Ask Mike: The mysterious gas tank
Hey Guys,
I’ve been driving the same car for several years, but whenever I have to fill up at the gas station, I somehow forget which side the fuel tank is on (mental note to self: it’s on the passenger side). Part of the problem is that the car I used to have had the tank on the driver’s side. Last night, as I stood at the gas station, struggling to pull the fuel hose around to the other side of the car, I could feel an Ask Mike coming on…
So, why are some fuel tanks on the passenger side while others are on the driver’s? A seemingly simple question, but one that has baffled many a car nut. Car Talk’s Click and Clack wrote about this back in 1998, and offer up several theories. According to the boys, there is no universal standard for placement of the gas filler, but “the exhaust system has to go down one side of the car, and the gasoline filler tube generally goes on the other.” I don’t know if this is true for 100% of the cars on the road, but it seems to be the most credible theory available.
Some believe it has to do with the car’s country of origin, but that theory has been disproven. (Heck, not even all Fords have the fuel tank on the same side.) Another theory: It’s a safety issue. For example, say you run out of gas on the side of the road. You’d want your gas tank to be on the passenger side when pour in your gallon of gas, so you’re not in danger of being hit by passing cars. Obviously, that theory totally ignores the fact that a large number of cars have the gas tank on the driver’s side…
It could be that car manufacturers mix it up at random so gas stations can handle more cars. That makes sense to me, but I was unable to find any definitive proof. In the end, this may be one of life’s mysteries that can’t be solved, like the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa or the enduring popularity of “Saved By the Bell” reruns.
Do you guys have any theories for why the placement of the gas tank isn’t standardized? Please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to include a link or two to support your claim.
Thanks for reading,
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There is no standard in the auto industry as to what side of the car the gas tank is on unfortunately, but they did do one thing to remind the driver of the vehicle as to what side the filler tube is located R or L, if you look at the little gas pump icon on the dashboard, see what side the Nozzle is on, that will tell you what side of the car the fill tube is located.
Dude, all I know is that there’s an arrow on every car’s gas gauge pointing to whichever side of the car the tank is on. Look in all your friends’ cars, you’ll see a little arrow in each one.
Haha, it’s always funny when someone drives up into a station only to find that they’re blocked in by other cars…and that there gas tanks on the other side!
I don’t know why they do that, but on many cars yoou can tell which side the gas tank is on by looking at the little icon of a gas pumo on you dashboard, The hose is usually on the side of the tank.
and what is standardized on cars? every look for a fuse? or, wonder why it is a fusible link, or circuit breaker instead? why are there so many different styles and sizes of fuses?
and you forgot center of the filler in the rear bumper, behind the license plate , and center of the rear of the car, next to the rear window. yes, im that old.
i am sure the reason is, every year they need to design something new into a car, so things get moved. the gas filler can go on either side, so they move it to make way for something.
buy a truck with dual tanks, filer on each side.
I think they do it just to confuse and humiliate us. Perhaps they tape us on thier cameras at the gas station and laugh about it in thier board meetings.
On most, if not all vehicles, the symbol in the dash cluster for the fuel gauge will be on one side or the other of the gauges, depending on whether the filler is on the left or right side – symbol on L indicates fuel filler is on L and vice versa
I drive one of two cars.Either my wife`s mini cooper s
or my mgzr 160 vvc.The fuel fillers on these cars are
on the left.My MG was made in the UK and the wife`s
mini was made in Germany.It doesn`t really bother me
where the fuel filler is.Here in uk it doesn`t matter which
side of the fuel pump you stop at,the nozzle will still reach.
I wish I could give you a credible theory, but this has long driven me crazy as someone who drives rental cars a lot and often has to fill the car quickly at an odd hour in a sketchy neighborhood when, as a woman alone, I don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to figure it out! By the way, don’t forget that a fair number of cars also have the filler right in the center of the rear.
MOre space for the gas, it’s unnusual.
A quick review of an interaction design basic: affordances. An affordance is a design technique that allows people to intuit how to use an interface control by sight alone. For example, a knob affords turning. A switch affords flipping. Little grooves on a wheel afford spinning. This is especially important when designing digitally, since virtually every control is a metaphor. Our knobs aren’t knobs, really. They’re pictures meant to resemble knobs.
Let me give you a classic example of this issue in the real world. Recently, before returning a rented Mitsubishi Gallant, I stopped to fill the tank. A quick scan of the dashboard failed to reveal a lever for opening the little door over the gas tank opening. So I went outside, found the door (on the wrong side, of course. Why don’t all cars put the door on the same side? Shouldn’t there be a standard for this? But I digress.) and saw no way of opening it. Generally, there is an affordance; either a little dimple to stick your finger in, or a lock that takes the ignition key. Not here. It was smooth and featureless. We dug around in the glove compartment and found the owner’s manual. In it, we found the answer. “To access the gas tank, press the right side of the door.” Back outside, pressed the door, pop – it’s open.
It baffles me why the Mitsubishi designers chose to obfuscate this feature. I suspect it’s a sly nod towards security. My car at home has a lock on the door to discourage would-be fuel thieves (I guess). Maybe these designers thought they could trick gas crooks into thinking the door was unopenable. It certainly worked on me.
Next time, I’ll buy the tank of gas directly from Hertz.
Having the gas filler on the opposite side from the exhaust system seems to be the most logical. But have you noticed how many cars and SUVs with smaller engine displacements now have dual exhausts? It seems to be a subjective choice by the manufacturer’s departments of engineering. I’m personally thankful for my Corvette…the gas cap is mounted top/center on the rear deck.
Hi Mike,
Yes, I was told it is a safety issue because of the possibility of running out of gas on the highway. The last thing you want is to have to stand close to a lane of oncoming traffic. What baffles me is that shoulders are on either side of a highway so even with the gas tank on the passenger side, if you pulled onto the shoulder from the left hand lane-you’re right next to the road anyway. So, I don’t know.
Because the engineers designed it that way. Everything is so compact nowadays, one side might have more room for the filler tube than the other. It’s also the reasone the battery is being put in places that are unique. Did you know on some vehicles, you have to remove a tire to remove a battery!
Althought some cars (like mine) don’t have it, often times there is a tiny little arrow or sideways triangle next to the image of a gas pump by your car’s gas meter. A helpful trick in a car that has it! The little triangle will be on the same side of the pump icon as the gas cap is on your car!
I think that its a design aspect, and whichever side the actual tank seems to fit better on that’s where it goes… at least thats what i always thought it was.
See the little triangular icon next the the arrow right next to the fuel pump icon? Which way is it pointing?
Well, I have a theory of why this is after reading this. I believe the side depends on the size, shape, and type of parts used in the vehicle. Some may be shaped largely toward the driver side while others go toward the passenger side. Simply put, the parts affect the side because the gas tank just won’t fit if it’s on the other side.
Correct me if I’m wrong, it’s just a theory.
The gas tank is places where it will allow the best weight distribution, the best safety and the best routing of fuel and vapor line and is somewhat dependant on the design of the rest of the car. Thers alot that goes into any automotive design and it’s simplistic to clainm that there is a single reason for where it is located on any car. Why are there doors in different locations on different houses?
Look at the cars that have tanks on the passenger side… These are generally cars that women drive.. So the guy gets out to fill—- It’s closer
The cars guys like to drive? Tank on drivers side….
If you look at the little gas pump picture on your dash board by the empty-full gauge, you will see the handle of the fuel pump is on the same side of the pump as it is on the same side of your vehicle. Some are right, some are left—totally up to the manufacturer, but if you are driving and want to know quickly, just look at the fuel pump drawing on the dash and it will be on the same side as the pump handle. You are welcome.
make a line on your hand to remember lol
If you are uncertain of which side the tank is on, Just look at the little icon of a gas pump next to your fuel guage, whichever side of the gas pump shows the filler hose is the same side of your car where the tank is at.
Originally it was to differentiate one maker from another. In the olden days Buick didn’t want the filler on the same side as Chevrolet and etc. for the other makers. This worked out very well for the “new” super service stations of the 50′s and was encouraged by the fuel makers. Now, the manufacturers are aware of the efficiency of the operation of the gas stations that they mix them up just to allow vehicles approach the pump from another direction. Sorry Mike, but when to drive up the pump in the wrong direction, you’re messing things up.
A follow up to that click & clack article: http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1999/February/07.html
Interesting online poll results was mentioned at your ing-tips link:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=750265&page=1 includes more of same discussion.
Would be a good poll question to ask the Answers community.
Filler tubes in the rear center seems more sensible to me, but they’ll never be standardized. I think they should just put the pump hose on an overhead Ι-beam monorail trolley type assembly. Or an overhead 360 degree swivel, like the sprayers in diy car washer stalls have, then it really wouldn’t matter where the filler tube is located.
Another interesting blog, Mike. Thanks.
Ok I’m not entirely sure why that happens either but I think it really just depends on who makes the car and how it is put togeather. There must be some internal reason (how the parts all fit togeather inside the car) that makes the gas takes be put on differant sides. I have however found a trick so you can’t forget which side its on. On the little symbol that shows the gas pump in your car (the one on the fuel gage) there is a little arrow near the bottom of it. That little arrow points to the side where the gas tank is located so you will never forget again which side it is on.
The real problem is you can’t remember which side the tank is on… The solution to this problem(not 100%) is that on most car’s gas level indicator is, if the side to fill the tank is on the left there will be a little gas pump icon on the left side of the – toward the empty side; and if the tank is on the right then the icon will be on the right side of the indicator- toward the full-side.
I dont think there is a specific reason for side placement, but I do have a suggestion for you know which side your filler tube is on now. On most newer cars if you look at the gauge in your dash there is a little gas pump symbol and it has a little mark or arrow indicating which side its on. Best of luck!
No idea why…but i learned a little known fact couple yrs back that will help u remember…where ur gas gauge is there is also an arrow…it points to what side ur tank is on…cool huh?
mmhm. Deals with the car’s country of origin. It’s a simple thing to tell which side the tank is, just look at your fuel gauge…there will be a fuel machine thing and an arrow. Fuel placement can’t be standard because different manufacturers have different specifications on certain things. Here’s one simple example. If my personal car company makes 6 cyl turbocharged cars and decide to run one single exhaust pipe from the catalytic conv to the tail, exiting on the right side of the car, I’d want to put the gas tank, filler, etc on the left side due to heat. There are many other reasons that I wont even get into, but that’s just a simplistic reason that is easy to see and understand.
I think a lot of factors play part into where the gas tank is placed. First off like you said for safety when running out of gas on the highway, it is preferable on the passenger side (unless you drive on the left side of the road). Another factor as you said is to handle more cars at the gas station. But don’t forget also, that when filling up, it is a lot faster to have it on the drivers side so you do not need to walk around the car to fill it up.
A relative of mine had an English car, a Riley of circa 1950 vintage. It was dark green, with a long, long hood. What made it interesting was that it had two petrol filler caps, one on each rear fender, leading down to the fuel tank. He used to have fun with gas station attendants. He’d get them to put some regular gasoline in one side, and an equal amount of high-test in the other. Then he showed them some lever or other on the dashboard, and had them convinced that with a flip of the lever, he could give the car an extra power boost for passing.
