What Is a Tailgate on a Car? Tailgate vs Liftgate vs Hatch

A tailgate is the hinged panel at the rear of a vehicle that swings down on bottom hinges so you can load and unload, and on a car or SUV it usually means a pickup truck’s bed gate or an older station wagon’s rear door. Modern SUVs and hatchbacks mostly have a liftgate or hatch that opens upward instead, although some makers still print the word tailgate in their manuals. This guide covers what the tailgate is, how it differs from a liftgate, hatch and trunk lid, the main types, and the safety limits that matter for kids and hands.

The Function And Purpose Of A Car Tailgate

Dictionary.com defines a tailgate as the board or gate at the back of a wagon, truck or station wagon that can be removed or let down for loading and unloading. Wiktionary gives the same idea, a hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered, and lists tailboard as the British synonym. The word itself is simply tail plus gate. Dictionary.com says it is an Americanism dating back to about 1850 to 1855, long before pickup trucks, when it described the rear board of a wagon.

On a pickup, the tailgate closes the open end of the bed so cargo does not slide out, and it drops flat to extend the load floor or to give you a low edge to slide things over. On a station wagon it gave access to the cargo area. The Trunk (car) article on Wikipedia notes that traditional drop-down wagon and pickup tailgates can also serve as a mount for a workbench.

People searching this topic often mean different things. Some want the name for the back of their SUV, some want to know whether their car has one, and a few are actually asking about tailgating, which is following another car too closely. We cover each below, starting with the naming mess.

Tailgate vs. Liftgate vs. Trunk: What’s the Difference?

The words come down to two questions: where is the hinge, and what kind of vehicle is it? Wikipedia’s Trunk (car) article describes a door hinged at the bottom as a tailgate, particularly in the United States, used on station wagons and pickups and on some SUVs. A door hinged at the top is called a hatch, found on many modern wagons, SUVs and on hatchbacks. A trunk lid is the cover over a separate luggage compartment, usually lifted up on hinges.

Liftgate is the usual name for an upward-opening SUV rear door, and Mazda’s manual uses it that way. Wiktionary’s tailgate entry even says to compare liftgate. The table below puts the terms side by side with an example drawn from a maker manual or press page we read.

Term	Hinge and vehicle type	What it is	Example from a maker page
Tailgate (pickup)	Bottom hinge, pickup truck bed	Drop-down panel that closes the bed’s rear end	GM’s Multi-Flex tailgate on the 2021 Silverado, per the GM launch release
Tailgate (wagon, hatch, van)	Varies, rear cargo door	Some makers use the word for the whole rear door	Honda Jazz and a Kia passenger-van manual both print the word tailgate
Liftgate	Top hinge, SUV or crossover	Rear door that lifts up, sometimes with power operation	Mazda CX-30 owner’s manual, which uses liftgate and power liftgate
Hatch	Top hinge, hatchback or wagon	Rear door that includes the window	Described on Wikipedia as hinged at the top
Trunk lid	Top or rear hinge, sedan or coupe	Cover over a separate luggage compartment	Also called decklid in the U.S. industry, per Wikipedia
Split or multi-function tailgate	Pickup truck, two panels	Opens down or swings sideways	Ram’s 60/40 Multifunction Tailgate and Ford’s Pro Access Tailgate

The takeaway: if your vehicle is a pickup, call it a tailgate. If it is an SUV or hatchback, liftgate or hatch is the cleaner word, but plenty of people and some manuals still say tailgate for those too, so it is not wrong, only less precise. Does every car have one? No. Sedans and coupes have a trunk lid instead, and many crossovers have a liftgate.

Types Of Tailgates Across Vehicle Models

Most tailgates are still the plain drop-down kind. Over the last several years truck makers have added designs that do more. We list what each maker or its launch coverage says, and we do not rate them, because we have not tested any of them.

Drop-down tailgate

The classic design. Wikipedia’s Pickup truck article says most pickups have fixed side walls and a hinged tailgate. It is a single panel that opens one way, which is why makers have been adding the multi-function versions below.

Multi-function and split tailgates

GM calls its version MultiPro on GMC and Multi-Flex on Chevrolet. The GM launch release for the 2021 Silverado, reprinted by Work Truck, describes six functions and a weight capacity of 375 pounds (170 kg), with configurations activated by a key fob or two tailgate-mounted buttons. The Car Guide notes that it is made of three articulated sections.

Ram’s Multifunction Tailgate is a 60/40 split that opens like barn doors as well as dropping down. AutoGuide’s launch coverage says each side swings 88 degrees and that Ram rates the tailgate at 2,000 pounds. That rating is Ram’s figure as reported by AutoGuide, so check the owner’s manual for your model year before you load it.

Ford’s Pro Access Tailgate adds a sideways-opening door within the tailgate. The Drive reports that the swing gate hinge has detents at 37, 70 and 100 degrees, and that Ford says it gives 24 inches of extra reach into the bed. Ford’s own weight figures and trim availability are in its manual and configurator.

Liftgates, power liftgates and hatches

On SUVs the rear door lifts up. Many offer a power liftgate that opens and closes with a switch, key fob or sensor. Mazda’s CX-30 owner’s manual page on power liftgates is a good example of the safety language that goes with them, covered in the safety section below.

If you are shopping for a replacement tailgate or bed, fit is a separate question that depends on model and year. We cover it in our guide to Chevy truck tailgate interchange years and our Ford truck bed interchange guide.

