Glossary of car terms
The words behind the official numbers: what each figure actually measures, where it comes from, and why your real driving often looks different.
Most brochure numbers come out of a lab test run to a fixed procedure, and the figure from the test and the figure on your Tuesday commute almost never line up. That gap is built into the method, not bad luck. Each entry below says what the figure actually counts, which test it was clocked on, and why your own car tends to read lower. Once you know that, a model page reads as data rather than sales copy. None of this is buying, tax or financial advice. We explain the terms and leave the choosing to you.
We sell nothing and take no money to rank a model. So every term gets the accurate explanation rather than the flattering one.
- Official test figures & real-world use WLTP NEDC Real-world consumption Utility factor
- Driving electric Range Charging curve 10-80% charging time Heat pump (EV) Battery degradation SOC & SOH (charge level & battery health)
- Tax & registration Company-car tax (bijtelling) MRB (vehicle road tax) BPM Residual value & value retention
- Our ratings explained Rating "Sustainability" Rating "Reliability" Rating "Efficiency" Rating "Practicality" Rating "Value retention"
Type a word or abbreviation — e.g. WLTP, range, road tax.
No term matches that filter.
#
- 10-80% charging time
- The time to fast-charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent; more representative than the peak kW.
A
- ADAC Pannenstatistik
- Annual German breakdown statistic from the ADAC automobile club, based on roadside-assistance call-outs; used here as a reliability signal per model segment.
- AdBlue (SCR)
- A urea solution that after-treats nitrogen oxides on modern diesels; it runs out and must be topped up periodically.
- Air suspension
- A suspension system with air bellows instead of steel springs; often height-adjustable, usually a premium option.
- APK (periodic vehicle inspection)
- The legally mandatory periodic RDW inspection for safety and environment; not a valuation or warranty.
B
- Battery capacity (net/gross)
- Gross is the total cell energy in kWh; net is the usable portion the car actually draws on — and the range figure is based on the net number.
- Battery degradation
- The gradual capacity loss of an EV battery over time and use; usually a few percent per year, faster in the first year then slowing down.
- Bidirectional charging (feeding back: V2L, V2H, V2G)
- An EV that not only charges but also feeds back: to appliances (V2L), to a home (V2H) or to the grid (V2G).
- Boot volume (VDA)
- Luggage space measured with the standardised VDA method using 1-litre blocks.
- BPM
- A one-off tax on registering a passenger car in the Netherlands; here only factual as a concept.
- BPM — import & rate details
- More on how BPM is built up (CO2 brackets) and how the depreciation works when importing a used car into the Netherlands. No calculation or tax advice.
C
- CCS (Combined Charging System)
- The European DC fast-charge standard: a Type 2 plug extended with two extra pins for direct current.
- Charge card & roaming
- The card or app that unlocks public charge points; roaming lets one card work across multiple networks.
- Charging curve
- How fast a car charges at different battery levels: starts fast, slows above 80%. The shape of that curve matters more than the peak-kW headline figure.
- Charging power (AC/DC)
- The power in kW at which an EV can charge alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC).
- CO2 emission & emission class
- The type-approved CO2 emission in g/km and the Euro emission class; factual data, not a fiscal calculation.
- Company-car tax (bijtelling)
- A fiscal addition to income for private use of a company car; explained here only factually.
- Crossover
- An intermediate body style between hatchback and SUV: taller than a hatchback, lower than an SUV and usually aimed at urban use.
D
- Drive layout (FWD, RWD, AWD)
- Which wheels get power: front wheels (FWD), rear wheels (RWD) or all four (AWD); it affects traction and consumption.
- Drivetrain & battery warranty
- The factory warranty on the engine or drivetrain, and on EVs a separate, longer battery warranty with a capacity threshold.
E
- Estate (station wagon)
- A hatchback or sedan with an extended rear for extra luggage space; in English: estate or station wagon.
- Euro NCAP safety
- Independent crash test with stars and sub-scores; the standard tightens per protocol, so the year belongs with it.
- EV (fully electric car)
- A car driven solely by one or more electric motors that draws its energy from a battery charged at a charging point.
G
- Ground clearance & ride height
- The distance between the lowest point of the car and the ground; it determines how much unevenness can pass underneath.
H
- Hatchback
- A compact passenger car with a tailgate that runs up into the roof, without a separate boot lid.
- Heat pump (EV)
- A heating system that uses ambient heat and lets the range drop less in cold weather than a resistance heater.
