# What Side of Your Car do You Put the Gas In? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820 "2020-06-17T02:14:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/1 "2020-06-17T02:14:29Z")
What side of yourcar do you put the gas in? [I tried several times to post this in MPSIMS but the post a poll option was not available. Is this normal?] ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/2 "2020-06-17T02:17:08Z")
The side with the gas cap on it? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/3 "2020-06-17T02:21:52Z")
Mrs. L and I each have a car. If you look at the gas pump on the gauges on the dashes, there’s an arrow telling you which side it’s on. We have one passenger side, one driver side. But IIRC my sister’s 1979 Camaro had its gas cap behind the license plate in the back, centered behind the trunk. I never thought to look if that had an arrow or not. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/4 "2020-06-17T02:28:57Z")
2 car family here and our current cars both have the gas tank on the driver’s side. However many of the other cars we owned before these had it on the passenger side. So I don’t get the “On the driver’s side like ordinary humans” comment; for many “ordinary humans” the answer is on the passenger side. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/5 "2020-06-17T02:31:19Z")
Moderator: There is a stupid typo in the title. Can y’all change cart to car? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/6 "2020-06-17T02:54:40Z")
I hear tell out west the gas stations have hoses long enough to reach no matter if you park with your gas tank near the pump or not. Here in the northeast it’s not even a guarantee that hose will reach if you do park with your gas tank nearest the pump so we’ve got to go by which side of the car the gas tank is on. In my current car that’s the driver’s side. My last two cars it was on the passenger’s side. ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/7 "2020-06-17T03:00:09Z")
5 of my vehicles are driver’s side. 3 of my vehicles are passenger’s side. 1 behind the licence plate above the rear bumper. 5 have no “arrow” to tell me what side the gas cap is on. Oldest vehicle is a 1951 Plymouth, newest is a 2019 RAM pickup. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/8 "2020-06-17T03:01:25Z")
Is it a regional thing? USA cars vs European or Korean cars? (I confess that all cars look alike to me) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/9 "2020-06-17T03:08:41Z")
The outside. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/10 "2020-06-17T03:27:37Z")
I assume the charge port counts for the purposes of your poll. It’s on the left, behind the rear side reflector. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/11 "2020-06-17T03:31:28Z")
2004 Ford Escape - driver’s side 2018 Ford Escape - passenger side Thank goodness for the arrow! After 16 years of the driver’s side I still forget. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/12 "2020-06-17T03:42:58Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > If you look at the gas pump on the gauges on the dashes, there’s an arrow telling you which side it’s on. We have one passenger side, one driver side. I see this proudly stated on many sites but it is not universal, not by a long shot. Sometimes there is an arrow, other times it is stated that the little pump icon on the dash has the fuel filler handle on the side where the gas goes. No. It is correct often enough to make it seem like a rule, and like “I before E”, there are enough exceptions that it isn’t. My car, 2002 Pontiac has the filler handle on the fuel icon on the right, gas cap filler on the left or driver’s side. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/13 "2020-06-17T03:54:47Z")
F-150 - driver’s side Toyota Avalon - Driver’s side Subaru Forester - Passenger’s side John Deere Tractor - middle of the hood ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/14 "2020-06-17T04:05:20Z")
My car plugs in on the driver’s side. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/15 "2020-06-17T04:31:51Z")
Thinking about it, every car I’ve owned has been driver’s side. Way back when, my Dad owned a 1969 Chevy that had the gas cap behind the rear license plate in the middle of the bumper, but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen that. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/16 "2020-06-17T04:51:38Z")
We currently have three cars, all of which have the fuel door on the left (driver’s) side: - 2007 Mazda CX-7 - 2012 Ford Mustang - 2015 Chevrolet Corvette (The CX-7 and the Corvette are primarily my wife’s cars; the Mustang is primarily mine.) The two cars I had before the Mustang – a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, and a 1991 Mazda Protege – both had the fuel door on the passenger side. I remember several cars that my parents had, when I was young (e.g., 1970s) where the fuel door was in the back of the car (often behind the license plate holder, which would flip down). ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/17 "2020-06-17T10:18:35Z")
Neither side, I fill from the top. I have a large aux/transfer tank in my pickup’s bed. It’s plumbed into the regular tank below, but fills from above. The bad news is I have to climb into the bed with the diesel hose to fill it. The good news is I rarely need to, since it can run for 3-4 months on a single fill up. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/18 "2020-06-17T11:42:59Z")
Infiniti Q50: fill is on the right side. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/19 "2020-06-17T11:43:02Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > I see this proudly stated on many sites but it is not universal, not by a long shot. > > Sometimes there is an arrow, other times it is stated that the little pump icon on the dash has the fuel filler handle on the side where the gas goes. No. It is correct often enough to make it seem like a rule, and like “I before E”, there are enough exceptions that it isn’t. > > My car, 2002 Pontiac has the filler handle on the fuel icon on the right, gas cap filler on the left or driver’s side. I only heard about an arrow. Interesting! The bit quoted below says early 1990s…which 2002 Pontiac do you have? > [@](#): > > Since the early 1990s, many fuel gauges have included an icon with a fuel pump and an arrow, indicating the side of the vehicle on which the fuel filler is located.[5][6] The use of the icon and arrow was invented in 1986 by Jim Moylan, a designer for Ford Motor Company. After he proposed the idea, the 1989 Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer were the first vehicles to see it implemented. Other automotive companies noticed the addition and began to incorporate it into their own fuel gauges.[5] > **[Fuel gauge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_gauge)** > > In automotive and aerospace engineering, a fuel gauge is an instrument used to indicate the amount of fuel in a fuel tank. In electrical engineering, the term is used for ICs determining the current State of Charge of accumulators. > As used in vehicles, the gauge consists of two parts: > The sending unit usually uses a float connected to a potentiometer, typically printed ink design in a modern automobile. As the tank empties, the float drops and slides a moving contact along the resistor, increa... ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820/20 "2020-06-17T11:47:07Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > Moderator: There is a stupid typo in the title. Can y’all change cart to car? There’s also a stupid comment in the first poll option. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-side-of-your-car-do-you-put-the-gas-in/855820.md?page=2)