Automotive Abbreviations
116 abbreviations · part of Transportation & Travel Abbreviations
Abbreviations found on car window stickers, spec sheets, dashboards, repair orders and buying guides: drivetrains (AWD, 4WD), body styles (SUV, CUV), transmissions (CVT, DCT), engines, electrified powertrains (EV, PHEV), diagnostics (OBD-II, DTC), driver-assistance features (ACC, AEB) and terms used when buying a car (VIN, MSRP). Usage follows US conventions, with British and European equivalents noted where they differ. Brand-specific badges are included only where the expansion is documented by the manufacturer.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2WD | Two-wheel drive | Description used in pickup truck and SUV listings for versions that drive only two wheels, usually the rear on trucks and the front on crossovers. 2WD models are… |
| 3PMSF | Three-peak mountain snowflake | Symbol of a snowflake inside a three-peaked mountain, molded on tires that have passed a standardized snow traction test showing at least 10 percent better acceleration… |
| 4WD | Four-wheel drive | Drivetrain, typical of pickup trucks and off-road SUVs, in which a transfer case lets the driver lock power to both axles, often with a low-range gear (4L) for steep or… |
| ABS | Anti-lock braking system | Safety system that prevents wheels from locking during hard braking by rapidly releasing and reapplying brake pressure many times per second, so the driver can keep… |
| ACC | Adaptive cruise control | Driver-assistance feature that holds a set speed but automatically slows down and speeds up to keep a chosen following distance from the vehicle ahead, using radar or… |
| ADAS | Advanced driver-assistance systems | Umbrella term for electronic features that help drivers avoid crashes and reduce workload, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping… |
| ADM | Additional dealer markup | Extra charge some car dealers add above the manufacturer's suggested retail price on high-demand models, listed on a supplementary sticker. |
| AEB | Automatic emergency braking | Safety system that detects an imminent collision with a vehicle, pedestrian or obstacle ahead and applies the brakes automatically if the driver does not react. |
| AMG | Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach | Performance division of Mercedes-Benz that builds high-powered versions of Mercedes models, badged AMG. |
| AMT | Automated manual transmission | Gearbox that uses a conventional single clutch and manual gear set operated by electronic or hydraulic actuators instead of the driver. |
| AT | Automatic transmission | Transmission that changes gears without driver input, traditionally using a torque converter and planetary gear sets. |
| ATF | Automatic transmission fluid | Hydraulic fluid that lubricates, cools and transmits power inside automatic transmissions, typically dyed red to distinguish it from engine oil. |
| AWD | All-wheel drive | Drivetrain that sends power to all four wheels automatically, usually all the time or whenever sensors detect slip, without driver input. |
| BCM | Body control module | Computer that manages a vehicle's body electronics, such as interior and exterior lights, power windows, door locks, wipers, the horn and the security system. |
| BEV | Battery electric vehicle | Vehicle powered solely by a rechargeable battery pack and electric motors, with no gasoline engine. |
| BSM | Blind spot monitoring | System that uses radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes that the driver may not see, illuminating a warning light in or near the side… |
| CAN | Controller Area Network | Communication network that lets a vehicle's electronic modules share data over a pair of wires instead of separate wiring for every signal. |
| CCS | Combined Charging System | EV charging standard that combines an AC charging plug with two extra large pins for DC fast charging in one connector. |
| CEL | Check engine light | Amber dashboard warning lamp, usually shaped like an engine, that lights when the vehicle's computer detects a fault in the engine or emissions system. |
| CHAdeMO | CHAdeMO DC charging standard | Japanese fast-charging standard for electric vehicles, used by the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and early EVs worldwide. |
| CPO | Certified pre-owned | Used vehicle that has passed a manufacturer's multipoint inspection and is sold by a franchised dealer with an extended factory-backed warranty. |
| CUV | Crossover utility vehicle | SUV-style vehicle built on a car's unibody platform rather than a truck frame, giving lighter weight, better fuel economy and a smoother ride. |
| CV | Constant velocity joint | Flexible joint on a vehicle's axle shafts that transfers power to the wheels at a constant speed while allowing them to steer and move up and down with the suspension. |
| CVT | Continuously variable transmission | Automatic transmission with no fixed gears, typically using a steel belt or chain running between two variable-diameter pulleys to provide an infinite range of ratios. |
| DCFC | Direct current fast charging | Public EV charging that supplies DC power directly to the battery, bypassing the car's onboard charger, at typically 50 to 350 kilowatts. |
| DCT | Dual-clutch transmission | Automated gearbox with two clutches, one for odd and one for even gears, so the next gear is preselected and shifts happen in milliseconds without interrupting power. |