- Hybrid (self-charging)
- A car with a combustion engine and an electric motor without a charging connection; it charges itself via the engine and braking energy.
L
- LPG (autogas)
- Liquefied petroleum gas as an alternative fuel; in Europe mainly as a retrofitted or factory option on petrol cars.
M
- Mild hybrid, full hybrid & PHEV
- Three kinds of hybrid: light electric support, self-charging full hybrid, and plug-in with a plug.
- MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)
- A spacious family car with a tall roof and usually five to seven seats, focused on passenger and luggage volume.
- MRB (vehicle road tax)
- Periodic ownership tax for a registered vehicle; explained here only as a concept.
N
- NEDC
- The old EU test used before 2018; its figures were systematically lower than reality — and lower than today's WLTP numbers.
- NEDC versus WLTP
- The difference between the old and the current EU test standard; WLTP figures sit structurally higher than NEDC.
P
- Particulate filter (DPF/OPF)
- A filter that catches soot particles from the exhaust and burns them off periodically; many short trips hamper the regeneration.
- PHEV (plug-in hybrid)
- A hybrid with a charging connection and a battery that allows several tens of kilometres of purely electric driving.
R
- Range
- The distance an electric car covers on one full battery; the WLTP statement deviates from real-world use.
- Rating "Efficiency"
- Our summary score for how economical a model is per kilometre — higher means less fuel or energy per km (0–100). Based on the official WLTP figure and owner reports.
- Rating "Practicality"
- Our summary score for daily usability; built from boot volume, space, towing weight and flexibility. Higher is better (0–100).
- Rating "Reliability"
- Our summary score for breakdown sensitivity and sustained usability; based on ADAC breakdown statistics and owner reports. Higher is better (0–100).
- Rating "Sustainability"
- Our summary score for environmental impact per kilometre driven — higher means less impact (0–100). Built from emissions, energy source and lifespan.
- Rating "Value retention"
- Our summary score for how well a model holds its new price; based on historical residual-value curves. Higher is better (0–100).
- Real-world consumption
- The consumption drivers achieve in daily use, typically higher than the WLTP statement.
- Regenerative braking
- Recovering braking energy by letting the electric motor work as a generator; it lowers consumption and brake wear.
- Registration document
- The official registration document with the binding vehicle data, issued in the Netherlands by the RDW.
- Residual value & value retention
- What a car is still worth after a number of years; value retention is that as a percentage of the new price.
- Residual-value curve
- The course of the market value over the years; steep in the first year, then flattening, differing per segment.
S
- Sedan
- A four-door passenger car with a separate enclosed boot behind the cabin; the classic three-box body style.
- SOC & SOH (charge level & battery health)
- SOC = how full the battery is right now (like a fuel gauge). SOH = how much of the original capacity is left — useful to know when buying a used EV.
- SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle)
- A car that sits higher on its wheels with larger wheels and a more upright seating position, with or without all-wheel drive.
T
- Timing belt or chain
- The valve drive: a belt with a fixed replacement interval, or a chain that in principle lasts the engine's lifetime.
- Top speed (V-max)
- The highest speed a model reaches or at which it is limited; a manufacturer statement, not a real-world measurement.
- Towing weight (braked/unbraked)
- The maximum trailer mass a car may tow, stated separately for braked and unbraked trailers.
- Type 2 (Mennekes)
- The European standard plug for alternating-current (AC) charging, at home and at public charge points.
U
- Utility factor
- For plug-in hybrids: the official assumption about how often the car is charged. It shapes the brochure figure — charge rarely and you will use far more fuel than it states.
V
- Vehicle weight (kerb weight, payload, GVW)
- The kerb weight, the permitted payload and the maximum permitted mass; what is binding is the type plate.
W
- WLTP
- The official EU laboratory test that has set the stated fuel consumption and electric range since 2018 — the figure you see on every brochure.
Further reading
The same terms put to use: in a comparison, a filtered list, or the guided walk-through.
- Compare models →
- Two models’ specs side by side, with the terms you just read shown in context.
- Find-a-car guide →
- Answer a few questions about how you drive; the guide filters the catalogue.
- Petrol to EV or hybrid →
- What actually changes when you switch drivetrain: range, charging, the tax terms.
- WLTP correction tools →
- Enter a WLTP figure and read an indicative real-world value yourself — for range, fuel use or kWh.
- Electric models →
- Every fully electric model, sorted by stated efficiency.
- Hybrid models →
- Mild, full and plug-in hybrids in one filtered list.
- All models →
- The full catalogue, filtered by body type, fuel, brand or rating.