You know, I never did notice that! I’m sure a car designer could tell us why. If only I knew one.
Really interesting. Perhaps the cause is simply that no universal standard was made?
umm you know theres a arrow on your dash board that tells you what side it is on. On the gas meter under it or beside it usually…
I’ve noticed that my Japanese cars all seemed to have the tank on the left side, if the car was a right-hand drive, like in England, New Zealand, or Japan. That makes it the passenger side. It is the side which, statistically, also faces less risk of impact in accidents. Maybe it has to do with that? If so, it really makes me wonder why the system of older, American cars, which often had their tank lid under the rear license plate, hasn’t been more widely adopted, because it does away with the issue entirely.
I would have to say it happens for different reasons in different vehicles. It could be for better weight distribution if it’s a sporty car, or it could just be opposite from the side the exhaust pipe runs to avoid problems from that. To add to the exhaust pipe point, exhaust outlet is many times placed on the opposite side of the car from the driver, especially if the exhaust is louder. This can lead to it being placed on different sides of the car due to place of manufacture or where a majority or the cars will be sold, which MAY be why particular Fords would have it on seemingly inconvenient sides for Americans or a Toyota would have it on a side that makes more sense. These are my theories on the matter.
I think and this is just my opinion, that Sports Cars have more of their tanks on the Right side. Every sports car that I have had are on the Right and all the others were on the Left. Maybe just a coinsidence.
Or maybe its a Weight thing, try to balance the cars out.
What standardization ?
On some old Volkwagen beetles you had to open the trunk (which was in the front of the car) to put gasoline in the tank, I presume this was to prevent theft.
Later VW Beetles had the opening outside on the passenger side, again the gas tank was in the trunk in the front of the car.
Go back to the 60s various American cars had the gasoline filler tube behind the rear license plate, which had a fold-down hinge. People had to bend over to put gas in the filler because it was so low, and those people probably complained loud and long about it.
Those old American cars also had hood ornaments. Have you seen any cars these days with hood ornaments ? It’s really strange seeing one !
One advantage to having the filler tube on the driver side on today’s cars is that the driver can see if he can see in the driver-side mirror if he left open the security door that covers the filler tube.
Nothing like the sinking filling that I left the gas cap on top of the car and drove off with the little door open, losing the gas cap along the way.
I’ve always just kind of assumed that it was ‘designer’s porogative’. As there is obviously no fixed standard (given that both driver’s side, and passenger’s side tanks continue to be manufactured), there really can’t be.
In some cars, it makes more sense to have it on one side vs. the other though. For example in older style mini vans with a single sliding door. You wouldn’t want the gas tank on the passenger side, because it would be covered up by the sliding door when it opened. Similar design constraints might make one side more logical than the other in different models (things like hosing/wiring etc). When no constraint exist, there may stylistic elements that push the design one way or the other.
As far as making it more efficient for gas stations, I doubt that. Think how much simpler it would be if everyone always came in facing the same way, and the people fueling up on the ‘reverse’ side just had longer hoses to work with (so they could reach the other side of their vehicle.).
Oh, and I forgot to mention — if ever you’re stuck pulling up to a gas station, and can’t remember, check your gas gauge. Many of them have a little arrow on them pointing the way to the gas tank. (often gets overlooked)
Its just one more way to piss people off
Don’t forget Clark Griswold’s rented station wagon.
I two have this Problem. Has i am in many makes and found to place a sticky dot ( something )on one side of the rear view mirror.
There’s no specific reason for what side it ends up on. Whichever side has room, is the side it will end up on. (suspension, exhaust, etc. all take up space, and the gas tank/filler tube has to be safeley away from these things) Most American do cars have it on the drivers side though. Chrysler vehicles even have an arrow in the gas gauge symbol that points to the side it’s on.
Most car companies put an arrow on your gas gauge inside the car next to the little fuel pump icon that points to the side of the car your gas cap is on. Check your car, you’ve probably never noticed it.
you need a new brain maybe
or you can get a lable maker
and print out : left or right side
OR next time buy a car that has a pull down plate on the license plate this way it can be the left or right side
I think manufacturers design all cars regardless of whether they are left or right hand drive. I live in Fiji and my car has it’s tank on the passenger side. I believe that my car was actually designed for left hand drive, but depending on orders they receive from different countries, they just change the steering and put them on opposite side.
Depending on how new you car is look on the fuel gauge there’s an arrow that points to which.
I would start with the opposite side of exhaust system, also look at size and position of engine, an inline four cylinder, slant six, v-8, may have exhaust on right side, so gas lines and access on left, Also look at Corvair or Vw Beetle rear engines, And 18 wheelers have tanks on both sides and exhaust at top, some dual exhaust are fake or as one until divided at rear, real dual go down center, allowing gas line on either side, but gas tank is in middle between pipes at rear,
Could ask Jay Leno, he may have a lot of answers to choose from,
Oh, and what about old steam engine automotive’s, or turbines, and the new hybrids ,
Hey i have this theory it was a joke from my brother,” that’s when i have my car the gas tank is in the opposite side because it is a luxury car” lol i see it allot on Benz and BMW’s maybe it is for luxury, that when you buy a good car you dont want to walk on the other side to fill it up, So mike thats my theroy from MARCO
A little tip to help you remember which side the filler is on.
On all the cars I have owned there is a little symbol of a petrol pump on the fuel gauge. Next to that symbol there is a triangle that points either to one side or the other. Whichever side of the car this triangle points to is the side the fuel filler is on.
Check for yourself. You might be surprised.
Can’t explain why the filler tube shifts from side to side, but most fuel gauges have a reminder which side the filler tube is on. Look for a small arrow pointing either left or rght. That’s the side the filler tube is on.
I have done some work with cars myself and I have no idea why this is. I would guess at times it could have to do with the exhaust system in the overall design of the vehicle. Other times, that’s just where it’s designed and that’s where it ends up. However, I can offer an idea for knowing which side the fill-up is on. Some car co’s (and rental truck co’s) will have a small arrow or triangle near the fuel gauge pointing to the side the filler is on. There are many ways you can do the same for your vehicle if you choose including; a small piece of masking tape & draw one, if you have any vinyl decals you’re not using that have an arrow/triangle on them, or cut one in one of those shapes out of the vinyl. Good luck on your quest for an answer, but I think you’ll only probably find it from an actual car designer.
Is it more fair to ask the question, “Why doesn’t the gas hose reach to the other side of the car, in case you screw up and pull in the wrong way?
I have no idea WHY my gas fill is on the passenger side, but I wish it wasn’t.
My old car was a 1992 Corsica. I always hated that the fill was on the passengers side, and swore the next car I bought it would have it on the drivers side.
Then ….. I bought a 2008 Malibu. ….. You guessed it. The fill is on the passengers side.
Sigh………
.
Haha, for me, the issue of remembering which side the gas tank is on is more annoying because I share cars with my parents…anyways, according to Ask Yahoo:
“The gas filler will almost always be on the opposite side of the vehicle from the exhaust pipe.
This last theory appears to be correct. Indeed, none other than Car Talk’s Click and Clack, in the employ of NPR, confirm this last hypothesis.”
At one time you could also pull the rear license plate down.
I think auto makers just don’t care at all and whatever suits them at the moment they do. As long as I have my little arrow pointing to which side the fuel tank is on, I am ok. I always think about it before getting to the gas station to evaluate the best place to pull in and how to get out safel. I don’t think there is any honest theory that can be proven either way.
I don’t know why nothing is standard these days but my husband helped me remember this way… Look for the image of a fuel pump on your panel and there will be an arrow on either side of it which indicates which side of your car the tank is on. Hope this helps!
Mixing it up for Gas Stations doesn’t make sense either. I see people pull in facing the way they need to get their tank ON THE DRIVER’S SIDE next to the pump. So while one side of the island one way, the other side is facing the other way. That also ignores the rare gas tank that is under the license plate.
Look at the gas icon in the dashboard of your car and whatever side the nosil is on it is where it is on your car.
I asked my husband who worked(yep worked for the auto industry in Michigan) in the automotive field and this was his answer. The gas tank in a car is one of the last components to get added in. It’s placement really is insignificant to the design of the vehicle. It’s sorta just added in after all the other main what-nots drive train emissions and all that other car jazz is in place. I guess they just put it where it fits.
I think it’s to make drivers look like idiots at the gas station. Getting out of your car, going to where you thought the tank was only to find it missing. Then you say ‘dang it!” and hope the hose reaches around!hahaha! When I’m pulling in to get gas, I always look at the little gas light thing and which way the arrow is pointing.
well i do also believe it is to help the gas stations . and i also believe that it is partly about the designer for that car , when designer that car from ground up , going about the exhaust and wheel wells and things .
just a thought there also
your running out of ideas mike. might be time to retire.
i hate when i go to the gas station and all the pumps on the side where my tank is are taken. its like people skipped every other pump on purpose
Mike,
It’s even stranger than that. My first car had the gas in the rear. To fill it up, you pulled down the license plate. Turns out, that wasn’t especially safe.
الافادة بميعاد الاستلام في مشروع ابني بيتك في مدينة 6اكتوبر
While I was recently looking at a new car to buy I was told that more gas tanks are being put on the passenger side in case you run out of gas and have to pull over to the side of the road. That way when you are filling it up again you are not standing in the way of traffic.
My current car has the gas tank on the driver’s side which I believe to be more of a convenience than anything. That way the driver just stays on one side of the car rather than walking around it.
If you look at the gas tank symbol in your dashboard there is typically an arrow which points to which side the gas tank is on, in case you forget again.
For several years in the 60s some car makers made choosing sides at the gas pump. They placed the gas filler behind the license plate. For some reason this “neutral” placement was discontinued. Corvette too had a central filling location on the rear deck. Jaguar made fuel filling easy in the 70s. There was a filler cap on both sides.
For several years in the 60s some car makers made choosing sides easy at the gas pump. They placed the gas filler behind the license plate. For some reason this “neutral” placement was discontinued. Corvette too had a central filling location on the rear deck. Jaguar made fuel filling easy in the 70s. There was a filler cap on both sides.
I have a relative who works for GM. He tells me that filler placement is a function of design & cost. For safety reasons the tank has to be inside the frame or what passes for a frame nowadays. Therefore body style & suspension componets dictate its location. As stated before it is usually away from the exhaust. Tossed into the mix are a couple of more items, shortest route from the exterior to the tank and material cost to construct the filler. On the gas gauge of every car is an indicator, sometimes its just an arrow sometimes its a gas icon either way, the location on the gauge indicates the filler side. IE If the icon is on the left side of the gauge the filler is on the left side of the car.
there is a little symbol on the dash where the gauges are that show which side the gas tank is on
My first car was a 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ . The gas cap was behind the license plate. Best place ever.
most vehicles, if you look at the gas gauge there will bean arrow pointing to which side the gas fill side is
to remember which side you fill up on look at your gas gauge and you should see a little arrow pointing to the driver or passenger side so you know where to fill up. As far as why its sometimes on driver or passenger… I’m not sure why it changes from one car to another, but i’ve wondered if it has to do with where a car is built or designed. Since many countries have the driver on the other side of the car as we have in America, it would make sense to put the gas on whichever side is going to be the drivers side.
