Okay kiddo, have you ever seen a car before? The car needs something to make it move, right? That's where the petrol engine comes in!
Inside the engine, there are lots of little parts that work together to create power. One of the most important parts is a thing called a piston. It moves up and down in a cylinder and creates pressure.
When you put petrol (or gasoline) in the car, it goes to a part called the carburetor. This mixes the petrol with something called air, and makes a gas.
The gas then goes into the cylinder where the piston is moving up and down. The gas ignites (which means it catches on fire) and causes a small explosion. That explosion pushes the piston down, which turns something called a crankshaft.
The crankshaft is connected to the wheels, so when it turns, the wheels turn too, making the car move!
So basically, the petrol engine is like a big, powerful machine inside the car that makes everything work together to move the car forward.