Over the years, car manufacturers have continued to develop cars with more and more technology, speed and gadgets.

When you read the spec sheets, you may find that they have lots of abbreviations and acronyms which can confuse even the most experienced of car experts.

Here at Bodymek, we have compiled a list of car jargon that you are likely to come across when picking a new car.

A

Airbag – Inflatable cushioning designed to release in the event of a collision. Once rapidly inflated, they protect passengers from collision with the hard surfaces on the inside of the vehicle. They’ll usually be found in the dashboard and in pillars or doors.

Antilock braking system – An automatic system which prevents any of the wheels from locking during an emergency brake, as well as helping to improve steering and minimise stopping distances.

Automatic transmission – As opposed to manual transmission, A/T is a gearbox that can shift through gears automatically. Fully A/T cars won’t come with a manual clutch or gearstick at all.

Aux – Refers to ‘auxiliary’. This is usually used to refer to an audio connection; as a type of input jack that can connect phones, tablets and other devices directly to the car’s inbuilt audio systems.

AWD – All-wheel drive. This means that power is sent to all of the wheels of the car. AWD cars can either be permanent, where power will always be sent to each and every wheel, or switchable. The latter means that power is primarily fed to two wheels, but can be fed to all four when a slip is detected. Some manufacturers refer to this as 4×4, or 4WD.

B

BAS – Abbreviation for the Brake Assist System which is designed to help in emergency braking situations.

BHP – Brake horsepower. This is the standard unit measurement of the power of an engine. Usually, the higher a car’s BHP is, the higher its top speed and the faster its acceleration. The unit refers to an engine’s ‘raw’ horsepower output before frictional loses occur.

C

Chassis number – Another term for the VIN (vehicle identification number)

CNG – Compressed natural gas. An alternative fuel to petrol or diesel that requires an engine conversion to use.

CO – Carbon monoxide.  A harmful engine exhaust emission.

CO2 – Carbon dioxide. One of the main gasses emitted from a car’s exhaust and one of the principal causes of global warming. Usually given in grams per kilometre (e.g. 120g/km).

Cruise control – An automatic system that helps control the car’s speed, keeping it at a constant. Most will allow the driver to set a particular speed, and then bring the car to that speed and cruise.

Cylinder- There are various cylinder arrangements. They range from three, four or six in one line to six or eight in the shape of a letter V. You also have the W shape arrangement, which consists of two V shapes.

D:

Dampers – A key component of a car’s suspension system. Dampers, also known as ‘shock absorbers’, take the impact of the car rising and falling, helping to balance it out.

Depreciation – Depreciation refers to the percentage rate at which a vehicle’s value falls over a given timeframe. All cars are victim to this over the course of their life, and it’s particularly significant during a car’s first three years on the road.

D-Pillar– This is often found in much bigger cars, such as estates or SUVs. The pillars are either side of the rear window.

DDI– DDI stands for Direct Diesel Injection. If you have a diesel engine, then you will spray atomised fuel right into the combustion chamber of every cylinder. This improves your fuel economy and your car’s performance.

Diesel Engine– A diesel engine runs on diesel fuel. Engines like this do not require spark plugs, which ignite the fuel. With a diesel engine, the fuel is compressed in the cylinders until it reaches the temperature required for combustion. They work at a higher combustible rate and generate higher torque, but use less fuel.

DOHC– DOHC stands for Double Overhead Camshaft. It’s an engine which is much more efficient when compared to an engine which just has a single camshaft.

DPF– DPF is an acronym for Diesel Particulate Filter. This traps particles in the exhaust, which are then burnt.

DRL– This stands for Daylight Running Lamps. This is a low-energy light which is fitted to the car. This will switch on automatically when the vehicle is being driven. It essentially makes your car much more visible when on the road. DRLs are made out of white LED lights.

DAB- This is the  way to receive radio without noise interference and loss of sound quality.

DVLA – The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is the UK government department responsible for recording the names of drivers and their vehicle registration details throughout the whole of the UK. They also issue drivers licences and sell personalised number plates.