This is something I have wondered myself. My husband’s car’s tank is on the driver’s side, while mine is on the passenger side. I drive his car infrequently, but whenever I do and have to get gas, I always pull up on the wrong side of the tank and feel like an idiot having to get back in and turn around.
Many fuel gauges have either a symbol of a gas pump with the filler hose on the same side of the pump symbol as the filler neck on the car. My car has a little arrow on the gas guage pointing to the side of the car with the filler neck.
As far as which side of the car the filler neck is located (left, right or center), it probably has more to do with the design of the car and the frame and suspension system and the exhaust system based upon the engine installed. If the exhaust manifold is on the right side of the engine, then the exhaust system will terminate on the right rear of the car, so the fuel filler neck will be on the left side of the car to keep spilled fuel away from the hot exhaust pipe.
I do not know why the placement of the gas tank isn’t standardized, but it does not help gas stations handle more cars. I know this because the fill on my car is on the passenger side, and it seems that the majority of the vehicles are on the driver side. When I am attempting to get gas at a busy gas station it is very awkward for me to get in some sort of line.
I have good news for drivers who make the mistake of pulling up on the wrong side of the gas pump, car manufactures give you an indication of which side your filler is on. All you have to do is look at your gas gauge; you may have an arrow that points to either side of your car, or a gas pump icon that will indicate to you by the handle being on the right side of the pump or the left side of the pump. Your cars filler will be according to that symbol (right or left).
I have found and it was posted a long time ago that if you gas gauge is on the left side of the instrument panel so is the fill tube. If it is on the right it is filled on the right. I have two cars, Buick fills on the left, Corsica fills on the right, so I just look for where the gauge is.
ON the car dash look for the little petrol sign. The direction of the sign points to the filling side of the car
the gas tank is placed on the passenger side of the car when the gas tank is mounted on the drivers side of the car, and it is on the drivers side of the car when the gas tank is on the passenger. the gas tank gets the location depending on the engine. if it weighs more than a certain amount of weight, the weight of the car needs to be balanced out, so the pipe that brings the fuel to the engine has to go on the other side of the car. if the engine weighs more than so much, the mount for the gasoline to the gastank has to be on a certain side of the engine itself. so it depends litterally on how the car is made, and how the engine weighs and is produced
Somebody at this site gripes that it’s arbitrary: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=7265.0
One theory is that it’s always on the side OPPOSITE from the exhaust pipe. Of course, that opens up a whole new question: which side is the exhaust pipe on?
It’s also discussed here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/automotive/855377-gas-tank-filler-doors-side-4.html
Here is a discussion about an urban legend on the topic:
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2008/11/what-side-is-my-gas-tank-on.html
Question: why does this page say “Comments (0)” while I have a comment posted? Zero what?? !!
Why not “Comments (1)”?
This has always been an issue with me because it can be diffucult to pull up at a busy gas station. It seems that if gas tanks where always on the same side gassing up at the pump would be more orderly and faster.
my brother has worked for Ford for 60 years and he doesn’t know.
Gas tank filler pipe must be opposite of the exhaust system. If exhaust is on the right then filler pipe is on left. Safety feature so that gasoline does not get spilled on to hot exhaust pipe or muffler.
Can’t offer any good reason why the auto industry can’t standardize the location of the filler tube. But most vehicles offer the absent-minded driver a visual clue as to where the filler tube is located. If you look at your gas gauge you should see a small arrow pointing either left or right. That’s the side the filler tube is on. Or if your gauge uses a picture of a pump, the side the hose is on would be your clue.
http://tinyurl.com/yaaol8b
It is easy to remember which side of the car the tank is on. If you look at the gas gauge,it generally show a picture of a fueling station to show that it is, in fact, the gas gauge you are looking at. It will also have an “arrow” pointing to either the left or right side. That is the side of the tank.
This may not be the case for older cars, but it has been ever since I have been driving them (1982).
I wish it would be in the back behind the trunk like it was in the good old days. Makes more sense to have it on the drivers side since that’s usually the person putting in the gas.
Hey Mike, try looking at your dash, you might have a little arrow beside your fuel gauge, that’s the side that your tank’s on.
You do know that there is an arrow on the dashboard by the fuel hand pointing to which side it’s on.
Actually ALL tanks are centered under the vehicle. The FILLER tube can be positioned on either side, or even the back. I once drove a car where the rear license plate frame was hinged and the filler tube was behind it. I suspect the BEST answer is simply that no one ever standardized the placement. AKA, there is no specific reason for ANY placement, therefore placement is not standardized by DEFAULT. For what should be obvious reasons, I can’t provide a source.
I heard that when your gas indicator on your dash is in the red area and your “low gas” signal light comes on on your dash, the little itty-bitty punp handle on that signal light indicates which side of your car the gas cap will be on for that car.
If the pump handle is on the left of the indicator light, that means the gas cap will be on the driver’s side. If the pump handle is on the right of the indicator light, your gas cap will be on the passenger’s side.
I have never had my gas signal light come on in my dash and I hope you never wait for it to do so either. But if you have ever had to do the impossible strech of the pump handle across your car just once (and I have), I would think that would stick in your mine for as long as you own that car.
lol
This question isn’t even worth thinking about.100% random.
some cars have them in the very back centered in the middle. go figure…..
not sure about why but I have learned an interesting “gas tank” fact…When you look at the gas gauge on your dash there will be either an arrow (>) pointing to the side of the car your tank is on, or there will be a picture of a gas pump and the gas nozzle/hose will be on the side of the gas pump that your fill tank is on. – I too forget sometimes which side the gas cap is one, and this little bit of trivia intrigued me! I hope you enjoy it also.
On your gas gague, there is a little pump with an arrow on either the right or left side. The position of the arrow in relation to the pump indicates which side the tank is on. In your case, it would be on the right (passenger) side
On your dash, where your gas indicator (full-empty) is – is an arrow that points to which side the gas tank is on in every car – you just havent noticed it! Look at the little icon of the gas tank. Notice that there is an arrow on either the left or right of the icon that points in the direction of where the tank is.
To answer your other quesiton, gas tank placements are not standardized and can vary because cars are different in design and size – as are the gas tanks themselves. The designers design the body before the placement of the tank – which means they must look at weight and balance, as well as safety, etc. If every car were the same, then every tank placement would be the same. Has every car you have driven also had the same placement of the ignition switch? I assume the answer is NO. What about the windshield wiper control? Or, the window controls? Variety is the spice of life.
And, for those of you who can’t remember if you handed your gas money over your passenger side window or not, they included a little arrow to assist you.
I think you’re mistaken in your definition of gas tank. I have three Chevrolet vehicles and the gas tank is in the middle on all three. The filler necks however are located in different places. One on the drivers side; one on the passenger side and one in the middle behind the license plate.
Over the years I have driven nine cars. To the best of my knowledge dashboard instruments and gas tanks tend to be design flairs and situated on any side deemed dynamically aesthetic.
I dont have any opinion, just felt an overwhelming compulsion to read this blog and leave comment.
Happy Easter and God Bless Mike.
The varied placement is clearly intended to bedevil us.
Design engineers all over the world belong to some secret cabal whose intent is unclear… mystifying.
We all drive around the pumps jockeying for position, finally stopping at the pump of our choice, getting out of the car, only to get back in and move the car to the other side of the pump, while 6 other motorists are doing the same thing.
My car is always facing the wrong direction to pull up to the only available pump. Why is that?
I have adjusted my side mirror looking for the opening, but those dastardly designers have blended it in too well to see from that angle.
I think those designers dance naked under the full moon.
My guess is that they put it on the passengers side bcause it wouldd be faster if the passenger would fill up the tank instead of the driver walking around the car and vice versa
Basically it really doesn’t really matter which side the filler is because the tank runs completely across to both sides.. it could just be the manufacturers signature. It may by easier to have the filler on one side as they put other stuff on the other sides.. At my school they have a pickup truck without seats and the actual body.. its just the actual frame and components which apply how the engine works and such.. I know that the filler position is not affected by the type of engine or the actual practical placement of the gas line since the filler has the sole purpose of filling the tank. It may just be there to balance the car although it has little weight that is all on the actual tank. My best theory is that something is on one side and the tank is on the other.. Ex. AC vent comes from one side along with speaker wiring and such while the tank filler is on the oposing side.
Good luck finding an answer.. im grade 11 btw lol.
Unless you have a REALLY OLD car, somewhere on the dash display, usually near the fuel indicator, you will see a mini gas pump with an arrow pointing to the side the gas tank is on.
I don’t have any theories, but it seems that each car I’ve ever driven will have a small arrow on the fuel level indicator that points to which side your tank is on! Hope that helps!
Well, I think that gas tanks were unstanderdized because, originally, cars were like snow blowers or tractors. They were made however was the easiest way to make them: some on the passenger side, and some on the drivers side. After several years of making cars with either side being on the same side, they couldn’t standerdise it because that would cost gas stations (and many car owners) money because the gas stations would have to demolish their double-sided tanks. The car drivers with unstanderdised cars woud need new cars. To avoid this problem, we just left it how it was and our cars are still unstandardized today.
Although I think that your gas station filling-up theory is just as valid, I think that mine makes more sence.
Hope this helps!
I have thought about this, about the gas tank being on either side of the car, depending on the car. I thought maybe it could not be decided which side is best or worse and it is simply choice.
On newer cars they have an arrow beside the gas emblem on the dash, indicating what side the fuel tank is on. Other than that, I think it depends on what the manufacturer sees as most efficient for the driver.
hi mike are you aware that if you look at your gas gauge their will be a small arrow or picture of a gas pump and whatever side the icon is on is the side of the car you fill your gas from.
I’ve noticed that the fuel pump icon on the fuel gauge faces one direction or tho other, indicating which direction the hose must face to accommodate your vehicle, although some have taken the easy way out and placed an arrow on the fuel gauge.
I’ve heard from industry insiders that there’s a classic conflict between placing the fill where it’s convenient for the driver to line up with the pump and where the driver will be furthest out of the traffic if he runs the car out of gas (a special consideration at night).
gas measurer has a gas pump un a side the side with the pump it the side with the tank
No, not really
LMAO!! That is too funny! I do the same thing, every time I pull in to get gas. Sometimes I’ll even get into a panic because there is one space open and I can’t remember which side it’s on. I feel so dumb afterwards! Great post Mike!
One reason I can think of for having the fuel door on the passenger side is if you are unfortunate enough to run out of gas and have to add more then at least you are not sitting out in traffic being a target for someone texting rather than driving.
Whether it is on the right or the left side of the car is probably driven more by design. They design for style then try to fit in what they need to conform to the design. The shortest routing of wires, exhaust, fuel lines would all come into play.
As far as getting confused what side the tank door is on, take an adhesive label and mark with an arrow FUEL > or < FUEL depending on its location and apply to the instrument glass under the fuel gauge. Some manufacturers do this for you but nothing prevents you from doing it for yourself. If you have more than one car with fuel ports on different sides then the problem is solved.
Well this isn’t the answer to why cars have them on different sides, but can save you from parking on the wrong side. Next time you pull in to a gas station, look at your gas gage. Right next to the little gas pump icon is a little arrow that points to the side it is on.
