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A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. Most motor gliders are equipped with a propeller, which may be fixed, feathered, or retractable. However jet engine-powered motor gliders are now available from some manufacturers, some of which are intended for use only as "sustainer" engines, i.e. for sustaining gliding flight rather than as self-launching aircraft.

Touring Motor Gliders: Motors with fixed or full feathering propellers are generally classified as Touring Motor Gliders (TMGs). TMGs can take off and cruise like an aeroplane or soar with power off, like a glider.

They are fitted with front-mounted engines, similar to a small aeroplane. The large wingspans of TMGs provide a moderate gliding performance, not as good as that of unpowered gliders. However TMGs are more efficient than conventional light aircraft.

The engine is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, later versions are fuel injected.

The landing gear configuration on TMGs usually incorporates two fixed main wheels, allowing it to be taxied on the ground without a wing walker. While some TMGs have only one main wheel, with auxiliary trolley wheels on the wings for taxiing, it is becoming more common to find them being manufactured with tricycle and conventional (two fixed main wheels – i.e. a "tail-dragger") landing gear configurations.