Lightweighting has been a concept in most industries. Manufacturing engineering components with low density is currently seen as a way to achieve better efficiency and handling. Hence, low-density ZrB2 ceramic particles were incorporated in the matrix of Zn to produce lightweight Zn–ZrB2 nanocomposite coatings. After preliminary runs of the experiment, coated samples were developed varying the mass concentration of ZrB2 nanoparticles between 7 g/L and 13 g/L at cell voltages of 0.3 and 0.5 V, and at a constant temperature of 45 °C. The Corrosion rate was examined in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution in accordance with ASTM standard using the potentiodynamic polarization technique, while the Brinell hardness technique was used to determine the hardness of samples. A Pin-on-disc tribometer was used to determine the coefficient of friction (COF) of the samples. The microstructures of the coatings were investigated using OPM, SEM and XRD. The result of the potentiodynamic polarization test indicated that there was an enhancement in corrosion resistance by the coating with a reduction in corrosion rate from 12.345 mm/year to 0.8587 mm/year, indicating significant protection of the carbon steel's active sites and passivating effect of the coating. The hardness value was also observed to have increased from 137.9 kgf/mm2 for the uncoated steel to 245.8 kgf/mm2 for the coated steel, which shows that the coating provided a strengthening mechanism for the steel surface. Moreso, the uncoated steel exhibited higher COF compared to the entire coated samples. The SEM and OPM images revealed that the coated samples exhibited refined surface morphology. The refined SEM morphology of the coatings was attributed to the dispersion and dissolution of nanoparticles. The XRD also indicated that the coatings possessed chemical and microstructural homogeneity, good quality texture and high stability.