The reason why some gas tanks are on the left or on the right of cars depends on how and where the car will be circulating.
For safety considerations, in modern cars the fuel tank is usually located ahead of the rear axle, out of the Crumple zones of the car. This location has been used by Volvo since 1974.
Cars like the Ford Pinto or the models that still use the Ford Panther platform (Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis) are notorious for having the gas tank behind the rear axle. Since 1980 new Ford models corrected this problem and had the fuel tank in front of the rear axle.
General Motors 1973-1987 Pick Up trucks have the fuel tank located outside the frame. According to the Center for Auto Safety this creates a fire hazard.
It seems likely to me that when a manufacturer designs a car, which side the tank is on is of little concern. In a constant effort to increase aerodynamics, style, budget, etc. it really is inconsequential. That being said, whatever side makes sense to the aesthetic of the car and to the aforementioned parameters, that would be the side it becomes.
If you notice on most new cars there’s an arrow next to the gasoline symbol on your dashboard pointing to the side with the gas tank and entrance.
Here’s a little info on the arrow! http://1000awesomethings.com/2008/07/08/988-the-gas-arrow/gas-arrow1/
Try this…..Look at the fuel gauge on the instrument cluster…You will probably see a fuel pump with a nozzle on the side of the pump…If the nozzle is on the right side, your cars fuel door is on that side……..If on left, usually on left….Works on most cars !!!!!!!!!!!! Most people never realized it, let me know if it works for you..
who cares? this is a useless question and a waste of bandwidth and cyberspace.
I can’t offer any solution to this great mystery, however I have found, at least on my own vehicles, that the fuel tank filler cap has always coincided with the location of the fuel gauge in the car. In my experience if the fuel gauge is to the left of the steering wheel the filler cap is on the left side of the vehicle and if the gauge is on the right side of the steering wheel then the filler cap is usually on the right side of the car. But again, this is just from my own experience. My solution is to just ride a motorcycle
).
OK, well, I don’t have an answer for the why, but I can save you (mostly) from ending up at the wrong side. There is usually an arrow next to the gas pump icon that points to the side where the inlet is.
In the article I’ve linked, they first debunk the myth that the hose in the icon indicates the side the tank is on. It’s the second part where they show the little arrow indicator. THAT is a confirmed way to know where to go. I’ve rented a number of cars. The mark is always there. I suspect that is because they are all late models, though.
Oops… I guess the link wasn’t supposed to go in the URL box:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/fuel-tank-filler-icon-secret.shtml
I’ve been through 3 cars, 2 of which had the gas tank access on the left side, and 1 on the right side. I find it very convenient to have it on the left side as when I would pull up to a pump, I don’t have to walk as long of a distance to start pumping gas (only when you pay at the pump). I only have to walk a few feet to the back of the car instead of walking AROUND the car to get to it. There are even cars (http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090828130209AA92Hg5) that had the gas tank access behind the rear license plate. That was nice because it doesn’t matter what side you pull into a gas station, as it’s right in the center!
I think the people making cars they put the gas tank on the side that they write with. maybe.
I really don’t care.
I do,however,care about the fact that Answers is moderated by fans,wingnuts,user trolls and the butthurt in general,because,it appears,the staff are just not bright enough to figure out how to moderate the site themselves.
At one time, the gas cap used to be in the center of the back end of the car, usually under the rear licence plate. That was a great place for the gas cap, you didn’t have to worry about how you had to pull up to the pump. The biggest negative was that it wasn’t to great in a rear-end collision.
Next time you pull into a gas station, take a look at the gas pump light on your instrument panel. There is an arrow on one side or the other, that is the side the gas tank is on.
I’m not quite sure the reason behind some tanks on the drivers side and some on the passengers side, however, I am aware of the fact that this information is displayed on the cars gauge cluster. By the fuel gauge, you will see a gas pump icon with an arrow pointing to the location of your gas tank. So if you are driving an unfamiliar car and need to gas up, you only need to look at the icon and if it is pointed to the right, your tank is on the passenger side and if it is pointed to the left, it is on the driver side.
Cheers!
If the gas gage is on the left side of the instrument panel the gas tank cap is on the left side. If the gas gage is on the right of the instrument panel the gas tank cap is on the right side.
Actually I don’t know if this is true or not but I heard it once and remembered it. Check it out.
If all the gas tanks were on the same side, gas stations would need to have more gas pumps to serve all the cars, which can only go in one direction.
Also, when pulling into the gas station, look at the gauge. Most gauges have a picture of a gas pump on the same side of the gauge as the tank filler.
I like the old cars that had the gas filler behind the license plate.
Well back in the mafia times they requested gas tanks to be on certain sides so when they do a drive bye’s on some people on the drivers side then the gas tank can be safe on the passengers side. If the drive bye is on the other side(passenger) they would use a different car with the gas tank on the drivers side.
The best ones were in the 1960s when some cars had the fuel cap centre rear under a fold down license plate. Most cars now have a cheat system. If you look at your fuel gauge and it has a little fuel pump icon, note which side of the gauge it’s on. If it’s on the left near the E, chances are your filler cap is, if it’s on the right near the F, right hand filler cap. Not always the case but in most cars I’ve hired over the years, check it out.
Well if all tanks were on the same side, then the lines at the gas station would be longer. Get it? the tank sides very so that you can utilize both sides of the pump depending on where you pull in and what not.
Hint: you know the little gas tank icon in your gauge cluster? theres an arrow in there. guess what that arrow points to. Yup the side your gas tank is on. problem solved you’ll never be at loss again. = )
I think it’s because they just put it there. All cars aren’t build the same underneath the hood. Humans all have same exit’s because we are made the same on the inside. Cars aren’t made the same, so sometimes the gas has to go on the opposite side. They probably think of this as the least important thing to try and space, so after connecting everything, what ever side has the most space to put gas gets it. I mean, some cars battery’s…you have to move the steering wheel just to get to it, my Nissan, when the Alternator goes out, the car itself as a whole shuts down, no engine, no ignition, no battery, just total shut down until the alternator gets fixed. So, I guess it’s just how the car is build on the inside.
sorry for my typo vary
Don’t know why they aren’t consistent but I’ve found that most cars will have an indicator on your dashboard. Look for the gasoline pump icon, look which direction the little arrow points. Voila – that’s the side you’ll fuel up.
I don’t suppose anyone thought to ask one of the car manufacturers why that is.
Well, all I know, is that I used to own a 1973 Pontiac Grandville, and it, like my lady friend Noella’s former 1991 Chevy Caprice had the filler cap at the BACK of the car behind the license plate. Noella also had another GM car that had the gas filler at the back. (I forget the model.)
Now, I know a couple of things about these cars:
Whenever mechanics used to have to fix various esoteric things about them, they used to ask what we were doing “owning cop cars”. Apparently, each car had apparently been produced on the assembly line that made unmarked cars for various law enforcement agencies.
For example, the Grandville had a special heavy duty high powered alternator (known as a cop car alternator) , and a super 4-barrel injection carb. This gave the car phenomenal acceleration ability, for one thing. The tranny also had a special drop down gear on it.
On Noella’s “unknown model” car, the rear windows never worked. A mechanic inspected them and found out that the power window buttons led to nothing. He immediately said: “AHA! unmarked police car!” The Caprice also had some weird features.
I can tell you one thing: If you are looking for convenience at the gas station, that’s the best place (at the back, behind the license plate) to put the filler cap. And while I have had an 87 Nova and a 91 Acclaim – and both gas tanks died and needed early replacement…. On NONE of the rear fill gas tanks did the tanks ever need repair or replacement. The Grandville’s tank lasted 23 years, and when I sold it to a collector, the tank was still ok. The Caprice’s tank lasted almost 20 years, and was still good, when the ABS braking system failed, and I literally parked it into a building…. (Which destroyed the front half of the car.) The tank on Noella’s other car lasted some 20 years too. Not so the Nova or the Acclaim. No so, a number of friend’s cars, all with side fill tanks, both driver and passenger sides, all tanks which failed early in the vehicles lives…
So, you may want to further investigate, and bet back to us. Why are not all cars made with a rear filler?
did you know that the little fuel pump icon on your dash tells you what side of the car the tank is on? if the handle for the pump is on the left….tank is on the left. if the handle is on the right…the tank is on the right…
it is an interesting question to think about though, what difference does it make what side of the car the tank is on.
Actually, they found out what happened to Jimmy Hoffa…
As for the gas cap conundrum, until the 1980′s all gas caps used to be on the back of the car hidden behind the license plate so you could reach from either side. Auto makers decided that it was too big of a pain in the neck to keep stooping down like that, so they relocated them to the side of the vehicle. Which side is purely a matter of taste on their part.
all german cars have their gas tanks on the passengers side for safety reasons like running out of gas on the side of the road. american and all other car makers just dont know what they are doing
well, ive always thought that its the way the cars were made. like which way the front of the car was facing when it was being assembled. if it was facing the front, then it would be on one side, and it it was facing backwards then it would be on the other side and the car companies build the frame of the car around the way the machines put the car together
hi, I am an ASE certified master automotive technician, and your guess is as good as mine, to be honest with you i personally believe that the gas stations have something to do with it, the same way that tool companys had something to do with torx and then “safety” torx fasteners. its all a big conspiracy!!
Don’t forget those few that put it behind the license plate (nice and ambidextrous), or even a very few specialty cars that had fillers on both sides.
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Just my thoughts.
Well I think you need to go way back to try and figure it out. The Model T being one of the earliest, had the gas tank under the seat. To fill it you had to move the seat out of the way to get to it. You wouldn’t want to have to move the seat out from under the big ol’ steering wheel to get to it so it would have been under the passenger seat for ease. After that the Model A went to the back where the filler was under the trunk. From there the wanted to locate it on the outside. The natural this to do would be ti put it out the passenger side as people were accustomed to going to the passenger side to fill up.
The with the advent of the pick up and larger cars they seemed to move it to the drivers side so as to get at it easier for the driver. As the pick up was mostly farming vehicles they would not be regularly at the gas stations, but using the pumps on the farm.
Then as they tried the fill in the back so you could get to it the same way no matter what they thought it would solve the universal fill location. Still the trucks could not do it. And you had to pull passed the talk to get the hose to it. meaning you would be in the way of the other cars with fills on the side.
I think a lot of cars had driver side fills helping the gas station attendants to talk to the driver and fill.
You still had people used to the passenger side fill, and people wanting the driver side fill. Race cars would want it on the drivers side for the pit stops.
Now though I think it has to do with the designers. I have found that in my cars, the side of the motor compartment that contains the relay block and fuses is the side they run the wiring harnesses down. Typically the other side is the side they run the fuel lines. That also tended to be the side the fill was on.
I am no mechanic, I can’t say that’s how it actually is, it just seems that that on my cars whatever side the wiring was was, the opposite side was the fill and fuel lines.
Just a thought
Sorry bout the spelling. It’s 1am and I’m bleary eyed
Hmmm… Well I don’t EXACTLY know, but I do have a theory! I know that many of the internal workings of any ordinary automobile aren’t symmetrical, like fuel tanks, transmissions, engine, etc. so maybe they have to keep moving the fuel tank around to fit everything in there? Kind of like playing Tetris, except with car parts… And since most makes/models of cars are different from year to year, depending on the configuration of their internal workings, the placement of the fuel tank will vary. Who knows!