| DEF | Diesel exhaust fluid | Solution of 32.5 percent high-purity urea in deionized water, sprayed into the exhaust of modern diesel vehicles so the SCR catalyst can convert nitrogen oxides into… |
| DOHC | Dual overhead camshaft | Engine design with two camshafts in each cylinder head, one operating the intake valves and one the exhaust valves, typically with four valves per cylinder. |
| DOT | Department of Transportation tire identification number | Code molded on a tire's sidewall beginning with "DOT," certifying that it meets US safety standards and identifying the factory, size and production date. |
| DPF | Diesel particulate filter | Ceramic filter in a diesel exhaust system that traps soot particles, then burns them off during "regeneration" at high temperature. |
| DRL | Daytime running lights | Low-intensity front lights that switch on automatically whenever the vehicle is running, making it more visible to other road users during the day. |
| DSG | Direct-shift gearbox | Volkswagen Group's name for its dual-clutch transmission, used in Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT and Skoda cars. |
| DTC | Diagnostic trouble code | Five-character fault code stored by a vehicle's computer when it detects a problem, such as P0420 (catalytic converter efficiency below threshold) or P0300 (random… |
| EBD | Electronic brakeforce distribution | Extension of anti-lock brakes that automatically varies braking force between front and rear wheels, and sometimes side to side, according to load and road conditions. |
| ECM | Engine control module | Manufacturer term, used by General Motors and many others, for the computer that runs the engine's fuel, spark and emissions functions. |
| ECU | Engine control unit | Onboard computer that manages an engine's fuel injection, ignition timing, idle speed, variable valve timing and emissions systems using data from dozens of sensors.… |
| EFI | Electronic fuel injection | Fuel system in which a computer controls injectors that spray precisely metered fuel into the engine, replacing the carburetor. |
| EGR | Exhaust gas recirculation | Emissions system that routes a portion of exhaust gas back into the engine's intake, lowering combustion temperatures to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. |
| ESC | Electronic stability control | Safety system that detects when a vehicle begins to skid or slide sideways and automatically brakes individual wheels and reduces engine power to keep it on its… |
| ESP | Electronic Stability Program | Bosch and Mercedes-Benz brand name for electronic stability control, widely used in Europe as the generic term. |
| EV | Electric vehicle | Vehicle propelled by one or more electric motors using energy stored in batteries or, less often, produced by a fuel cell. |
| EVAP | Evaporative emission control system | System that traps gasoline vapors from the fuel tank in a charcoal canister and later burns them in the engine, preventing them from escaping into the air. |
| FCEV | Fuel cell electric vehicle | Electric vehicle that generates its electricity on board in a fuel cell combining hydrogen with oxygen from the air, emitting only water vapor. |
| FCW | Forward collision warning | Alert that warns the driver with sounds and lights when the car is closing too quickly on a vehicle or obstacle ahead. |
| FSD | Full Self-Driving | Tesla's name for its most advanced driver-assistance software, which can steer, brake, change lanes and navigate city streets under driver supervision. |
| FWD | Front-wheel drive | Layout in which the engine powers only the front wheels, usually with the engine mounted sideways (transverse). |
| GAP | Guaranteed asset protection | Optional insurance that covers the difference between what a driver owes on a car loan or lease and the vehicle's actual cash value if it is totaled or stolen. |
| GAWR | Gross axle weight rating | Maximum weight a single axle is designed to carry, listed separately for front and rear axles on the door-jamb sticker. |
| GCWR | Gross combined weight rating | Maximum allowed total weight of a loaded vehicle plus a loaded trailer, set by the manufacturer. |
| GDI | Gasoline direct injection | Fuel system that injects gasoline at high pressure directly into the combustion chamber rather than into the intake port, improving efficiency and power. |
| GT | Gran Turismo | Badge for a car designed for fast, comfortable long-distance driving, from the Italian for "grand touring." Today GT labels range from luxury coupes to sporty trims of… |
| GTI | Gran Turismo Iniezione (grand touring injection) | Badge for a sporty, fuel-injected version of a car, made famous by the Volkswagen Golf GTI of 1976, which helped create the hot hatchback category. |
| GVWR | Gross vehicle weight rating | Maximum safe total weight of a vehicle, including the vehicle itself, passengers, cargo and trailer tongue weight, set by the manufacturer and printed on the driver's… |
| HEV | Hybrid electric vehicle | Vehicle combining a gasoline engine with an electric motor and small battery that charges from the engine and regenerative braking, with no plug. |
| HID | High-intensity discharge | Type of headlight that produces light with an electric arc in a xenon-filled bulb rather than a glowing filament, giving brighter, bluish-white light than halogen bulbs. |