E

Electronic stability control – To help combat under steer and over steer, as well as improve safety, this electronic program individually applies the brake to a particular wheel if it detects a loss of steering. It may also be referred to as ‘Dynamic stability control’.

ESC– This is an electronic device which applies the brakes to specific wheels when you lose control of steering. It also helps to combat both over steering and under steering.

EDL – Uses ABS sensors on the driven wheels to determine if one wheel is spinning faster than the others.

ESP – Improves a vehicle’s stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction (skidding).

EBC – Prevents the driven wheels from locking owing to the braking effect of the engine when the accelerator pedal is suddenly released, or the vehicle is braked with a gear engaged.

EV – An electric vehicle. This refers to any car that’s largely powered by an electric motor. This can cover everything from E-REVs to Hybrids.

F

FSH – Full service history. This refers to a car that has a full log of regular maintenance, and had received annual service stamps from approved outlets.

Fuel injection – This is a system where by atomised fuel is applied directly to the combustion chamber of each cylinder in a car’s engine.

FWD – Front wheel drive. This is where engine power is applied to the front wheels of the car only.

G

Gross weight – The total weight of a given car, plus its maximum load of occupants and cargo that it can safely hold.

Gap insurance – This is insurance that cover any “gap” between the amount the lessees insurance company will pay to the lessee if the leased vehicle is stolen or destroyed and the remaining amount the lessee owes at that time to the leasing company.

H

Hatchback – This is a popular car body type, defined by a boot door that covers almost all of the

HP – Horsepower. This is a standard unit measurement of an engine’s work rate. It gives you some idea of how rapidly a model of car can overcome issues such as weight and drag when on the move, and is calculated by multiplying torque by speed.

HPI Check – A service that provides extensive history checking for used models. It will outline whether the car is damaged, written-off, clocked or stolen. Anyone looking to buy a used vehicle should strongly consider a HPI check before purchasing.

Hybrid – Any vehicle which is powered by both a fuel engine and an electric motor. Many hybrids will jump between the two ‘modes’ when driving conditions are best suited to that particular form of power.

I

Immobiliser – This is an electronic safety device fitted into your car that prevents the engine from turning on unless the correct key is used. They are usually fitted into all new cars and lower the risks of vehicle theft.

J

Jacked-up – Refers to a type of vehicle that is raised high-up off the ground by its suspension.

K

Kerb weight – This is the weight of a car, or any given model; with fuel, oil and water inside but without any passengers or cargo.

L

LED – Light Emitting Diode. Using much less power than a standard filament bulb, this light source is now widely used across many models and manufacturers. You’re likely to see LEDs used in your low-beam headlights, brake lights and indicators.

List price – The cost of a car as it’s driven off the forecourt, before any depreciation has occurred. It takes into account the factory cost of the car, plus any additional fees including VAT and delivery. The list price is the theoretical maximum a customer would pay for a car from a dealership.

LWB – Long Wheelbase. This is an extended version of an existing vehicle chassis; often represented as a variant of some luxury saloons.

M

Modifications – Changes that have been made to the bodywork, engine, wheels and other parts of your car from its original factory state.

MPG– Miles per Gallon. This is the amount of miles that a car can travel, for every gallon of fuel used.

MPH– The number of miles a car can travel when maintaining a constant speed for one hour

Multi-Link Suspension– This type of suspension uses three lateral arms and one longitudinal arm. This gives you an excellent level of handling, but you do pay more for this type of system.

N

Naturally Aspirated– An engine where the cylinders draw in the fuel mixture under pressure, rather than forcing it into a turbocharger or even a supercharger.

NVH– NVH is a measure of vibration and noise. There are legal requirements that relate to the noise produced and the vibration, but car manufacturers will often spend a lot of time fine-tuning this in accordance to the vehicle model or class.

O

Odometer– A device which is used to record the amount of mileage a vehicle has done in its lifetime.

Over steer– Where a car corners, and the wheels at the back lose grip. This can lead to a tail-out slide.

P

PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This refers to a type of car with a particularly good range of electric power, owing to a large propulsion battery,

Power steering – Any form of steering that is assisted by hydraulic or electrical motors.

