What does mph on a car mean?
2 Answers
mph on a car refers to miles per hour, with mph being the abbreviation for Mile Per Hour, which is the speed measurement unit for miles, similar to the kilometer per hour used in domestic contexts. mph is commonly known as 'mile' and is typically used in the UK, former British colonies, and Commonwealth countries for calculating speed, road speed limits, and tennis serve speeds. In reality, the internationally standardized unit for speed is kilometers per hour. Although not a derived unit of the International System of Units, kilometers per hour is widely used worldwide as the standard unit for car speedometers and road signage.
I encountered this issue last year during a self-driving trip in the US when I didn't immediately recognize the mph display on the car's dashboard. mph stands for miles per hour, which is completely different from the kilometers per hour we commonly use. One mile is approximately equal to 1.6 kilometers, so don't mistake 60mph for a slow speed—it's actually close to 100km/h. This is especially important on highways, where confusing mph for km/h can easily lead to speeding. Some imported vehicles automatically switch units based on the sales region, but older models may require manual adjustment, usually found in the dashboard settings menu. This unit discrepancy is most common in US-spec vehicles, so it's something to watch out for if you purchase a parallel import car.