The Gas Tank Locator Trick You Might Be Missing

One of the trickiest things about stepping into a new, or new-to-you, car is remembering which side the gas tank is on. The problem is there’s not exactly an easy rule you can memorize. Most of the time, the gas tank is located on the driver’s side, relative to the country that makes the cars. But that’s not always the case, and besides, do you really want to have to memorize where every brand you may drive is manufactured?

Fortunately, most of today’s cars have a handy gas tank locator if you know where to look.

What is a Gas Tank Locator?

In short, a gas tank locator is a symbol or icon that shows you what side of the car your gas tank is on. This way, you know which pump at the gas station is the right one to park at and fuel up. Sure, you can usually work around it if you make a mistake, but it’s so much easier to line yourself up hassle-free if you remember the correct side from the start.

Where is My Gas Tank Locator?

Your gas tank locator is on your dash. The exact placement varies from car to car, depending on where your fuel gauge is. But it will always be right next to the gas pump icon.

You’re looking for a small arrow next to that pump. Once you find it, it’s fairly straightforward to read. The direction the arrow points tells you what side of the car your tank is on. So if it points to the passenger side, like in my Subaru, your gas tank is on the right. Conversely, if it points to the driver’s side, your tank is on the left.

Troubleshooting

Some of the newer cars on the market have a lot of information you can cycle through on your dash, including an estimate of how many miles are left in your tank. If you’re looking at this display and you see an arrow, ignore it. That’s not your fuel gauge, and therefore, it is not the gas tank locator. It is simply the car estimating how far you can go until you absolutely need to fuel up again.

Once you know where to look, you’ll never have to worry about ever again pulling into the gas station the wrong way. Whether you’re driving a new car or a rental, you’ll be set for easy fuel-ups.