I have had cars with the gas filler on the right, left, in the middle of the back bumper, some cars old VWs, and the corvair for instance had filler tubes in front, model T fords had filler opening in the center of the cowel just in front of the windshield. As long as there is no standard for filler tube placement the car manufacturers will design the car and squeeze the filler tube in where it’s most convient for them.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss nnnuuiiiiiii aagquuuuuuuu wwiidya?????????????????????????????????? MRZ
It only has to do with the designers and what they envision. Back when I began to drive in the 60′s in Detroit, I had a neighbor that worked as a designer’s assistant [yeah, they design and the others take credit].
And I asked this very question because in my family one car it was on the right, on the other is was on the left, and the third was in the middle under the license plate which made the most sense to me.
This person said that there no guide line in the designers realm that dictates which side it goes on; it all depends on what the design will tolerate.??
To me, in the middle gives you the advantage of pulling up on what ever side you want to and still be able to put gas into the tank with ease.
Left, right or in the middle, this debate is the same as what came first, the chicken or the egg; a debate that will continue long after I am gone.
But the middle has my vote of where a gas port should be on a car.
Oh! I forgot! The theory of the gas port is opposite the exhaust system. What about duel exhaust systems, that sure blows smoke into that theory, and yes, pun intended.
What about the old cars with it in the back behind the licence plate. It is just whatever the design calls for is what I can guess.
Ive no idea, but some cars now have a little light next to the fuel light indicating what side its on.. which i found hilarious the first time i seen it.. but that was before i got my license, and had to actually remember what side the tank is on.. It also doesn’t help that we have 2 cars, and there on opposite side!
1. some cars have fuel caps on both side vis race cars from the 50-60s why to save time and because when sold they were ment to compete anywhere and different tracks had different pit arangements.
2. American cars traditionaly had there fuel caps in the center under the licence plate in the 60-70s cause visualy it alowed the sheetmetal to be uninterupted by doors etc for fueling- but with the pinto etc… this was seen as unsafe. But this alowed any car to be fueled by any pump passanger or driver side equaly as easely *having owned a 66 ply fury, 71 Cad Elderado, and 76 nova I know*
3. if all car makers decided on oneside or the other it would be a nightmare – why every car would be fighting over 1/2 the pumps and ignoring the others. or if posable having to pull around and face the other way, which if you’ve seen it – is all sorts of fun.
4. So by getting roughly 50/50 mix in theory everyones life is easier. lol do wish more cars had the little sticker of a gas pump on the miror of the side of the cap though…
I believe the placement is at the discretion of the particular engineer(s) designing that particular model of car. I equate it to how goods are arranged on a pallet, they actually have engineers that figure out how to use the most available space.
Since gas tanks can be shaped in many different ways they are probably one of the last items added to the blueprint of the car-thus going wherever they will fit.
And yes they do try to keep the exhaust system as far as possible from any fuel lines.
What else? It is just like simple design for every cars and no actual reason why they did that.
Take a look at your gas gauge, there’s a little picture of a gas pump and an arrow pointing to the side of the car where the gas tank is. If there is no arrow on the gauge get a little post-it-note and make your own label (to save you from looking like an idiot the next time you go to fill up). And I looked this up; if the little picture of the gas pump has the filling nozzle on the left side then your tank will be on your (drivers) side, and vice versa.
I liked your last guess ‘so gas stations don’t become overly-populated’. I laughed aloud when I read that one.
What about the cars with the filler tube under the license plate??? You have no explanation for that one, DO YA???
Personally, I think it depends on the day of the week that the car was designed, myself. Even day got right side, odd day got left side…
Hey Mike,
I have no outstanding theories as to why the placement of the filler tubes on automobile fuel tanks isn’t standardized other than that I think it’s most likely because there have been so many different people involved in the design and development of cars.
I can let you know something about how you can avoid making the same mistake again when pulling into a gas station on the wrong side of the pump, though. This is not really new news, so you may perhaps already be aware of this, but I’ll assume you’re one of the ones who are unaware since you didn’t mention this little tidbit in your discourse. If you look down at the fuel gauge on the newer cars (I’m not sure what year this was initiated, but I think it was sometime in the 1970′s); you will notice a little picture of a gas pump or gas nozzle. The nozzle in this little picture points to the side of the car where the fuel filler tube is located. This was started by the Japanese car makers, I believe, but has since then been adopted by the American makers too. I hope this helps you and anyone else to avoid another inconvenience in future trips to the filling station.
Have you ever owned a car where the gas tank filler cap was somewhere unexpected? Buicks (and some other GM cars) used to put it under the rear license plate which tipped out of the way so you could fill the tank. From the point of view of the person filling the car, this was actually a fairly convenient place.
I think the driver’s side is more convenient than the passenger side. The driver has a better idea of how close to the pump he has parked and can get to the pump more easily. It’s something I usualy look at when I am buying a car, but I don’t think I would reject a car I otherwise liked for the placement of the gas cap unless it were in a totally unsafe place.
Car manufacturers have been putting fuel fills in different locations for decades. Anyone remember them in the rear under the license plate? in the ’57 Chevy you had a section below the tail light, and in the VW, it was in the front. The reasons elude even the vehicle manufacturers, I’ve asked. No one seems to have definitive answer. It might be just to keep us guessing.
It was better when I was a kid that most cars filled from the rear.
I have two cars, and they have the gas filler on opposite sides. It’s a memory problem for me.
Fortunately, both cars have a memory aide on the instrument panel. It’s a little picture of a gas pump, with a tiny triangular arrow, showing which side the filler is on. This feature is so small that I missed it at first. Now I use it every time I’m approaching the pump.
Check your car. You might be pleasantly surprised.
FYI, Mike, many newer cars will have an arrow next to the fuel gauge to let you know which side the tank is on:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kFbBABfiKZw/SvC3BCPUF7I/AAAAAAAAAC4/rTixT9IRNF8/s320/fuel_gauge_analog.jpg
Please don’t forget about National Lampoon’s trip to Wally World.
Why was the gas tank on the right front?
I think it all has to do with where the engineers find the space to put a gas tank and the filler.
I can’t figure out why they do this except to piss me off! My truck has it on one side and wife’s car has it on the other. when switching back and forth between vehicle’s daily, what do you think the odds are for getting it right at the station?
I have noticed that many “family cars” have tanks on the passenger side. Most parents put the car seat in the passenger side of the back seat so that the driver can see them more easily. Parents do not like to leave a child in the car alone, even if we are 2 steps away at the pump. And, a child in a car seat has limited ability to turn and see a parent outside the vehicle.
We were speculating that the tank is on passenger side so that the parent can keep an eye on the child through the window while he/she is out of the car pumping gas, and can step into the child’s line of vison easily as well.
My theory on the location of the gas tank is based on design considerations from car makers. Car shape and size may dictate where the gas tank must be placed.
But car makers make it easy for you not to forget where the tank is. The gas meter on the car dashboard should have an arrow pointing to the gas tank location. I rely on it because I own two cars with tanks in opposite sides…
From what my understanding is it is alla bout design. When they blue print the car they just figure in thr most economical way first then saftey on so forth. But to help you remember look at you gas gauge it should have some kind of indicator to which side it is on. My info came from and Auto worker at a factory here in the states
the filler is almost always on the opposide side of the exhaust. If you remember where the exhaust is then just think its on the other side.
You forgot to mention the middle behind the license plate gas tank intake.
No theories other than it’s an equal opportunity thing. Split the load on each half of the fill-station island.
I’m old enough to remember when US made cars had fill spouts hidden behind the rear license plate – Center mount. That idea got axed because you were driving a bomb. not a lot of protection for the tank right in front of the bumper.
I always thought Jaguar had it right when they had fill caps on both sides of the car, the only problem being they were on top and spills would get all over the trunk lid. And they’ve abandoned that design model.
Anyway, MOST (not all) cars have standardized on giving you indication of where the tank is by two visual queues. 1. an arrow on the gas gauge pointing left or right. 2. the placement of the gas gauge on the instrument panel. Left of the speedometer for a left mounted fill spout; right for right-side.
As far as I know, many cars have an arrow beside the little image of a gasoline pump on their gas gauge. This shall tell you which side your fuel tank is on.
so true. i have 3 cars and i always forget were the gas tank is. when i go to fuel up i have to turn around and i look like an idiot. lol
Most every gas tank is centered on the vehicle because of balancing. It’s the fill cap that you are talking about. I have noticed that most American made vehicles have the fill cap on the driver’s side while imports mostly have them on the passenger’s side. This is because the country of origin usually drives on the left side of the road and not switching over the side of the fill cap saves on having to redesign for export.
I am London Bus Driver and someone told me a long time ago something about fuel tanks location and where to find them from the drivers seat.
So here it goes. Look at the fuel tank icon on the dashboard and where ever is pointing the nossel that’s the side of the fuel cap.
I think it makes sense to have a mix of tank positions because then both sides of a fuel pump can be used.
the easiest way is the small icon on the dash for petrol/gas whatever side the pump nozzel is on is the side your tank is on
I was always told that your gas tank is on the same side your odometer is on. It’s actually been that way with all the cars I’ve owned in the past. Anyone else care to comment on this?
Cars with the gasoline filler on the passenger side are un-American. All America cars used to be on the drivers side. There should be a federal law against the ones on the passenger side. As far as the filling station goes, all they do is snarl up traffic there. A lot of times you end up with two cars facing each other because of it
Do they still make any cars where the fuel cap is behind the rear licence plate. That was comman when I was little.
Tell mi plizz hav can I became a vampire?
tell mi plizz or ask you friends plz I need this plz tell mi
One tip on never forgetting which side is to look at your fuel gauge, I’ve been told (and it hasn’t failed me yet!!) that the fuel filler is always in the same side….be interested to know if that applies to all cars.
Here’s a tip for if you forget what side the tank is on: On your dashboard where the indicator light is for fuel, there is usually a little arrow pointing either left or right (). It’s pointing to the side your gas cap is on!
As far as where the fill tube is located. If it is Analog and not a digital display, the fil tube is usually located on the side that the gas gauge needel points to when it is empty. I have found this to be aboout 95% accurate, I do remeber reading it but can not remember the link
I miss the cars that had the filler behind the license plate. It was right n the middle so you never had to worry about which side to go to. All gas hoses reach the middle easily.
I just recently changed vehicles and I am having trouble getting my mind to accept the changes with them. It is a human and matter of habit thing I believe. We will make the adjustment some day..lol…
Dont know why but my mom taught me a trick that works on most cars to know when you pull up to the pump. On the dash board under the gas guage or in the guage there is a picture of a gas pump it will be on the side of the fuel guage that the filler cap is works on every car ive seen the gas pump picture on the dash
the theory of the filler side on the other side than the exhaust would have to be false also as lots of cars now come with daul exhaust. Now back in the early 60′s some chevrolet, or I should say General Motors cars, had the filler behind the license plate, in the center of the car. Now that made sense to me.
