# your mileage may vary

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/your-mileage-may-vary
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

It may work differently in your situation, or be different in your experience.

## Examples

- I loved the course, but your mileage may vary.
- This diet worked wonders for me, though your mileage may vary depending on your metabolism.
- The technique had transformed her productivity, yet she cautioned her colleagues that their mileage might vary given the differences in team structure.

## Origin

The term originates with a regulatory requirement from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The agency mandates that all new vehicles undergo a sequence of standardised emissions tests designed to simulate both city and highway driving. These tests produce estimates for fuel consumption, which are subsequently used by automobile manufacturers in their advertisements. Because no laboratory simulation can account for the infinite variety of individual driving habits and environmental conditions, the actual fuel economy achieved by a driver frequently fails to match the laboratory figure. To avoid litigation regarding these discrepancies, manufacturers adopted the standard disclaimer "your mileage may vary." The phrase moved from the fine print of automotive marketing into general English as a method of acknowledging that individual results are subject to personal circumstance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.