Car Parts in Spanish: All the Spanish car vocab you need (2024)

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Whether you’re planning a road trip in a Spanish-speaking country, or you’re simply a car enthusiast, this post on car parts in Spanish is designed for you.

Today we’ll cover all there is to know about car parts in Spanish, from the inside out. Of course we’ll also go through many Spanish words for parts of the motor and body. Finally, we’ll add some verbs we normally use when talking about cars or driving cars. As always, we’ll include lots of examples for you to see this Spanish car vocab in action.

So buckle up, because we’re about to start our vocabulary engines!

Recommended: How to Learn Spanish Fast in 2024

Car in Spanish in Different Regions

Before we even get into specific car vocab in Spanish, let’s just make sure we know how to say carin Spanish. In fact, native speakers use different words for caraccording to their country of origin. As a bonus, click through for full slang lessons on each of the countries we mention here.

In Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, people normally use autowhen talking about a car. Autois an abbreviation for automóvil.

Cocheis another option forcarin Spanish. Cocheis the common word in Spain, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Mexico.

Finally, carro is another common word for carin Spanish, mainly used in Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

Interior Car Parts in Spanish

Now that you’re familiar with the various Spanish words for cars in different countries, let’s dive into the most important terms for interior car partsin Spanish.

Interior car components: EnglishInterior car components: Spanish
AcceleratorEl acelerador
Air bagLa bolsa de aire
Air conditioningEl aire acondicionado
BackseatEl asiento trasero
BrakeEl freno
ClutchEl embrague
DashboardEl tablero, El panel
Door ajar warning lightLa luz de advertencia de puerta abierta
Floor matLa alfombra, El tapete
Gas gaugeEl medidor de la gasolina
Gearshift, ShifterLa palanca de cambios, Las velocidades
Glove compartmentLa guantera
Hand brake, Emergency brakeEl freno de mano
HornEl claxon, La bocina
Ignition switchEl encendido
KeysLas llaves
OdometerEl cuentakilómetros, El velocímetro
Rearview mirrorEl espejo retrovisor
SeatsLos asientos
SeatbeltEl cinturón de seguridad
SpeedometerEl velocímetro
Steering wheelEl volante
VentLa ventila, El ventilador
Warning lightsLas luces de advertencia
WindshieldEl parabrisas
  • When Juan saw the warning lights,he braked immediately. – Cuando Juan vio las luces de advertenciafrenó de inmediato.
  • We honked the horn so that the donkeys would move. – Tocamos la bocina para que los burros se movieran.
  • I’m sorry, but the gearshiftdoesn’t work. – Lo siento pero no funciona la palanca de cambios.

Exterior Car Parts in Spanish

Knowing how to mention the internal elements of a car is as important as knowing the vocabulary related to the external car parts. Let’s see what we’ve got from the outside of cars in Spanish.

Exterior Car Parts: EnglishExterior Car Parts: Spanish
AntennaLa antena
Front bumperLa defensa delantera
Back bumperLa defensa trasera
Car grilleLa parrilla
Car windowLa ventanilla
DoorsLas puertas
Door handlesLas manijas de las puertas
Exhaust pipeEl tubo de escape
FendersLos guardabarros
Fog lightsLas luces antiniebla
HeadlightsLos faros
HoodEl capó
License plateLa placa, La patente
RoofEl techo
Side mirrorsLos espejos retrovisores laterales
Spare tireEl neumático de repuesto
Sun roofEl techo solar
TaillightsLas luces traseras
TireEl neumático, La llanta
Turn signal lightsLas luces de giro
TrunkLa cajuela, El baúl
Windshield wiperEl limpia parabrisas
  • This model comes with a sun roof. – Este modelo viene con techo solar.
  • The things we need for work are in the trunk of the car. – Las elementos de trabajo están en el baúldel auto.
  • It was raining a lot, so we had to turn on the windshield wipers. – Estaba lloviendo mucho y tuvimos que encender ellimpia parabrisas.

If you want some additional vocab that may come in handy when talking about cars and car parts in Spanish, here are some links to a few of our other detailed posts on other specific topics. We also include several that are specific to travel.

Spanish travel phrases

Airport Spanish

I miss you in Spanish

Spanish-speaking countries

All the countries in Spanish

Spanish weather vocab

It is what it is

Adjectives in Spanish

Colors in Spanish

Physical descriptions in Spanish

Units of measurement in Spanish

Numbers in Spanish

Spanish money vocab

Stop in Spanish

Emergencies in Spanish

Parts of the Motor in Spanish

Now let’s get into more specific technical vocabulary for car parts in Spanish. The following terms may come in handy if you encounter any issues with your car. Our focus here is on the most relevant and significant components of a car engine that you may need to talk about.

Motor parts: EnglishMotor parts: Spanish
Air compressorEl compresor de aire
Air filterEl filtro de aire
AlternatorEl alternador
BatteryLa batería
CamshaftEl árbol de levas
CarburetorEl carburador
CoilLa bobina
Crash sensorEl sensor de colisión
DipstickLa varilla del aceite
DistributorEl distribuidor
FilterEl filtro
Gas pumpLa bomba de gasolina
HoseLa manguera
Oil filterEl filtro de aceite
RadiatorEl radiador
Spark plugLa bujía
SpringsLos resortes
ThermostatEl termostato
ValveLa válvula
Water pumpLa bomba de agua
  • Thebatteryis not working any more. – Labateríano funciona más.
  • The air filterhas a hole. – Elfiltro de airetiene un agujero.
  • You need to change the water pump. – Necesitas cambiar la bomba de agua.

Spanish Verbs related to Cars

In this list, we present the verbs for many of the actions we normally talk about with cars in Spanish.

English car verbsSpanish car verbs
To accelerateAcelerar
To back up, To go in reverseRetroceder, Ir marcha atrás
To brakeFrenar
To change lanesCambiar de carril
To check the oilRevisar el aceite
To driveConducir, Manejar
To fasten the seatbeltAjustar el cinturón de seguridad
To fill up the tankLlenar el tanque
To fix the carArreglar el carro
To honk the hornTocar la bocina
To overtakeAdelantarse
To parkEstacionar
To run out of gasQuedarse sin gasolina
To shift gearsPasar los cambios
To slow downBajar la velocidad
To speed upAumentar la velocidad
To start the carEncender, Arrancar el auto
To stopDetenerse, Parar
To stop the carApagar, Detener el coche
To turnGirar, Doblar
To work, To functionFuncionar
  • Acceleratingin curves is dangerous. – Aceleraren la curvas es peligroso.
  • Turningleft is prohibited. – Prohibido girar a la izquierda.
  • My car is not working.I have to fix it. – Mi auto no funciona, tengo que arreglarlo.

Conclusion: Car parts in Spanish

What a great Spanish car tour! We’re confident that the vocab for car parts in Spanish that we’ve just presented will fully equip you to discuss any situations around a car with adequate detail.

Whether describing a car’s interior or exterior, or even talking about the internal car parts in Spanish, we’ve got you covered with the right vocab! In addition, we listed the most important verbs related to cars and driving.

So whether you’re planning to drive a car in Latin America or simply interested in Spanish car talk, you’re now equipped to discuss cars and car parts in Spanish!

Car Parts in Spanish: All the Spanish car vocab you need (2024)
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