Not sure how they decide which side of the car to put the filler neck on, but I do know a way for you to remember which side it is on. On most, if you look at the fuel gauge inside the car, it will either have an arrow pointing to one side or the other beside the little image that looks like a gas pump or the little picture of the pump will be on one side or the other. That is the side of the car where you put the gas in. I used to have the same problem as you when I would pull into the pumps, because I drive a couple different vehicles but then someone pointed this out to me and issue solved. From then on, I never found myself sitting with the wrong side of the car on the side with the gas pumps!
you know… in almost every car ive ever seen or driven, the gas gauge always has an arrow (like a triangle) pointing towards the side of the car that the gas tank is on…. ive told many people this when i was a passenger in someone else’s car who needed gas… and 10 out of 10 times they were shocked, as they never knew this before.. so give it a try
There is actually a simple solution to the question
which has nothing to do with driver or passenger… I
f you want to know which side the fuel tank is on –
it is opposite the exhaust pipe …
I also seem to recall, when I was small, having the gas cap hidden behind the license plate! huh, things that make ya go…hmmm.
I’ve read that one reason for putting the gas tank on the passenger side is the safety of a person pulled over on a roadside putting gas in a tank from a gas can.
Before anyone says it, The little picture on the gas gauge DOES NOT tell you where the gas filler is.
Far as I can tell, it is arbitrary. You have to remember too that “driver side”and “passenger side” are arbitrary as some countries have left-hand drive roads and car manufacturers have to build for both markets. Retooling your factory for something like the gas filler seems silly as you’d basically be doubling up on all the other systems that would depend on the placement of that hole.
As for the gas station theory, I have yet to see a one-way gas station (ok, nvm, Sam’s club are one-way) but most stations I’ve seen let you drive in in either direction.
My 2 cents, don’t really have much of an answer though.
Don’t all modern cars have a little thingie on the dashboard, around the speedometer or the idiot lights, to indicate which side of the car the filling funnel is? I read about that, and mine does. It is very helpful, especially for if other people than the owner are driving your car. !
I had a car once that had the gas tank in the middle of the back of the car (behind the license plate)… I always thought that was the most logical place – then it wouldn’t matter which direction you pulled up to a gas station pump. My second choice would be on the driver’s side.
The placement REALLY IS because of which side the exhaust is on. It is so if there was a hole or rip in the rubber filler neck the gas would not drip down onto the hot exhaust and possibly start a fire.
If you look at vehicles with DUAL exhaust from the factory, You will notice there is a special shield installed on the pipe that runs under the filler neck to prevent fuel from spilling on the exhuast.
Although the theory of campany’s mixing it up for gas stations is compelling…….
hi… i don’t know much about cars but maybe it has to do with the anatomy of the car. maybe the gas tank is placed on the right side of the car because of 4 wheel drive and other cars on the right side because of 2 wheel drive. i’m not sure… good question.
Most newer cars have an icon near the gas tank level indicator on the dashboard with a little arrow telling you which side the tank is on. If your car doesn’t have one (some don’t) get a piece of masking tape and create your own. I have three cars and one didn’t have the icon, so I made my own. No more stopping short of the pump and sticking my head out the door to look.
You question is humorous…I have zero idea and there is no purpose for Saved By The Bell to continue running!
Many years ago, the design engineers for a car company both designed the car and then engineered the assembly. Most fuel tanks are loacted in the rear of the vehicle and then filler tube is either located on the left, right, center, or two of the mentioned. The 1969 Camaro and all of the Chevy line is a good starting point. The filler tube was installed behind the rear license plate and you had to flip the plate dow to expose the cap. The problem with this installation was that the fuel would leak out on excelleration. In the later years, the filler tanks changed locations and again, it was all based on the design engineer until someone came up with the bright idea that the filler neck needs to keep the gas in the tank and the side fender was the easiest location but again a decision had to be made on location.
I’ve done a little past research and actually know exactly why they place the filler neck where they do! First they need to balance the rear weight of the car for handling and stability, and finally divide the weight. Not so much the weight of the fuel filler tube, but the SPARE TIRE. The filler neck is placed on the rear fender of the car opposite of the spare tire. If the spare tire is not a fender mounted tire, it is a trunk pan mounted type, then the filler tube location is the option of the design engineer. The Exhaust has nothing to do with it. The exhaust and the fuel vent system, are closed systems that are not effected by the other.
The way to get out of this little rut…provided your car has a hand activated lid, activate the lid and look in your rear view mirror before you get to the station to see which side has filler tube.
Hope this helps.
Mike, I know how you feel because I do the same thing only it is usually after I pay for the gas and theres a line up of cars. Its so embarrassing when the hose doesnt reach.
I seem to remember several cars back in the 70s which had the gas tank access in the middle, behind the license plate, which folded down….
That is really strange Mike! My gas tank is on the passenger’s side…hmmm. It could be that your car manufacturer likes the left side of your car!
I hope this helped Mike!
Really? You just plagiarized half of that from the sources you cited — which is bad form, and incredibly easy to notice. What the point of this blog?
I don’t really care which side. All that’s important to me is that they keep putting that little arrow next to the gas gauge that tells me where it is. That arrow has been there FOREVER, but like many of us, we either didn’t know what it meant or didn’t even ‘see’ it. RJ
I used to have the same problem until my wife told me a solution.(I hate when she is so much smarter than me). Look for two things. Usually there is a liitle mark either to the right or the left of the little gas gauge indicator on your dashboard. Another way is that the gas guage itself is usually left of the steering wheel if the tank is on the drivers side and right of the steering wheel if it is on the passenger side. Its worked for me ever since.
Most newer cars have an arrow in the dash, next to the gas tank monitor pointing to the side of the car where you gas tank is.
I just wanted to point out that you can simply look at the fuel gauge in your car and the direction the arrow is pointing to will be where the fuel tank is. At least that is with most US Made cars after 1990 I believe. Anyway….
If you drive a European car of any sort, your gas tank/handle will be on the right side of your car. If you drive an american car you, your gas tank/handle will be on the left side of your car. (exception: hummer H1 gas tank/handle is on right side of car) If you drive a japanese cars, your gas tank/handle will also be on the left side of your car.
so it really depends on the car type and origin
I don’t really have a theory, but I do have a protip – *before* you pull into the gas station, look at your gas gauge – there should be a diagram of a gas tank, with an arrow pointing to the side of the vehicle that needs to be adjacent to the gas pump.
It’s not as bad as it used to be, try finding a gas cap hidden under one of the rear tail lights.
Many modern cars above the gas guage have a note “Fuel Door” with an arrow which I suspect many people think is a warning light to tell you if you left it open but is actually telling you which side of the car the filler is.
I have had this problem too, but my wife introduced me to a startling discovery. Now I’m not sure it this is always true but it has been with every car I’ve driven so far. If you are not sure which side the tank is on look at the dash. Some new cars I’ve noticed have started actually putting an arrow indicating which side the fuel door is on but the placement of the gauge also usually tells as well (if the gauge is on the left side of the dash the fuel door should be on the left side of the car)! I just hope I do not cause anyone trouble if they have the one car that doesn’t!
I can’t answer your question as to why the gas fill is placed on one side or the other, but If it helps, I have noticed an icon by the gas gauge on most vehicles that point to the side that has the filler on. You will see a indicating which side it is on. Hope that helps.
Additional info: You will see an arrow icon by the gas gauge that indicates which side the filler is on.
The notion that the placement of the fuel door has to do with the location of the gas station’s pump nozzle is specious, because fuel pump nozzles are located as randomly as the fuel door: they can be to the right of the door/nozzle, to the left, or, in some cases, even in the middle! I would also point out that pre-1960′s fuel pumps had near 360 degree nozzles, because they were mounted fairly high to allow gravity to do the work that electronic pumping has since then, so, historically, there was no reason to have the fuel doors on one side or the other. However, you may notice that most modern fuel pump hoses are mounted high and are long enough to stretch quite far, just to avoid such situations!
If the exhaust pipes had anything to do with the placement of the fuel door, where would you place the door for dual (i.e., both sides) exhaust pipes? Since gas tanks, like the fuel nozzles, are made of non-sparking metals (e.g., rhodium) and/or plastics – - though they might be jacketed by steel for extra protection against minor accidents – - it doesn’t matter where the exhaust pipe(s) are located (really, it doesn’t!).
The idea of putting the fuel door on the opposite side of traffic to avoid getting hit while fueling in an emergency sounds wonderfully safety-minded of the car manufacturers, how often have you ever seen someone do so? In my lifetime (never mind how old I am!), I have seen others do it maybe five times, not including the one time I did it for myself! Since people are generally very careful about noticing how much gas is in their tank, and given that running out is a very rare occurrence (according to my car club agent and a mechanic friend, plus my own experience, flat tires and jump starts far outnumber the calls for empty fuel tanks), it is highly unlikely that the car mfr’s would deign to consider such, safety not withstanding.
Country of origin or destination is a nice idea, but, if that were the case, you’d think that the fuel pump would always be located on the driver’s side, so that the driver would have the least distance to walk, much less to drag the nozzle across the vehicle. And, if it is not a minor frustration, if not wasteful, it’s a minor inconvenience if one needs to turn the car around, if need be (just don’t try it when there are lines at the station you’re at!). For the record, some cars have tiny arrows or pump indicators, which point out which side the fuel tank is on. For the record, my American-made and driven vehicle’s dashboard has an arrow on the left of a half-inch high fuel pump icon pointing out the driver’s side; the fuel gauge is also on the left of the dashboard, so it’s hard to not notice one or the other! You might see such an arrow or similar symbol on your dashboard, but, perhaps, didn’t realize what it meant (consult your car’s specs or user’s manual; you know . . . the book nobody reads, except on the day they first bring the beast home!).
A quick check on the web for this very question indicates that nobody seems to know the reasons for placing the fuel door on one side or the other or even the middle. So, if nobody can agree on the reasons, if not for the vagaries and whims of the automotive lords-that-be, and if it isn’t much ado about nothing, then, at the very least, all drivers should know their car, inside and out (even rentals!); IMHO, it should be required that all drivers – - male and female, and even some handicapped – - be able to point out the major parts of the car, including where to put the various fluids, and how to jump a battery, and how to change a tire (heck, if my 5′ 6″, 115 lb, sister with severe carpal tunnel syndrome can do all of that, ANYbody can do it!).
As a backyard mechanic of over 40 years (a hint as to how old I am!), I have a far better, if not, arguably, more important question on the subject of fuel tanks: How much fuel is left when the fuel gauge indicates empty?
It just depends on how the manufacturer makes the engine and everthing under the hood. It can have to do with how the axels run, whether it’s rear wheel drive, etc., etc., where the differentals are situated, the drive train and how everything under the hood is situated. The gas tank has to be positioned in accordance with all of the above, so depending on where all of the above is situated (which usually depends on the manufacturer and type of car, will determine where the gas tank will be.
I am not sure why the gas tanks are on either side. It probably doesn’t matter, so the manufacturing most likely chooses one he/she feels like at the time. A helpful tip so that you know which side the gas tank is on, is to look at the gas icon. There is something that points to which side it that usually looks like > or <. Click the link to see a picture of what I am talking about.
