It does appear that gas caps are standardized by manufacturers in other nations, just not in the US.
The placement of the gas filler cap on the opposite side of the driver has nothing to do with filling it at the pump, but with filling it on the side of the road. By placing the filler cap away from traffic, you minimize the chance the driver could be hit by another car while filling the car from a jerry can on the side of the road.
In addition, you are more likely to be hit by another car on the side of the car facing oncoming traffic.
Hence, German and other EU cars have the fillers on the right side, and Japanese cars have it on the left.
This of course is not universal, as US cars tend to adhere to the “where will it fit” method and have no consistent placement.
I’ve never seen a gas station with only one entrance and exit… are they common somewhere? And even if so, why aren’t people just backing in to the side that is convenient for them, if it’s open?
Do people run out of gas often enough that safety while pouring in gas from a gas can is a concern? In close to 15 years of driving I have only run out of gas once and at that point in my life I was buying gas with loose change for a car that got less than 10 MPG :o
As an aside, if you’re driving an unfamiliar car and want to put in gas, most instrument panels I’ve seen tell you which side the cap is on, so you don’t have to strain to see the filler door in your mirrors. I drive rental cars pretty frequently, so this is handy.
I’m not following you. They wanted it to always be on the driver’s side. In the U.S., the driver’s side is the driver’s side. In Japan, the driver’s side is the driver’s side. On the planet Xgifefsg, the driver’s side is still the driver’s side.
Now that I think of it, I think the gas cap for my Saturn actually was on the left. There goes that theory.
I’ve been keeping an eye out lately, and every car I’ve noticed has had the gas cap on the opposite side from the exhaust pipe, as brad_d noted. Perhaps that also serves to keep the hot pipes away from the gas tank in case it ruptures?
Yes, that’s certainly true. But according to the TV show the driver’s side is the unsafe side to put the tank cap. And after some more thinking about this, it starts to make sense to me. So the Corolla has the tank cap on the “unsafe” side and the Golf on “safe” side of the car. Of course this only aplies to Germany, USA, et al. In the UK, Japan, et al it is vice versa.
FWIW, the older versions of the Mitsubishi Eclipse (my previous car) had the filler cap on the left side. The newer versions (my current car) have it on the right. Pisses me off.
Now I see our misunderstanding. It was a German TV show and they argued from a German point of view, where the left side is the driver’s side and therefore the unsafe side. If you take this car on holiday to the UK (or Japan) and run out of fuel you will of course be in a better position than a Golf driver.
And by the way: My Girlfriend’s Smart (the tiny Swatch and Daimler-Chrysler car) has the gas cap on the right side (it’s a left-hand-drive version of course). But it seems to be possible to relocate the cap to the right side as there also is an opening which is closed in the moment. Probably they sell the car with the tank cap on the left side in country where you drive on the left (just a guess).