| ICE | Internal combustion engine | Engine that burns fuel inside its cylinders or combustion chamber, using the expanding hot gases to drive pistons or a turbine. |
| IIHS | Insurance Institute for Highway Safety | Nonprofit research organization funded by US auto insurers that crash-tests vehicles and publishes ratings, including its Top Safety Pick awards. |
| J1772 | SAE J1772 charging connector | Standard plug for Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging of electric vehicles in North America, used by nearly every non-Tesla EV sold there until the shift to NACS. |
| LDW | Lane departure warning | Alert, such as a chime, a light or a steering-wheel vibration, that warns a driver when the car drifts out of its lane without a turn signal. |
| LKA | Lane keeping assist | Driver-assistance feature that gently steers a car back toward the center of its lane if it begins to drift without a turn signal, using a camera that reads lane… |
| LSD | Limited-slip differential | Differential that limits the speed difference between two wheels on the same axle, sending torque to the wheel with grip when the other starts to spin. |
| LT | Light truck | Tire designation for heavy-duty tires built for pickups, vans and SUVs that carry heavy loads or tow, marked with "LT" before the size, as in LT265/70R17. |
| LWB | Long wheelbase | Version of a vehicle with a stretched distance between front and rear axles, giving more rear legroom in sedans or more cargo space in vans. |
| M+S | Mud and snow | Sidewall marking on all-season and some off-road tires indicating a tread pattern designed for mud and light snow. |
| MAF | Mass airflow sensor | Sensor in the intake tract that measures the mass of air entering the engine, typically using a heated wire or film, so the computer can inject the right amount of fuel. |
| MAP | Manifold absolute pressure | Sensor that measures air pressure inside the intake manifold, which the engine computer uses to calculate engine load and, on turbocharged engines, boost pressure.… |
| MHEV | Mild hybrid electric vehicle | Hybrid system, usually 48-volt, that uses a small motor-generator to assist the engine, restart it smoothly in stop-start traffic and recover braking energy, but cannot… |
| MIL | Malfunction indicator lamp | Official term in emissions regulations and service manuals for the dashboard warning light known to drivers as the check engine light. |
| MPG | Miles per gallon | Measure of fuel economy giving the distance a vehicle travels on one gallon of fuel. |
| MPGe | Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent | EPA efficiency rating for electric and plug-in vehicles, showing how far a vehicle travels on the amount of electricity containing the same energy as one gallon of… |
| MPI | Multipoint injection | Fuel injection system with one injector per cylinder spraying fuel into the intake port just upstream of the intake valve. |
| MPV | Multi-purpose vehicle | Tall, boxy passenger vehicle with flexible seating for six to eight people, known in the US as a minivan and in Britain as a people carrier. |
| MSRP | Manufacturer's suggested retail price | List price set by the automaker for a new vehicle, printed on the window sticker, which dealers may sell above or below. |
| MT | Manual transmission | Transmission in which the driver selects gears with a shift lever and operates a clutch pedal, often called a stick shift. |
| NACS | North American Charging Standard | EV charging connector developed by Tesla and opened to other manufacturers in 2022, now standardized as SAE J3400. |
| NCAP | New Car Assessment Program | Government or independent crash-test program that rates new vehicles for occupant protection with star ratings. |
| OBD | On-board diagnostics | Vehicle self-diagnostic system that monitors engine and emissions components and stores fault codes, which mechanics read with a scan tool. |
| OBD-II | On-board diagnostics II | Standardized diagnostic system required on all cars and light trucks sold in the US since the 1996 model year, with a 16-pin connector usually under the dashboard near… |
| OEM | Original equipment manufacturer | Company whose products or components are sold under another firm's brand, or, in the PC world, the maker that builds and sells complete systems such as Dell, HP and… |
| OHV | Off-highway vehicle | Vehicle designed for off-road recreation, such as an all-terrain vehicle, side-by-side, dirt bike or dune buggy. |
| OTA | Over-the-air updates | Software updates delivered to a vehicle wirelessly through its cellular or Wi-Fi connection, adding features, fixing bugs or addressing recalls without a dealer visit. |
| OTD | Out-the-door price | Total amount a buyer will pay for a vehicle, including the sale price, taxes, title and registration fees, documentation fees and any add-ons. |
| PCM | Powertrain control module | Single computer that controls both the engine and the automatic transmission, common in Ford and Chrysler vehicles. |
| PCV | Positive crankcase ventilation | Emissions system that draws gases that leak past the piston rings (blow-by) out of the crankcase and back into the intake to be burned, rather than venting them to the… |
| PDK | Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (Porsche dual-clutch transmission) | Porsche's dual-clutch transmission, offered in the 911, Cayman, Boxster, Macan and Panamera. |
| PHEV | Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle | Hybrid with a larger battery that can be charged from an outlet or charger, allowing typically 20 to 50 miles or more of electric-only driving before the gasoline… |
