Car Jargon Buster!

Do you ever come across a car you’re interested in buying, you look at the features and find you don’t know what half of them mean? You’re not alone. There’s a lot of car terminology and acronyms out there that people don’t know, so we’re going to break down the most common ones in this guide.

A:

Anti Lock braking system - This helps prevent the wheels from locking if you have to brake suddenly and harshly, which helps you to still steer and keep control of the car

Appreciation - This term means the opposite of depreciation, which means loss of value. Instead appreciation refers to the increase in value of a car over time.

AWD - This stands for all wheel drive, which some manufacturers and dealerships may also refer to as 4X4 or 4WD. This means power is sent to all four wheels of the car while you’re driving, giving you improved traction.

B:

BHP - Refers to ‘brake horsepower’, which is the unit of measurement referring to the amount of power from the engine. The higher the brake horsepower, the higher its top speed and the faster it accelerates.

C:

Cabriolet - Used to describe a vehicle with a ‘soft top’ or folding roof, particularly coupes.

Coupe - A vehicle with a detached boot lid, not fixed to the roof like a hatchback.

Crossover - A type of SUV, built on a chassis based on a standard car, rather than a truck style chassis like most SUVs are.

D:

DPF- This stands for diesel particulate filter, a component in diesel cars that traps harmful and toxic particles and burns them off.

Dampers - Also referred to as shock absorbers, these are an integral part of the suspension set up on your car, helping to take the impact of the car rising and falling.

Depreciation -  The loss of value of a car over a certain period of time. Depreciation is at its highest during the first 3 years of owning a brand new car.

E:

Electronic Stability Control - Fitted as standard on all cars since 2014, if your car begins to slide or skid, electronic stability control will engage and automatically apply gentle braking to individual wheels in order to regain stability.

EV - Electric Vehicle. This is any car powered by an electric motor, whether that be a full EV or a hybrid

F:

FSH - Full service history. This shows a car has received regular yearly maintenance.

Fuel Injector - Essentially a valve that delivers fuel into the engine cylinders, in as finer mist as possible so it can ignite easily. 

FWD - Front wheel drive. All of the power is delivered to the front wheels of the car. 

G:

GT - Stands for Grand Tourer. A type of sports car designed for long distance driving and high speeds. 

Gross Vehicle Weight - The entire weight of the vehicle, including the maximum load of occupants and luggage it can hold. 

To be continued…