Hubcap

For other uses, see Hubcap (disambiguation).

A threaded brass hubcap on a cart wheel with artillery style hub
Various automobile hubcaps

A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub.[1] An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation of dirt and moisture. It also has the function of decorating the car.[2]

A hubcap is technically a small cover over the center of the wheel, while a wheel cover is a decorative metal or plastic disk that snaps or bolts onto and covers the entire face of the wheel.[3]

Cars with stamped steel wheels often use a full-wheel cover that conceals the entire wheel. Cars with alloy wheels or styled steel wheels generally use smaller hubcaps, sometimes called center caps.

Alternatively, a wheel cover or spare tire cover can be an accessory that covers an external rear-mounted spare tire found on some automobiles.

  1. ^ "Definition of Hub". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  2. ^ History News. American Association for State and Local History. 1976. p. 222. Retrieved 25 April 2023 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ St. Clair, Prentice (April 2013). "IDA Certification – Study Guide: Wheels and Tires". Auto Laundry News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.