Evolution Of The Tailgate Design

The tailgate started as a plain rear board on a wagon, then became a standard part of the pickup’s bed. Wikipedia’s Pickup truck article describes an early Ford pickup built on the Model T with an adjustable tailgate and heavy-duty rear springs, billed as the Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body.

The current wave is about access. Ram added barn-door hinges, GMC and Chevrolet added a stepped, multi-section gate, and Ford added a swing-open door inside the tailgate, per the launch coverage cited above.

How To Operate A Tailgate Safely

The rules come from the manuals we read, and they apply whatever the vehicle is called. Treat them as a minimum, and read the section for your own vehicle.

• Keep body parts clear when closing. A Kia owner’s manual page on closing the passenger-van tailgate warns to make sure hands, feet and other parts of your body are out of the way before closing it.
• Check the area first on a power gate. Mazda’s CX-30 owner’s manual says to check the area around the liftgate for people before opening or closing it automatically, and to keep hands and fingers away because the gate closes automatically from the near-shut position.
• Open it fully. The Honda Jazz manual says to open the tailgate all the way, because if it is not fully open it may come down by its own weight, and to be careful in wind.
• Never let a child run the switches. Mazda’s manual says not to let a child operate the power liftgate switches, since a child’s head or hands could get caught.
• Do not stand behind a running exhaust. Honda’s manual says not to stand in front of the exhaust pipe while loading with the engine idling, because you may get burned.

The Role Of Tailgates In Auto Safety

Safety here comes down to two issues: where passengers sit, and exhaust gas.

Passengers do not belong on or behind the tailgate. The Honda Jazz manual says not to allow any passenger in the luggage space, because they may get hurt during hard braking, sudden acceleration or a crash. A federal safety study on pickups, the NTSB report on riding in cargo areas, found an average of 242 people killed each year from 1975 through 1979 while riding in pickup cargo areas, using NHTSA fatality data. That data is decades old, so we do not quote it as a current figure, but the physics have not changed: a bed has no restraints, and a tailgate is not a seat. We did not retrieve NHTSA’s own current page, so check nhtsa.gov and your state’s law, because rules about riding in truck beds vary.

Keep the rear door closed while driving. The Kia manual says the tailgate should be kept completely closed while the vehicle is in motion, because if it is left open or ajar, poisonous exhaust gases may enter the car and serious illness or death may result. The Honda manual gives the same reason.

A pickup’s lowered tailgate is a different case, since the cab is separate from the bed. We did not find a maker, EPA or SAE page that quantifies fuel economy or aerodynamic effects of driving with the tailgate down, so we make no mileage claim either way. Check your owner’s manual for any warning about driving with it lowered, and secure any load that extends past the bed.

Common Issues And Troubleshooting Tailgates

Where a maker page says anything on the subject, we list it:

• Power gate stops before closing. Mazda’s manual says that if there is an obstruction the liftgate may not fully close because of the jam-safe function, and that driving with it not fully closed is dangerous because a person or object could fall out. Clear whatever is in the way and re-close it.
• Gate will not latch. Mazda’s manual says foreign matter around the striker can stop the liftgate closing properly, so look there for dirt or a stray item. Kia’s manual likewise says to keep anything near the latch and striker clear while closing.

If a gate drops without warning, will not hold open, or the power system misbehaves repeatedly, treat it as a safety fault and have a dealer or qualified shop inspect it. We do not give a DIY repair procedure here, since the correct one varies by model.

What Does Tailgating Mean on the Road?

Tailgating has nothing to do with the panel on your truck. Dictionary.com defines the verb as following or driving hazardously close to the rear of another vehicle, and it is a different word that borrowed the same name. Keep a safe following distance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a tailgate on a car?

A tailgate is the hinged panel at the rear of a vehicle that lowers for loading. It is the term for a pickup truck’s bed gate, and some makers also use the word for the rear door of a wagon, hatchback or van.

Is a tailgate the same as a liftgate?

Not exactly. A tailgate is hinged at the bottom and drops down, while a liftgate is hinged at the top and lifts up, as on many SUVs. People often use the words loosely, and some manuals print tailgate for a lift-up door.

Does every car have a tailgate?

No. Sedans and coupes have a trunk lid over a separate luggage compartment. Hatchbacks, wagons and SUVs have an upward-opening hatch or liftgate, and pickups have a drop-down tailgate.

Is it safe to ride on a tailgate?

No. A federal study found an average of 242 deaths a year in pickup cargo areas in the late 1970s, and a vehicle manual we read says not to allow passengers in the luggage space. Keep people in seats with belts.

Can I drive with the tailgate down or open?

Check your owner’s manual. Kia and Honda manuals say to keep the rear door closed while driving because exhaust gas can enter the vehicle. We found no maker page covering a lowered pickup tailgate, so follow your own manual.

What does the word tailgate come from?

Dictionary.com says it is an Americanism dating to about 1850 to 1855, from tail plus gate. The same word later also came to mean driving too close behind another car.

Conclusion

A tailgate is the bottom-hinged rear panel of a pickup bed or a wagon, and liftgate, hatch and trunk lid are the terms for the other rear openings. Check your hinge position, read your owner’s manual for the weight limit and warnings, keep hands clear when closing, never carry people on or behind a tailgate, and keep the rear door shut while the car is moving. Maker ratings and features change by model year, so confirm them in the manual for your vehicle.

Facts about GM, Ram and Ford tailgates come from launch coverage and may differ on your truck, so verify before relying on them.