Which Side Is the Gas Tank On? The Arrow on Your Fuel Gauge, and How to Open the Fuel Door

Look at your fuel gauge. Next to the little gas pump icon there is usually a small arrow or triangle, and it points to the side of the vehicle where the fuel door is. Left arrow, left side; right arrow, right side. Ignore the hose drawn on the pump icon; it can point the wrong way.

Rental at Pearson, a loaner from the shop, a friend's car for the weekend: everybody has pulled up to the pump on the wrong side at least once. Here is how to get it right the first time, and how to open the door once you are there.

It tells you which side the fuel filler door is on. Carmakers say so in their own manuals: the 2007 Ford Ranger owner's manual describes the arrow near the pump icon as showing the filler door's side, and a GMC Yukon manual says the same about the arrow on its fuel gauge. Motor1 explains it the same way.

The idea goes back to a rainy day in 1986, when a Ford designer pulled a company car up to the pump on the wrong side and wrote a memo to his bosses suggesting a symbol beside the fuel gauge. The arrow first appeared on the 1989 Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, according to both SlashGear and Fox News.

Read the triangle, not the hose

1. 1Fuel pump iconSits beside the fuel gauge on most newer vehicles.
2. 2The arrowThe small triangle points to the side the fuel door is on: here, the right.
3. 3The hoseNot a reliable clue; some cars draw the hose on one side and the arrow on the other.
4. 4Fuel doorOn the side the arrow points to.
5. 5Push pointOn push-to-open doors, switch the engine off and press near the 3 o'clock edge of the door.

Some older cars have no arrow at all. Simplified drawing; the layout differs between vehicles.

Source: Arrow and hose from Motor1, 6abc / AAA and owner's manuals (Ford, GMC); push point from the 2020 RAM 1500 and Kia manuals.

Not reliably. On some cars the pump icon's hose does line up with the fuel door, but Motor1 points out that this is no rule, and a 6abc report quoting AAA notes cars where the arrow points one way and the hose shows on the other. Trust the arrow.

Which dashboard clue tells you the fuel door side

Clue	What it tells you	Trust it?
Arrow or triangle beside the pump icon	The side of the vehicle the fuel door is on	Yes
Hose drawn on the pump icon	Sometimes matches the fuel door side, sometimes does not	No
No arrow at all (some older cars)	Nothing on the gauge; check the owner's manual or walk around the car	Use the manual

Source: 2007 Ford Ranger owner's manual; GMC Yukon owner's manual; Motor1; 6abc, quoting AAA; Fox News.

Not every car has one: Motor1 notes that some older vehicles go without, and Fox News describes the triangle as a feature of most vehicles, at least newer ones. If yours is one of them, the owner's manual will show where the filler is, or take ten seconds to look before you pull in.

Not every vehicle has a lever or button for the fuel door. Here are the three setups you are most likely to meet, each straight from an owner's manual.

Push to open. On the 2020 RAM 1500, you park, shut the ignition off, then press the rear edge of the door at roughly the 3 o'clock position and let go; it pops open. Kia's owner's manual describes the same 3 o'clock push with the engine off.

Locked with the car. Some fuel doors lock and unlock with the vehicle. Kia's manual says its door unlocks only once the driver's door is unlocked, and the Jeep Compass manual has you unlock first, then push the door's outer edge. If a push does nothing, unlock the car and try again.

Emergency release. If the door still will not open, some vehicles have a backup cable. On the Jeep Compass it sits behind a small access panel on the right side of the cargo area, and on the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee you reach it by lifting out a storage bin behind the liftgate. Locations vary by model, so look yours up in the manual before you need it.

How common fuel doors open

Type	How to open it	Examples from owner's manuals
Push to open	Ignition off, press the door's rear edge, release	2020 RAM 1500; Kia
Locks with the car	Unlock the vehicle first, then push the door	Kia; Jeep Compass
Emergency release cable	Pull the cable inside the cargo area while pushing the door	Jeep Compass; 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Source: Owner's manuals: 2020 RAM 1500, Kia, Jeep Compass and its emergency release steps, 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Your vehicle may differ: check its manual.

After a freezing-rain night in Toronto, ice can glue the fuel door closed. The RAM, Kia and Jeep Compass manuals all give the same fix: press lightly around the edge of the door to crack the ice, then open it as normal. Kia and Jeep both warn against prying the door. Be patient and gentle.

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At the pump, in short

• Follow the arrow

  The triangle beside the fuel icon points to the fuel door side.

• Ignore the hose

  The hose on the icon can point the other way.

• Unlock first

  Some fuel doors lock with the vehicle, so unlock before you push.

• Frozen? Press, don't pry

  Press lightly around the edge to break the ice; the manuals warn against prying.

• Backup release

  Some Jeeps have an emergency fuel door release cable in the cargo area.

Which Side Is the Gas Tank On: Common Questions

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How do I know which side my gas tank is on without getting out?

Look at the fuel gauge for a small arrow or triangle next to the pump icon. It points to the side of the vehicle where the fuel door is. Ford and GM owner's manuals both describe the arrow this way.

Does the gas pump icon's hose show which side the tank is on?

No, not reliably. On some cars the hose lines up with the fuel door and on others it does not. Motor1, and AAA as quoted by 6abc, both say to go by the arrow instead.

Who came up with the fuel gauge arrow?

A Ford designer suggested it in a 1986 memo after pulling up to a pump on the wrong side in the rain. It first appeared on the 1989 Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer, according to SlashGear and Fox News.

How do I open a fuel door that has no button or lever?

Many are push-to-open. On the 2020 RAM 1500 and on Kia models, the manuals say to switch the engine off and press the door near the 3 o'clock position. If nothing happens, unlock the vehicle, because some doors lock with the car.

Why won't my fuel door open even though I pushed it?

The car may still be locked: on Kia models and the Jeep Compass, the fuel door unlocks with the vehicle. In winter, ice may be holding it. Some vehicles, such as the Jeep Compass and 2013 Grand Cherokee, also have an emergency release cable in the cargo area.

What should I do if my fuel door is frozen?

Press lightly around the edge of the door to break the ice, then open it normally. The RAM 1500, Kia and Jeep Compass manuals all give this advice, and the Kia and Jeep manuals warn not to pry the door open.

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