Cup holders: The lack of them or their inconvenient placement in a car

Some cars place cup holders only to tick off the box without any particular thought about their usefulness or practicality.

BHPian HereticHermit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Sharing the news report.

I have to say the cup holder or lack of them at convenient place is my biggest pet peeve in a general sense. But i am addressing the wider perspective here and in no way meaning to propagate beer can holders. Proper water bottle holders, map pockets, phone storage and charging solutions, dress hooks, vanity mirror, storage solutions and a little Led to light up boot space and dark areas don't really cost a bomb but car makers only do bare minimum for heck of it on creature comfort and continue to harp on latest tech.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

As someone who always has a coffee travel-mug to accompany morning drives, I completely agree with you.

A few manufacturers do cupholders well (usually, international models sold in the USA where customers are big coffee drinkers on the move). But other than that, I have found the cup-holder placement to be off. One media car I test-drove recently (can't remember model name) didn't have a cupholder and I had to place my InstaCuppa travel mug in the damn door pocket! In a few others, the standard-size coffee mug doesn't fit.

Here are two threads that will interest you:

A complicated cupholder

DIY Cupholders

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:

Point on.

This can be seen in economy cars too. Take the present WagonR as an example. Yes, it got the 1.2l engine and more space. But useful places? Nope. It is sad to see that the 3rd gen Indian WagonR doesn't have half the useful storage options of the 1st and 2nd gen Indian WagonRs. The dashboard has just become a useless slab of plastic to hold the touchscreen.

Also IMHO, interior plastic quality of mainstream cars peaked in the 90s to mid '00s. Higher end cars may have still have good quality, but it has been downhill for affordable cars since. (Talking about global models, not just Indian)

And about the door handles. Sorry Anand Mahindra, but this could be very well one small reason for me to reject the XUV700. This is a touch point that all of us use more than even the steering wheel. Add to that the motorised door handles is available only on the topmost variant. Two uncomfortable steps to open a door, than one simple step to open a door. Can frequently see many XUV700s riding around with one or two door handles popped out. Ofcourse, it has waiting period stretching to years and I guess owners tend to get used to them in a few days. So just me nitpicking. Also shows lack of planning, that the XUV700 and ScorpioN loses a cupholder for the rotary knob in higher variants. And which idiot decided to make the centre armrest storage in the ScorpioN shallower to accomodate the rear AC vents???

BTW, before anyone says the Euro POV of 'we need no cupholders when driving ze car' , for us Indians it is more of a bottle holder.

Here's what BHPian Altrozed had to say on the matter:

All the points mentioned are worth being implemented but at what cost of customer satisfaction is the question comes. Cup holders is a very important aspect but takes of prime real estate where customers now expect to place keys or mobile or get a adjustable hand rest. And yes, market received them almost.

Coat hooks ? One needs a survey on this. How many car owners use this coat hook here in Team bhp or outside world ? I didn't use it as it blocks my shoulder view for blind corners.

More than this, a hook on co pax side footwall or in boot is more preferred.

When customers whine for fully automated AC, wipers, headlamps and manufacturer provides them but skips on parcel tray, bootlamp etc.

So, cost isn't a concern but manufacturers are definitely providing what the market demands .

In most cases, we are a small minority who don't understand reality.

Here's what BHPian amitayu had to say on the matter:

Some cars place cup holders only to tick off the box without any particular thought about their usefulness or practicality. More often than not, they foul with the gear stick/ hand brake/ hand rest!!

BUt perhaps the worst one's are those designed very near to the electronic ports (charging or USB connect ports for the infotainment system). One spill and you risk damaging your devices and the car system!!!

Here's what BHPian JReacher13 had to say on the matter:

Completely agree. Not being able to have a coffee/ beverage conveniently without getting distracted due to awkward position of cup holders is real problem.

The positioning of cup holders in Nexon, in the glove box and beneath armrest is very impractical, makes them namesake. I think the retractable design I saw sometime back in top-end dzire is the most practical one.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.