What is coasting?

• A. Staying in gear with the accelerator held
• B. Driving with the engine off
• C. A vehicle travelling in neutral or with the clutch pressed down.
• D. A vehicle in reverse with no engine

Answer: (C)

Coasting means the engine isn’t connected to the wheels, so the car moves without engine braking and without the engine driving the wheels. The best description here is a vehicle travelling in neutral or with the clutch pressed down, because both of these disengage the engine from the drivetrain, letting the wheels move freely.

Staying in gear with the accelerator held keeps the engine linked to the wheels, so you’re controlling speed with the throttle and/or engine braking, not coasting. Driving with the engine off isn’t the standard way coasting is defined, and a vehicle in reverse with no engine isn’t the typical coasting situation either.