| PPI | Pre-purchase inspection | Independent mechanical inspection of a used car before buying, performed by a mechanic chosen by the buyer, typically costing $100 to $250. |
| PTO | Power take-off | Shaft or gearbox drive that lets a truck or tractor engine power external equipment such as pumps, winches, dump beds, mowers and balers. |
| PZEV | Partial zero-emission vehicle | California emissions category for gasoline cars that meet the strict SULEV tailpipe standard, have zero evaporative emissions and carry an extended 15-year or… |
| RCTA | Rear cross-traffic alert | Warning system that detects vehicles approaching from the sides when a car is reversing out of a parking space or driveway. |
| RFT | Run-flat tire | Tire with reinforced sidewalls or an internal support that can keep supporting the car for a limited distance after losing air, typically about 50 miles at up to 50 mph. |
| RPM | Revolutions per minute | Rotational speed of an engine's crankshaft, shown on the tachometer in thousands. |
| RWD | Rear-wheel drive | Layout in which the engine powers only the rear wheels, used in most sports cars, many luxury sedans, police cars and traditional pickup trucks. |
| SCR | Selective catalytic reduction | Exhaust after-treatment system that injects diesel exhaust fluid into a special catalyst, where ammonia from the urea converts nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen… |
| SoC | State of charge | Amount of energy remaining in a battery, expressed as a percentage of its full capacity; the battery equivalent of a fuel gauge. |
| SOHC | Single overhead camshaft | Engine design with one camshaft per cylinder head operating both intake and exhaust valves, often via rocker arms. |
| SRS | Supplemental restraint system | Airbag system, so called because airbags supplement rather than replace seat belts. |
| SRT | Street and Racing Technology | Performance division of Chrysler, now part of Stellantis, responsible for high-performance Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler models such as the Challenger SRT Hellcat. |
| SS | Super Sport | Chevrolet performance trim designation, introduced on the 1961 Impala and later used on the Chevelle, Camaro, Nova and other models. |
| SULEV | Super ultra-low emission vehicle | Strict California emissions category for gasoline vehicles whose smog-forming tailpipe emissions are a small fraction of those of an average new car. |
| SUV | Sport utility vehicle | Tall passenger vehicle with raised ground clearance, a high seating position and often available AWD or 4WD, combining car-like comfort with cargo space. |
| SWB | Short wheelbase | Version of a vehicle with the shorter of two or more available distances between axles, giving a tighter turning circle and easier parking at the cost of interior or… |
| TCM | Transmission control module | Computer that controls an automatic transmission's shift points, clutch pressures and torque-converter lockup, based on vehicle speed, throttle position and engine load. |
| TCS | Traction control system | System that prevents drive wheels from spinning on slippery surfaces by reducing engine power and braking the spinning wheel. |
| TDI | Turbocharged direct injection | Volkswagen Group's designation for its turbocharged diesel engines, widely sold in Golfs, Jettas, Passats and Audis. |
| TPMS | Tire pressure monitoring system | System that warns the driver, usually with a horseshoe-shaped amber light, when one or more tires are significantly underinflated. |
| TSB | Technical service bulletin | Notice issued by a vehicle manufacturer to its dealers describing a known problem and the recommended repair, such as a software update for rough shifting. |
| ULEV | Ultra-low emission vehicle | Emissions certification category for vehicles whose tailpipe pollutants are well below standard limits, defined by California and adopted by other US states. |
| UTQG | Uniform Tire Quality Grading | US labeling system molded into tire sidewalls that rates treadwear, wet traction (AA, A, B or C) and heat resistance (A, B or C). |
| V2G | Vehicle-to-grid | Technology that lets an electric vehicle send power from its battery back to the electric grid, helping utilities balance demand at peak times. |
| V2L | Vehicle-to-load | Feature that lets an electric or hybrid vehicle power external appliances, tools or camping gear from its battery through built-in outlets or an adapter. |
| VIN | Vehicle identification number | Unique 17-character code assigned to every car, truck, motorcycle and trailer, used to register, insure, recall and trace a vehicle's history. |
| VTEC | Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control | Honda system that switches each cylinder between two camshaft profiles, a mild one for economy at low rpm and an aggressive one for power at high rpm. |
| WOT | Wide-open throttle | Condition in which the accelerator is pressed fully and the throttle plate is completely open, letting the engine produce maximum power. |
| XL | Extra load | Tire marking indicating a reinforced passenger tire that can carry more weight at a higher inflation pressure than a standard-load tire of the same size. |
| ZEV | Zero-emission vehicle | Regulatory category for vehicles with no tailpipe emissions, mainly battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars. |