Wait until you find out what that space in between car cup holders is actually for

My Twitter has been absolutely taken over by brainrot posts asking what a particular everyday object is for, and the latest one is that space between the cup holders in a car. Once again, I feel so stupid, because now I know the answer, it makes so much sense. How didn’t I know this?

A few different posts have gone viral on social media this week that contain a photo of a car cup holder with the middle bit circled in red. One says: “Hey @grok what’s the use of this space in the cup holder area?” Another says: “I never understood what that gap in the cup placement area was for, but today I finally figured it out and got convinced.”

People are coming up with all kinds of stupid wrong answers, saying it’s the perfect size to fit a small dumbbell, a set of keys or even a McDonald’s dipping sauce. I must admit that’s actually quite a good one, because you can put your fries in one holder, nuggets in another and rest the sauce in the middle. But that’s obviously not its intended use.

So, what on earth is it for? It seems so pointless, but that space actually has a very important purpose. It’s for a cup handle! If you’re using a travel mug (or a normal mug if you’re brave), the handle is quite low down towards the bottom of the cup, so it wouldn’t fit in the cup holder. But the space means the handle slots in perfectly.

Here’s a photo, which shows how perfectly two mugs fit next to each other in the cup holder, using the space in the middle for the handles. I honestly feel so stupid now.

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Cups go in a cup holder.
Anything harder? pic.twitter.com/U08IVoG79x

— Peter Fuchs – Exploding Heavens Photography (@PeterFuchsVivio) May 14, 2026

“That slot is designed for coffee mug handles. It lets handled cups sit flat and stable in the holders, without tilting or spilling. Smart little detail in most cars!” one person explained. Another added: “Cups or mugs with a protruding handle, the handle can be slotted in that space.” I had no idea!

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Featured image credit: Twitter