The short answer
In most hybrids and electric cars something has moved into the space under the boot floor: a battery, its cooling, the charging cables or a repositioned spare wheel well. The floor above it sits higher, or is fixed where the petrol car's floor could be lowered, so a liner cut for the petrol version sits proud of the sill and slides.
Key takeaways
- The boot opening looks the same. The depth underneath is what differs.
- Many hybrids lose the lower floor position entirely, so there is only one height to fit.
- Charging cables take up boot space in an electric car, and a bag or tray changes what the liner sits on.
- Some electric cars have a second boot under the bonnet, which needs its own mat.
- Measure from the boot lip down to the floor, and tell us the number if you are unsure.
What changes under the floor
A full hybrid or plug-in hybrid carries a battery pack that has to go somewhere. In many cars it goes under the boot floor, in the space a petrol car uses for a spare wheel or for underfloor storage. An electric car goes further: the floor of the car is the battery, and the boot floor above it often sits at a single fixed height.
The result is a boot that is the same width and the same length, but shallower, and sometimes with a step where the petrol car is flat. A liner cut for the deeper boot has nowhere to sit.
The upper and lower floor question
Cars with an adjustable boot floor have two heights, and a liner is cut for one of them. How to check your boot floor explains how to tell which yours is in.
The difference with a hybrid is that the lower position is often gone. Where the petrol car has ledges at two heights, the hybrid has ledges at one, because the battery occupies the rest. If a shop offers you an upper and a lower liner for a hybrid, it is worth checking that both exist for your version.
How to check your own boot
- Empty the boot and lift the floor panel.
- Look for ledges or slots at a second height. One height means a fixed floor.
- Look at what is underneath: a spare wheel, a repair kit, a battery cover, or a moulded tray for cables.
- Measure from the top of the boot lip straight down to the floor, in centimetres.
- Note whether the floor is level with the lip or steps down from it.
Those five answers describe your boot better than the model name does, and they are what we check a liner against.
Charging cables and the space they take
An electric or plug-in car usually comes with one or two charging cables, and they live in the boot unless the car has a place for them. Some cars give them a moulded well under the floor, some a bag that sits on top of the liner, and some nothing at all.
This matters for a liner because a cable bag on top of a liner slides, and a cable stored under the floor means the floor is lifted often. A liner with a lip and a grippy underside copes with both better than a flat mat does.
The boot under the bonnet
Several electric cars have a second load space where the engine used to be, usually called a front boot or a frunk. It is a different shape from the rear boot, it is often plastic-lined already, and it catches the drips from wet cables and charging leads.
A mat for it is a separate item from the rear liner, and not every electric car has one worth lining. If yours does, tell us and we will say whether a pattern exists.
Shop the mats this guide covers
Common questions
Will the petrol version's boot liner fit my hybrid?
Often not. The outline can be identical while the depth is not, and a liner cut for a deeper boot sits proud of the sill and slides. Check the floor height before ordering.
My hybrid has only one floor position. Which liner do I choose?
The one cut for the height your floor sits at. Where a generation has more than one version, the page asks which you have before anything is cut.
Does a mild hybrid differ from a petrol car?
Usually less than a full hybrid does, because the battery is small and often sits elsewhere. It still needs checking rather than assuming, which is why we match by version and not by model name.
Do I need a mat for the frunk as well?
Only if you use it for anything that drips or rolls. Charging cables are the usual reason.
How do I tell you what my boot looks like?
A photo of the open boot from behind the car, plus the measurement from the lip down to the floor, answers almost every question we would ask.
How we wrote this guide
This guide describes what changes in general terms. Boot design varies between manufacturers and between versions of the same car, so the checks are written to be done on your own car rather than read off a specification.
Questions this guide does not answer? Write to us from the contact page.