Q: What does the fuel gauge tell you?

asked by on December 15, 2015

What does the fuel gauge tell you?

Without gas, your car won’t be going much of anywhere. The fuel gauge in the dash gives you information about how much gas is left in the tank, so you know when you need to find a gas station and fill up again.

The gauge runs from the full (F) mark to the empty (E) mark, with three additional marks in between (3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 tank). As you drive, the needle will fall from full toward empty. Before it reaches the E mark, you need to fill up the tank.

The symbol of a gas pump with an arrow on it (located under the E) reminds you that the gas tank is on the driver side of the car.

Tips

  • The fuel gauge only shows an approximation of how much gas is in the tank.

  • Driving on an uneven surface will cause the needle to vary from true. For example, while driving up or down an incline the needle may indicate a full tank of gas, while on a flat road it indicates only a half full tank. The level the needle points to when driving on a flat surface is true (assuming no existing faults and a half full tank of gas).

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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