The placement is affected by the design of the car. Back in the late 1960′s and the 1970′s, some cars had their fuel fills hidden behind the rear license plate, which you had to hold down in order to fuel up the car. WHAT A PAIN! (I was a pump jockey for a year or so — Oregon and New Jersey are the only states that think their citizens are not smart enough to pump their own gas.)
Nowadays, many — if not all — automakers place an icon on the instrument cluster that looks like a little gas pump with an arrow pointing to the side where the fuel fill is located. As for dealing with the problem of aerodynamic faults, the gas cap is now inside a door set into the fender on many (most) cars and trucks.
At a guess, could it have something to do with where the car is manufactured, rather than by which company? i.e. The geographical location of the manufacturer may either be where drivers drive on the left-hand side of the road or the right-hand side of the road, and therefore it could be, as you say, to keep out of the way of traffic.
As a side point, I read an email some time ago that said the petrol bowser picture that is on your fuel gauge usually points to the side of the car that your petrol tank is on. .. I haven’t been able to verify this, though, but you could work out whether yours points or doesn’t point and try to remember that!
If the exhaust theory was the reason then what about the cars that have dual exhausts? Cars used to have gas fillers in the back usually behind the license tag. Some, during the days of the ‘Tail Fin’ days, had the filler in the tail fin.
I believe it boils down to which side has the least obstructions that allow the straightest tube to be used. The more bends in a filler tube results in overflows and slower fill up time resulting in lower customer count.
Just think about what it would be like drinking a soda fast if your esophagus made two or more bends to get around organs before getting to your stomach.
Maybe it is car designers with a sick sense of humor or evil intentions to get even with society.
Doesn’t matter. Soon we will all be driving cars powered by the ‘Energizer Bunny’ . Then we can complain about where the put the battery compartment access cover.
just tooadd to the mix remember when cars had the gas fill in the rear a couple I recall were under the tail ligth or the cars that had them mounted in front of the windshield (model a ford) or the vw bug insude ubder the frint hood ?? or the mid engine porshe with the fill be hind the rear window.
I don’t know why they are on different sides but to solve your problem- the gas level indicator will have a small arrow pointing to either the left of right side- this will indicate what side your gas tank is on. This way you don’t have to get out of your vehicle to know what side the gas tank is on.
Yahoo! Answers has resolved this question at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006012408007
“JetDoc’s Best Answer – Chosen by Asker
It used to be that the fuel filler was on the side opposite the exhaust pipe, and the exhaust pipe was on the same side of the car as the exhaust manifold (if the car had an inline engine.)
The way cars are built today, the location doesn’t seem to follow any pattern or plan.”
The theory of economic equilibrium is intriguing as well (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2009/08/why-do-cars-have-fuel-doors-on.html ):
“As in Darwinian evolution by natural selection, new patterns tend to persist not because they were consciously designed to be useful, but rather because they happened to serve a useful purpose. If the filler doors weren’t on different sides, there would definitely be more crowding at gas stations [because only one side of a pump could be used]. … a car manufacturer who offered a car with its filler door on the side opposite most other cars would have a strong selling point. (“Buy the Chevy Lefty and avoid long gas lines!”)”
Nice read. I personally think the gas tank should be on the driver side, which would make it easy for people to remember.
For my car however, I drive a ’78 Nova, and the gas tank opening is behind the rear license plate. Now how’s that for confused if someone were to drive a car like that and not find the gas tank? lol
Maybe placement of other parts of the car prevent placement on one side or the other. Another part or safety feature could prevent the gas tank from being on one side or the other considering that the gas lines have to reach the engine. If something were blocking the way then it would have to be placed on the other side.
Thats just my thought.
maybe the car makers just out the gas tank were it fits.
Thanks for the info. But I thought you were going to help with mental notes to remember which side the tank was on. Yes, mine is on the passanger’s side, but my husband’s truck is on the driver’s side. Glad to know I’m not alone in wondering, ok tank is on right side. or, mine’s on the right, his is on the left. I’m right handed. He is left handed. Makes association easier.
just a tip.
Most cars have a arrow on the dash by the gas gauge telling you what side the tank is on
Not sure why, but I do know that on most vehicles, when you look at the little gas pump icon on the dashboard, there is usually an arrow that points to which side of the vehicle the tank is on. Other gas pump icons show which side the tank is on by what side the gas handle is on.
You forgot about the multitudes of cars from the 70′s that had the filler behind the license plate. Yup right in the middle.
Buy a 60′s to 80′s GM made automobile
then Mike’s problem Will be Solved!
they put the Gas inlet under the license plate
I believe it is because europeans drive on the left side of the road. so european cars have gas tanks on the european drivers side. Cars made by BWM for example have gas tanks on the right hand side of the car because in europe that is the driver side. In America, the right hand side is the passenger side so american cars have gas tanks on the left side.
So that some cars can pull up on one side of the gas pump and others on the other side:)
I’m pretty sure it was just an idea car manufacturers came up with to screw with our heads.
Mike, really isn’t much mystery here about the gas tank filler pipe. For all practical consideration most GM, and Japanese made vehicles have the filler on the drivers side. All German made cars have the filler on the passenger side. Most Fords and Chrysler made cars follow GM and the Japanese manufacturers. There is no particular reason for this other than custom.
However it is important to note that many if not most cars had the filler directly on the back of the vehicle for many years up until the mid 1970′s. Access was generally behind the license plate with a few hiding the filler behind real tail lights or other such places. For safety reasons from rear end crashes this was changed to the rear quarter panel of nearly every car made today.
There really is no mystery to this. If you drive a GM or Japanese car the filler will almost always be on the driver’s side. And you can count on the opposite for German made cars such as MBZ and BMW and Porsche. Ford and Chrysler vary to some degree but for the most part they follow GM. However with cars now being manufactured under so many different plants there is no absolutes here.
I don’t know whether or not it’s standardized, but if you look at your gas meter, there should be an icon of a gas pump with an arrow. That arrow usually tells you which side of your car the gas input is.
Why don’t you call a car manufacturers customer hotline?
The passenger-side-safety thing sounds fairly credible. As does the gas station theory.
If you look at the gasoline meter, there a picture of a gas pump with an arrow next to it, it shows which side your tank is on… Atleast thats how it is for me.
With most rear wheel drive cars with single exhausts, the exhaust seems to be installed on the passenger side. I believe this is because the engine flexes less on the passenger side, which is a combination of torque and the direction of the engine’s crankshaft rotation. On rear wheel drive cars with dual exhaust, it wasn’t uncommon to find the gas tank filler at the rear of the vehicle instead of on one side. Some rear wheel drive vehicles also had the gas filler on top of where the trunk should be (the Corvette) or above the rear wheel opening (late 60′s Dodge Chargers). My 1987 Caddy Fleetwood and 1986 Olds Cutlass (both with rear wheel drive) had the gas filler behind the license plate.
Foreign cars weren’t necessarily that way. A lot of rear wheel drive Toyotas had the gas filler on the side of the car in the 70′s. It could have been due to the location of the exhaust, since it wasn’t common for people to install dual exhaust systems on cars that were equipped with four-cylinder engines.
Front wheel drive vehicles are a different story. Since the engine flexes frontward and backward, the location of the exhaust is relatively arbitrary. Back when front wheel drive cars still had a drivetrain hump running down the middle of the car (perhaps a throw-back to the rear wheel drive days) the exhaust could be run where the driveshaft and transmission used to be…but they didn’t always do it that way. When the exhaust made its way back toward the fuel tank, it would go to one side or the other of the tank, seemingly with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes they would have dual exhausts that split behind the catalytic convertor and just in front of the fuel tank, with the pipes wrapping around the sides of the fuel tank.
With cars that have the fuel filler on the side, I’m used to finding it on the driver’s side. In a land where people drive on the right side of the road, it makes sense to keep right when driving up to a fuel pump. But like you said, there are cars that have the fuel filler on the passenger side, and it throws me off every time…despite the little arrow on the fuel gauge that tells me which side the gas filler is on. I can’t even blame it on imported cars, because Dodge Neons are on the passenger side. Perhaps the Neon was expected to sell better in a foreign country where people normally fill their cars on the passenger side?
In any case, it makes things difficult when you’ve got a limited number of gas pumps with cars lined up at each one and a limited amount of space to turn around. It’s funny watching people waiting in line backwards because of where their filler is, then watching them back out onto the street after they have filled up. We wouldn’t have this problem if the fuel filler was located in the rear, or if there was a fuel filler on both sides of the car. Unfortunately, the latter would add a few dollars to the price of the car so we won’t see that happen.
Sorry I don’t have any links. This is all from past experience and observation, with a bit of opinion along the way.
interesting, I’ve never thought of that before.
I’m afraid that I don’t have a link for you but the gas tank placement is USUALLY on the driver’s side – the reason that it would be placed on the opposite side of a particular car is decided on whether or not the car would be produced primarily for a left hand or right hand drive market. An easy way to remember what side a gas tank flap is on is that a) It is always opposite the side that your indicator stalk is on and b) If you have a sign of a gas tank on your dash (instead of a “GAS” sign), look at whick side the gas pump handle is on and that is the side that your gas access flap is on. Hope this helps.
Look at the fuel gage, some have a small gas pump pictured and the gas hose will be on the side that the gas filler is on ,and others will have a arrow pointing to the side of the car that has the fuel filler door on it.
Mike if you look on your gas gauge it has a little gas pump it shows you which side the tank is on.
The gas tank on many cars, is on one side or the other to improve handling characteristics. The bmws i had were all passenger side gas tanks to offset the weight of the driver. and to be honest, on most normal american cars, and imports alike, its just part of the engineering and thats just where it ended up.
I have heard that it is not the country of orgin, but rather if the vehicle is sold in other markets, such as Europe.
Then, rather than having different specs for the exhuast, depending on where it is shiped and sold, the auto makers can have a basic build plan.
By the way- generally, you will find a “icon” on your dash panel, that shows what side your tank is on. It is either a picture of the gas pump or an arrow, or both-if it is on the right or points that way, that is the side your tank is on. Sort of a visual reminder-check it out!
ps. I hated when my tank was on the passenger side, because I would freeze trying to fill my tank in this northern climate-Brrr!
most cars, have an arrow on the gas gauge on your dashboard pointing to the side of the car that has the fill up connection
I’ve always wondered about this myself. I can remember having cars where the gas filler was in the middle of the back of the car which was convenient when going into a gas station but probably unsafe in the event of a rear end collision. Since we have to keep to the right side of the road in the U.S. it would make more sense to have the filler on the drivers side when pulling into a gas station so everyone would be keeping to the right when entering the gas pumps. It can often get somewhat chaotic trying to get to the pumps when everyone is coming in at different directions. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the exhaust pipes on one side and the gas fill on the opposite side since many cars have dual exhausts, esp the older V-8′s. Perhaps the answer to your question might be as fuzzy as why the greatest minds in physics haven’t been able to come up with a Grand Unified Theory covering all the laws of the universe, e.g Einstein, Heisenberg, & Hawking.
I don’t know why it isn’t standard, but I do know that most cars have a little arrow next to the gas pump on the fuel gauge.
This arrow points either to the driver’s-side or passenger’s-side, whichever has the gas cap.
