The origin of the phrase dates from the early 1970s when the United States Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) began to rate passenger automobiles on their fuel economy. The first ratings were based on measurements of tailpipe emissions in laboratories, not on road testing, and consumers often observed significant differences between the EPA mileage figures and their actual experience. Automakers whose products had favorable EPA numbers bragged of them in their television commercials, but an announcer would usually disclaim, "Your mileage may vary," perhaps so that the automakers could avoid possible claims of false advertising.
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