PS – An alternative measure of engine power to BHP, largely used in Europe.

R

Range – The distance any given electric vehicle can travel, from full charge, before it would run out and require charging again.

Road tax band – This is a grouping system which specifies how much road tax  must be paid on a particular model. These are graded based on CO2 emissions.

RWD – Rear wheel drive. Where the power is sent to the rear wheels only.

S

Supercharger– A supercharger is very similar to a turbocharger, but the compressor is driven mechanically by the engine as opposed to the gases which are generated by the exhaust. Superchargers do not suffer from any kind of lag, but some part of the engine is required to power them.

Suspension– The springs, the dampers and even the links that attach a vehicle to its wheels. A luxurious car’s suspension will focus on isolating the occupants from any uneven surfaces, but a sports car’s set will favour more towards handling corners.

SORN – A Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) is when you register a vehicle that you no longer use on the roads to the DVLA in exchange for redemption from vehicle tax. It also means that you are not legally required to insure the vehicle.

SUV – Sports Utility Vehicle. These refers to a tall and largely-sized vehicle with various levels of off-road capability. Many will have four-wheel drive, as well as particularly powerful engines. They’re distinct from crossover SUVs in that they’re built on a platform akin to a truck.

T

TCS– TCS stands for Traction Control System. It’s an electronic system that contains the wheel spin. This is normally done by cutting the engine power.

TFT– TFT is a type of LCD display. It is used to try and display information about the car’s function. TFT is standard on computer monitors as it improves the image quality.

Torque– This is the twisting or the moving force that is generated by the motor. This is normally done by a peak figure in NM, or Newton Metres. Torque essentially determines how quickly the power can be transferred to the wheels. It’s a particularly useful way to determine the measurement of acceleration.

Transmission– This is most often referred to the type of gearbox, whether it is auto or manual. Several types of semi-automatic gearboxes are available however.

Trim Level– This is the specification of the vehicle, which happens to include the wheel type, the materials which have been used in the interior and the bundled tech in general. The choices range from entry-level to range-topping trims. Trim levels do not refer to the engine, but a specific engine might be for each trim level.

Turbocharger– This is a method which is used to try and get more air into the cylinders. The air is compressed, and it is then blown in. This increases the amount of power that the engine has. The atmospheric air is compressed by a turbine that spins any exhaust gases from the engine.

TFSI – Turbo fuel stratified injection, this combines petrol direct injection with turbo charging.

Tiptronic – Tiptronic transmission is an automatic gearbox that also has the ability to change gears manually.

TDI – An abbreviation for “Turbocharged Direct Injection” and is the branding for its turbocharged diesel engines that have direct fuel injection.

U

Under steer– Under steering is a term that is used during cornering. The car tends to push in a straight line, as opposed to following the corner in an arc.

V

Valves– Devices which are actuated by the camshaft. This opens and closes around the combustion chamber and it allows the fuel mixture in. If you were to buy a high-performance engine, then this would normally have four valves. This would include two inlet and two exhaust for every cylinder in the vehicle.

VIN– The VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number is a very unique number that is normally 17 digits long. It’s given to every vehicle upon being manufactured. It’s used to identify vehicles so you can check the history of them during every stage.

VRM – Vehicle Registration Mark, commonly know as a registration number which us used to uniquely identify a vehicle.

W

Wankel Engine– This is a type of rotary engine. The combustion process spins around a triangle-shaped rotor inside the housing. The main benefit of this is that it is able to deliver very smooth power from a small number of revs.

Wheelbase -This is the horizontal distance between the front and rear axles of a road or rail vehicle

Y

Year built – The year in which a car was manufactured and became available to buy.

Z

ZEV – Zero emission vehicle

We understand that choosing a new car can be a daunting and confusing experience but if you are able to take your time and make sure that you are not rushing the process, then you will find exactly what you are looking for.

 If you need some additional support, why not give our team a call on 01604 589179. We are always happy to discuss the any questions you may have before purchasing a new or used vehicle.