FWD – Front-Wheel Drive

A Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) car is one where the power from the engine is distributed only to the front wheels.The rear wheels simply roll along behind as the car accelerates.

• Front-wheel drive systems are lighter than <a href="/learn-to-speak-car/rwd-rear-wheel-drive/">rear</a> – or <a href="/learn-to-speak-car/awd-4wd-all-wheel-drive-four-wheel-drive/">four-wheel-drive</a> systems as the engine in most cars is at the front so it’s relatively straight-forward to connect the engine to the wheels either side of it.
• This lighter weight leads to better fuel efficiency.
• Using the front wheels to pull the car through a corner avoids a common cause of accidents in rear-wheel drive cars which is where the power of the rear wheels pushing the car while the driver is attempting to steer around a corner can cause the car to spin.

• Front-wheel drive cars do not have the same traction as all-wheel drive or 4WD cars which gives them limited ability on unsealed surfaces.