of the tailgate door, which if lit would direct light downward into the boot like an overhead lamp, was unlit on all but the best-executed examples tested.
Why It Matters
In the UK, winter daylight is short. From November to February, a large proportion of daily boot loading and unloading happens after dark. A boot that cannot be clearly illuminated during this period makes a routine task harder than it should be, and increases the chance of leaving something behind that was never visible in the first place. Boot lighting is one of the lowest-cost quality improvements available to any manufacturer. The LED hardware is minimal, the wiring straightforward, and the impact on daily usability is immediate and consistent.