Which Side of the Car is the Gas Tank On?
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121582)
Gainesville, Florida
January 13, 2016 6:36pm CST
Have you ever pulled up to the gas pumps at a service station and realized your gas tank is on the other side of the car? Do you often get confused as to which side of your car the gas cap (fill tube) is on?
Never fear! You may not realize this, but on almost all new cars manufactured in the United States, you can tell which side of the car the gas tank is on by simply looking at your gauges on the dashboard of your car!
On almost all cars manufactured in America today, there is an icon of a gas pump to indicate which gauge is your fuel gauge. If you look closely at that icon, you may see a tiny arrow to either side of the icon. This arrow indicates which side of the car the gas cap is on so that you know which way to pull into the gas station! If your gauge doesn't have a little arrow next to the gas pump icon, then chances are the icon itself may indicate which side the gas cap is on! If your gas pump icon is on the left side of your fuel gauge, then your gas cap/fill tube is on the left side of the car; if the icon is on the right side of the gauge, then your gas cap is on the right side of the car.
If by some chance your icon is in the middle of the gauge, and there is no arrow pointing left or right, then you probably have either a foreign-made car, or an older car (no, it does not mean your gas cap is on the back of the car behind the license plate!).
Of course, since there are literally hundreds of different types of vehicles to choose from, there may be exceptions to this rule, but in general, all new vehicles manufactured in the US should have a method on your fuel gauge to indicate which side of the car the gas tank is on!
Did any of you know this, or did I enlighten a few minds today?
14 people like this
14 responses
@maezee (41988)
• United States
14 Jan 16
I had to mention this, I saw a HILARIOUS Youtube video of a frustrated gal in a car circling the gas station trying to get it so the gas pump was on the same side as her gas tank -- she ended up going around SIX times, getting out each time and checking.....and failing. Your fact reminded me of that - maybe this gal should have looked at that. Each of the cars I've ever owned have been on different sides; my current one is on the passenger side, but sometimes I forget and have to re-position my car. I'll use this trick next time, perhaps.
4 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan 16
I saw that same YouTube video! It was so hilarious! I was in tears I was laughing so hard!!!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Jan 16
@VivaLaDani13 just search YouTube for "I'm sure my petrol cap was on this side" and the video will come up.
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
17 Jan 16
Do you have a link for that? I want to see it lol People's frustration is my amusement.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
14 Jan 16
So how new is new? I am not the one that gets confused. My husband on the other hand is always confused when he drives my vehicle. His is on the left, mine is on the right.
2 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
14 Jan 16
@moffittjc I guess I'll be checking that out when I get in my car this morning. That is of course if I don't suffer from brain freeze. It is freaking cold out there this morning!!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
I'm not sure on the "new" part. I'm sure it's been that way for years. I never knew about this little handy fact until today! For all I know, it could have been like that for the past 10 years and nobody ever bothered to tell me! lol
2 people like this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
16 Jan 16
@ElusiveButterfly It is even colder in Florida. My friend is down visiting from New Jersey and we hoped to go swimming in the ocean. we got our feet wet but that is it. My ankles turned blue and then I got out.
@Blondie2222 (28611)
• United States
14 Jan 16
I did not know that was there i will have to check it out. I did at first when i first bought my car but now i always know which side the gas gauge is on. It's on my driver side.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
The location of the gas tank on my personal truck is different than the gas tank on my work truck. I am always getting the two mixed up! You would think I would have it figured out by now! lol
2 people like this
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
14 Jan 16
@moffittjc LOL. If they need to add idiot lights to help people figure out how to use it, maybe they shouldn't make the vehicle that hard to use. Just saying. HEHEHE
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
@mommaj I completely agree with you!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
I like that..."another idiot light!" Yep, it seems like every year theyhave to add some new "idiot" contraption to our vehicles because we are too dumb to figure it out on our own!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
Here's a completely unrelated question...what side of the road do you drive on in Australia?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Jan 16
@JudyEv So UK and Ireland drive on the left-hand side, but France drives on the right-hand side? That's got to be very confusing, especially people driving through the tunnels from one country to the other!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (339946)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Jan 16
@moffittjc We drive on the left-hand side. So does Ireland. When we bought our LH drive in Ireland and went to France we drove off the ferry and had to immediately enter all the traffic and drive on the right. At least I was able to get good photos of the middles of the roundabouts. 