A glance at your instrument panel can save you a lot of “who’s that crazy guy who doesn’t know where his gas cap is” stares.
The easiest way to remember which side the gas tank is on is to ask your self which hand do I write with? then either tell yourself its on the same side I write with, or its on the side I dont write with. Once I did that I never forgot again.
A little trick, note that the gas tank on the panel of your car, where the needle sits to show you empty or full has a tank picture with an arrow pointing to the left or right. Look at it, note that your gas tank is on the side the arrow is pointing to. ;o)
There are generally formulas used in designing all things based on risk assessments. It is normative and generally valued to place fuel fill and exhaust on differing sides; but several autos do in fact have dual exhaust systems and yet do not burst into flames at each fill up. I don’t know of any “plan” to place tank access points at random for best use of filling station access; in fact I’m pretty sure most places would prefer a standard location of feuling hardware. I wonder if anyone would know if more “high end” cars of a given make are always on one side or the other, as a design detail that would tend to identify a new model as being from that mark? This could psychologically instill a wee bit of “status”, or lack thereof; but in any case if there is an intention AT ALL it is aimed at the subliminal mind.
Try looking closley at the fuel gage. There should be an arrow pointing to the side of the filler cap. If there is not one put a small piece of tape on the gage on the side of the filler cap. BTW. Most gas hoses will reach to the opposite side of the car.
I think it’s just for someone’s personal preference/choice. Maybe some like it better on one side than the other. You can get to choose which side you like.
Although I still think it should be in the middle of the car (in the back or front) so you can get to it from either side. Nissan now has a car with the gas tank in the middle of the front of the car.
I don’t have an answer for your question, but I do have some information that would help you not forget which side your filler tube is for your gas tank. If you look at your gas gauge on your instrument cluster on your dash board (usually right in front of you), the reading where your fuel says empty or full, there should be a picture of some sort of gas filler (resembles what you use when you fill up your tank) and next to it or by it there should also be an arrow. This arrow points to which side your gas tank filler is located. This has been around for quite some time (although i’m not sure how long) so it should help you not be confused anymore. Just remember, that which ever side the arrow is pointed towards, is where your gas tank filler cap is located.
Thanks!
Most vehicles have a small arrow printed on the fuel gauge that points to which side of the car the gas filler is located. It would seem that most people never notice this.
If you look at the icon of the gas tank on your dashboard all “not so old” cars have an arrow pointing left or right or even showing the gas hose left or right. If the arrow is pointing left your gas tank is on the left and vice versa. Great reminder right on the dashboard!
Lmao!
You just made me think about this and i get so confused with this too!
If all cars had the gas tank on one side, then the lines at gas stations would be rather lopsided.
Or gas stations would have to be built like 2 way streets, and much less efficient.
A bit of a pointless question. That’s like asking why different cars have mufflers/exhausts on different sides. What I can say however, is that the side the filler is on is indicated on your dashboard.
Check this out
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kFbBABfiKZw/SvC3BCPUF7I/AAAAAAAAAC4/rTixT9IRNF8/s320/fuel_gauge_analog.jpg
The little arrow is pointing to which side the fill-up point is.
My sincere advice would be to find a way to ask an auto manufacturer. I doubt you will ever find the answer otherwise.
Most fords have a little arrow pointing to the right side. Its awesome.
I don’t know why gas tanks are placed on one side vs. the other, but I can tell you how to determine which side it is on in the car you’re driving.
Look at the cute little gas pump icon on the dash next to/under the full/empty dial. If the hose/nozzle of the pump is on the right, your gas tank is on the right. If the hose/nozzle is on the left, your gas tank is on the left. This has been so helpful with rental cars.
Not sure why, but any car i have been in, if you look at your gages behind the wheel, whichever side displays your fuel gage is the same side your tank is on.
We have a 2004 Ford Taurus wagon. On the dash next to the fuel gauge there is a small arrow pointing to the right which means the gas tank is on the right passenger side. Never seen it on another car. Is this a general thing now? Sure is handy when you drive a few different cars.
I loved my early 80′s GM car that had the filler in the back behind the license plate. This really should be the mandatory standard where the fuel filler should be!!
well I do know that if your gas gauge on your dashboard is on the left side so is your filler tube and likewise if its on the right side so at leasty when you drive different cars you have a quick reference.
The gas gauge of every car has a small arrow pointing left or right so that if you do rent a car or drive a car you don’t normally drive, you know what side of the car it is on without needing to get out of the car.
It’s not standardized because there’s not point to, standardize it. The only reason to standardize it would be health or safety issues or something which can never be proven.
I think it has to do with the intent to sell the car in left hand drive or right hand drive countries. For instance my hyundai elantra is not sold in the UK so its tank filler is on the left (us driver side) of the car. Where as the Focus is sold in the UK so its tank is on the UK driver side. Thats my theory anywho.
It is simply the engineering of the car.
The filler neck needs to have the best unobstructed path to the tank to facilitate easier filling of liquid.
This is affected by many factors including but not limited to….spare tire location, exhaust location, braces, frame rails, differentials, brake components, etc….
whichever side offeres the fewer obstructions and the most direct down draining route to the tank…is the most effective for determining placement.
That’s why I drive a ’65 Mustang – the (awesome looking) gas cap is dead center of the back of the car.
Of course, with a 289ci small-block, a Holley 4-bbl and 3-0 gears in the rear end, I get to spend my fair share of time filling ‘er up!
Location is up to the designer. Some models in the heyday of design were located in tailfins below metal trim. While most cars in 1960’s and 1970’s had the fuel neck in the rear. This could be under the license plate or in the middle of the rear panel where a decorative fuel cap could be used. This made it simple to do a fill up and no worries about which side the cap was on and provided a clean look to the rear quarter panels.
The 1968 Charger broke those rules. When the designer who want that “to give it that stockcar look.” Placed the fuel cap location on top of the rear quarter panel. He placed wanted to place it on both sides., thus allowing the driver not to worry about which side it was on, but it proved to costly.
Rear end collisions were the main reasons that the location was changed. By placing the fuel neck on the side, the tank can be moved forward. Thus reducing the chance of the tank being tore apart as easily. Body side mounted fuel necks supposedly limit more fuel vapors. Basically if it goes on the left or the right is up to the person at the drawing broad.
I’ve thought about this too, and I figured it was so gas stations could serve more people.
just look at the arrow… where it says FUEL on your dashboard there is a triangle… that points to the side tha gas tank is on…
Mike my father owned a 1970 Olds Delta 88 (that’s a model not the year made Olds made a Delta 98 for many years too) and his car filled in the back under the licence plate. The frame for the plate had a hinge on the bottom and you pulled the frame down unscrewed the cap wedge it in the corner to keep it proped open and put the fuel nossel in. Many cars in that era had the same type set up you could fill up on either side of the pump. I saw a vintage sports car once (forgot what it was right now) and it had a “modern” door on it like on the car you had but it was located under the rear window above the trunk lid. Also some (not many) gas stations have long hoses that comfortably reach both sides of a car.
Nation of origin is not necessarily a determining factor in placement of the fuel fill. I had a 1992 Olds Achieva which had its gas inlet on the curb (right) side, but my mom had a 1977 Plymouth Volare (same as Dodge Aspen) that had the fill on the left side. I later had a 1995 Ford Taurus Wagon that had the fill on the left, then two Dodge Grand Caravans that had the fill on the left, but with a safety interlock so the left-side slider wouldn’t open while the fuel door was open. My mom later had a 1992 Honda Accord with the fill on the left (easy to remember for me, as it was the opposite of my Olds). Years ago, however, my folks had a Ford Torino (Starsky and Hutch drove a Torino) that had the fill behind the license plate.
That happens maybe because you have different kinds off cars.For example, maybe you have a Honda and later a Toyota.
Here is the reason some tanks are on one side or the other. Every year, Car Makers try to come out with the best vehicle, you know, something that makes their car different from all the others. Making your chrysler look differnt from Joe Blow’s down the street, could be as quick and painless as swithching the gas cap to the other side. so I’m sure back in the day, just switching that tank to the other side made that vehicle “cherry”, or at least drew someone’s attention to the detail. I mean, let’s not forget about the corvette, with the tank on the top of it’s “trunk”. Nah! that’s probably not really the reason.
Because it’s blokes who do the car designing…say no more.
The idea that you can identify which side the FILLER TUBE is on by ANYTHING on the dash is a common MYTH. Note I specify the FILLER TUBE. The actual TANK is DEAD CENTER on every car I have ever seen.
The opposite from the exhaust doesn’t hold any water either. My car has the filler tube on the left, the fuel lines on the right, and the exhaust straight down the middle.
The actual fact is there IS NOT logic behind placement of the filler tube. I have even driven cars where the tube came out behind the rear license plate. The vehicle designer put the tube wherever they file like putting it when that model is designed.
It is all so simple. All of the above posts and not one answer. Just like cars and transportation forum.
I drive a cougar with fill on passenger side. The drivers door is very large and would not be able to open if fill was on drivers side next to pumps.
That is the reason the fill is placed where it is.
That was easy.
yes … look for the arrow or next time ask a question that needs a real answer.
there is no standard for placement…
also is this the biggest problem in your life ? wow let’s trade lives !!!
The best way to know where the filler is, is by popping it open as you drive towards the gas station. then check in your rearview mirrors
i bet it just depends on cheapest way to place it…
Don’t forget that the side the filler tube is on may stem from pure (old) convention. At one time cars approached a gas station with a single pump from either direction and kept to the right placing the filler tube most conveniently on the left (USA). In a similar manner cold water faucets are on the right by a long standing convention likely because the earliest plumbing systems had only cold water faucets and for right handed people it was most convenient to turn the faucet with the right hand (left brain – good at logic) while holding a vessel with the left hand (right brain – good at space relations). Later when cars were substantially modified and gas stations were larger with many pumps on an island that could be easily approached from either direction the filler tube could be relocated for other reasons. A filler tube on the left has proven dangerous for many women who start the pump and go sit in the car (to adjust makeup?) then slide back out laden with static electricity only to grab the nozzel in two seconds. Some of the static electricity might drain off by the time a filler tube is reached on the right hand side. Today body designers often dictate how a car should look for both appeal and reduced wind risistance and the engineers are then assigned to fit all the mandated ecological stuff under the hood and body and that could influence the best location for the filler tube if not dictated by the automated assembly line. Things change and then change again.
More power-right side.
Less power-left side.
4 cyl.-left side
6 cyl-right side.
150 hp-left side
500 hp-right side!!!!
Just thought i’d point this put because amazingly most people dont know this. At the top of the fuel pedometer theres a arrow pointing to the side of the pedometer. ahah
Most European manufacturers live in country’s who’s drivers are on the right side, ergo, gas fills on the right side.
Vehicles shipped to the US only change the driver location.
Tim
yer I work in a filling station this question had crossed my mind I noticed that Toyota, Mitsubishi and most fords fill on the passenger side but other cars fill on the drivers side and I laugh when cars pull up at a tank get out then move and pull up at another tank on the opposite fill side, or the folk that pull the pump to reach the wrong side… it makes my day go quicker anyways I thought it came down to a manufacturers decision