garage (UK) = gas station (US)?

[White Hat]

I've been actively using a book (English in 30 days) by Sonia Brough and Carolyn Wittmann in my teaching program. I really like the course. The copy I'm using was translated from German (into Russian), but all the dialogues are voiced-over by native (British) English speakers.
In one of the lessons, a guys runs out of petrol and has "a long walk to the garage". Now - as someone who lived in the US for many years I was somewhat bewildered to find out "garage" stands for "gas station"!
Do they really use this word to mean "petrol station" in the UK these days?

 

[bhaisahab]

I've been actively using a book (English in 30 days) by Sonia Brough and Carolyn Wittmann in my teaching program. I really like the course. The copy I'm using was translated from German (into Russian), but all the dialogues are voiced-over by native (British) English speakers.
In one of the lessons, a guys runs out of petrol and has "a long walk to the garage". Now - as someone who lived in the US for many years I was somewhat bewildered to find out "garage" stands for "gas station"!
Do they really use this word to mean "petrol station" in the UK these days?

Sometimes yes, although, "filling station" or "petrol station" are probably more common.

 

[BobK]

Sometimes yes, although, "filling station" or "petrol station" are probably more common.

:up: A 'garage' can suggest somewhere that has mechanics. But if you're driving and say 'I think we'll stop at the next garage and fill up' it's clear that it means 'petrol station'. I think 'garage' may be dying out. I doubt if my father ever said 'petrol station'; my son would rarely if ever say 'garage' (except when making allowances for us old fogeys). ;-)

b

 

[emsr2d2]

I usually refer to it as a petrol station when I'm actually going there to put petrol in my car. However, if I'm just going to the little shop to buy something but not getting petrol, I normally say "I'm going to the garage to buy some biscuits".

 

[SoothingDave]

In the days before the proliferation of convenience store/gas station combinations, a "garage" was a place where you could buy gasoline and where mechanics worked on cars. So, yes, it was one location that could be though of or referred to as either a "gas station" or a "garage."

Over time, such places evolved into convenience stores, the pumps became self-serve and the mechanics disappeared. Now auto repair is a different business entirely from retail sales of cigarettes, soda pop and gasoline.