The average car buyer is completely baffled by technical jargon and does not know his ABS from his SUV. That is the finding of a survey conducted by website motoring.co.uk of 2,500 would-be car purchasers.

32% of drivers surveyed did not know that ABS stood for anti-lock braking system and 23% failed to associate BHP with brake horsepower. Katie Armitage, marketing manager of Motors.co.uk, commented “boot space, comfort and cup holders are the kind of things buyers want to know about rather than being overwhelmed with technical jargon they don’t understand.”

The 10 top terms that confused car buyers were:

1. SUV (sports utility vehicle)
2. MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)
3. BHP (brake horsepower)
4. ABS (anti-lock braking system)
5. Traction control
6. Cruise control
7. Hybrid
8. Understeer
9. 4WD (four wheel drive)
10. RDSS (radio determination satellite service)