The little arrow next to your car’s fuel gauge is a simple but useful feature:
- It points to the side of the car where the fuel filler door is located.
- If the arrow points left (◀), the gas cap is on the left side.
- If it points right (▶), the gas cap is on the right side.
This is especially helpful when:
- You’re driving a rental car.
- You’ve recently switched vehicles.
- You’re at a busy gas station and need to pull up to the correct pump.
A few extra details:
- Not every older vehicle has this arrow. On some cars without it, the fuel pump icon itself may be drawn with the hose on the same side as the fuel door, though this isn’t a universal standard.
- The arrow is part of the instrument cluster and has been widely adopted by manufacturers since the 1990s, but availability varies by make and model.
So, that tiny arrow saves you from guessing which side to park on at the pump—a small detail that can make refueling much more convenient.