My current Jeep (2015 Cherokee) is on the right. Previous Jeep (2006 Commander) was on the left.
I’ve only owned American and Japanese cars. All of them have had the filler on the left. But I think I can recall driving a few rental cars, both American and Japanese, that had the filler on the right. So I don’t think there’s any consistency among cars from either country.
Alright, I’ve started a poll to see if we can settle this.
Apparently there’s no standard at Nissan. My 2003 350Z was on the right.
With all my Hondas, I was told to turn the gas cap three clicks minimum to avoid the Check Engine light. I never had it light up for me after I started obeying that “rule.” And before then, the Check Engine light always went away on its on after a relatively short while.
My Dodge Caravan had it on the left. I don’t recall where it was on my Dodge Omni, nor on the Ford Expedition we had last spring. I think the Chevy Equinox we rented had it on the left. Ditto the Saturn I owned in the 1990s.
Japanese or American. My first car was a 1966 Ford Falcon, which had it behind the license plate, same as your Cutlass.
I’ve owned Fords, Pontiacs, Plymouths, and Chevys, in addition to the Japanese-made models I’ve owned. All on the driver’s side, to the best of my rapidly-fading memory.
I think the real stupid design is the fuel hose that can’t reach both sides.
(For the record, my Fiat 500 has it on the right.)
Many can. If you park very close to the curb and don’t mind dragging the filthy dirty grit-encrusted hose across your car’s paintwork.
Interestingly, the “hose” on EV chargers is long enough to reach everywhere in the adjacent space and then some. Of course it’s smaller in diameter and more flexible. But probably more costly per foot; copper ain’t cheap.
So the evidence suggests the real problem is that fuel pump makers & buyers are cheap shits.
The pumps at Costco are long enough to reach the other side of the car. (And my Honda Fit is a hatchback so I don’t need to pull it over the body to reach the other side.)
My current Mitsubishi Mirage has the gas opening on the left (driver’s side) my previous Mitsubishi Mirage had it on the right.
Based on the early results of my non-scientific, small sample size poll, it seems like the Europeans (except the Brits) are the only ones to consistently put it on the right. Everyone else mostly puts it on the left, but there’s some minority of all of them that puts it on the right.
My WAG is that models that have a release lever (somewhere near the driver’s seat) for the fuel opening door have the opening on the driver’s side because it’s easier to connect the lever to the door that way.
My old Ford work van, which has no release lever, has the opening on the driver’s side. My also old but not as old Subaru, which does have a release lever to the left of the driver’s seat, has it on the right/passenger side.
I think. It’s cold out there, I’m not going out right now to check.
I was once told by the teenager working at the full-service pump* that there is a safety standard requiring the fuel hose to be a certain length.
Anybody know if it’s true?
*(that tells you how long ago 
,maybe 1980 ish)
My 2013 Volvo has the gas cap on the right (passenger) side, and a release button on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel. My wife’s 2010 Toyota has the gas cap on the left (driver) side, and a release lever on the floorboard near the driver’s seat.
I’ve owned Japanese cars most of my life (Toyota, Mazda) and their gas caps were on the driver’s side. I still get crossed up sometimes when pulling into a gas station in the Volvo, even though I’ve owned it for 10 years now.
My wife’s Subaru had the filler on the passenger side. It was on the driver side of my car and truck, so I was forever pulling into the wrong side when filling her car for her.
Thank Ogg she has since bought a Honda CR-V. I now look 9.2% less stupid in public.
Oddly, my new Toyota states to only turn the gas cap ONE click. It feels wrong after 15 years of turning my Subaru 3 clicks.
Well, my car is old. I may have to adjust my behavior if I ever get a new car.
My wife’s Honda doesn’t even have a cap to turn. Just the little door.