2 people like this
@Plethos (13581)
• United States
14 Jan 16
i was told of this about 6 or so years ago. i felt smart until someone said, "wheres the light to let you know the gas cap is under the back license plate?" 
i quickly answered by saying that if there is no light then it must be behind the plate. i dont know if thats true or not.
i quickly answered by saying that if there is no light then it must be behind the plate. i dont know if thats true or not.2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
From what I can gather, automobile manufacturers no longer put the gas cap under back license plates anymore. Not sure of the reason why, but it's no longer something they do.
3 people like this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
14 Jan 16
I did not know that, but my gas tank is on the driver side. All the cars I have owned were always on the driver side.
All the cars I have owned were always on the driver side.1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan 16
I think it is more common now to find the gas tank on the driver's side of the vehicle. It just make more sense that way.
2 people like this
@sishy7 (27167)
• Australia
30 Nov 17
I notice Japanese cars are usually on the left while European are on the right. Also where the indicators and wipers switches are placed usually opposite for Japanese and European cars. At one stage I had to switch back and forth driving a Toyota and a Citroen - I kept activating the wipers when I wanted to signal left or right... 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Nov 17
That's funny! I guess it would get confusing switching back and forth in cars where everything is reversed from the other car! That would drive me crazy!
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
14 Jan 16
This is the same for most of the world. Some change the side of the fuel nozzle icon as an indicator as to whether it is right or left. I found this out when renting a car and the guy in the petrol station told me about the icon indicating the side where the cap is.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
That's nice that someone pointed that out to you! I would have never known had someone not pointed it out to me.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
14 Jan 16
I did not know, but I am sure that the gas gauge in our Ford Fiesta in on the right but I am also sure that the tank is on the left (driver side), while our old Datsun Z 280 has the gauge on the left and the tank on the right. Anyway I remember very well where the gas tank is.
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
15 Jan 16
@moffittjc they should standardize, the best car was the Jaguar, it had two gas tanks and two fuel gauges. Now it's no more that way.
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan 16
@LadyDuck I had a truck once that was the same way. One gas tank on each side of the vehicle, so it didn't matter which side of the gas station you pulled up on!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan 16
I'm not talking about the location of the fuel gauge itself in the car, but inside the fuel gauge is usually an icon to let you know that it is the fuel gauge. It's usually the location of that icon inside the fuel gauge that indicates what side the gas tank is on! I've always wondered why they just can't standardize it and have it on the same side of every single vehicle!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
Most of our vehicles have it on the left side as well. I don't know why all these car manufacturers can't get together and all agree to standardize the location of the gas tank on all cars produced in the world!
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
17 Jan 16
@moffittjc That would be to easy
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
14 Jan 16
I knew this, but as I don't drive it doesn't affect me! Plus, I have no idea if it's the same here in the UK. I do know that Husband's petrolt tank cap is on the driver's side. Which is the passenger side in the States. :)
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan 16
Maybe that's why it is so confusing, because the cars in some countries have the steering wheel on the left side of the car, and others have it on the right side of the car, depending on which side of the road the cars drive on! That might be a big factor in deciding which side of the car the gas tank is on!
@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
14 Jan 16
LOL! I'm sure that somewhere in the world there is a video of me playing ring-around-the-rosie at the gas pumps. Probably now showing on one of those World's Dumbest shows.
Great info though, hope I can remember it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jan 16
About a week ago, I did see one of those videos on Facebook or YouTube or somewhere like that where a woman did that very thing trying to figure out what side of the car her gas tank was on! She must have backed in and out a dozen times and still couldn't get it right! It was hilarious! Another driver finally had to help her out!
1 person likes this
@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
14 Jan 16
@moffittjc LMMO, wasn't me but it may as well have been. It's especially tricky when you drive two different cars and the tanks are on opposites side.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
18 Nov 17
@moffittjc This makes me think about the National Lampoon's Vacation movie. When Chevy Chase hired a car and was trying to fill it up with petrol but didn't know where it was. He ended up ripping off the license plate thinking it was behind there lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Nov 17
Yes, that was a hilarious scene in the movie! I still laugh every time I watch that movie!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Nov 17
@VivaLaDani13 Christmas Vacation is my favorite of the four Vacation movies.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
21 Nov 17
@moffittjc I love those movies so much. Most likely be watching Christmas Vacation soon. 
1 person likes this
