A car dashboard can be overwhelming. From dashcams to high-beam indicators, there’s a lot competing for your attention. But as millions of Americans prepare to hit the highway this summer, it’s worth brushing up on the basics—including the small arrow next to your gas gauge and how it can save you from a headache at the fuel pump.
Many drivers assume that the gas symbol only notifies them when their vehicle is running low on fuel, but the arrow, a staple on most cars, lets drivers know which side of the car their gas tank is on.
“If you’ve ever made the mistake of pulling up to a fuel pump on the wrong side of your vehicle, you can quickly glance at your gas gauge and remind yourself which side of the pump to go to,” says Steve Haney, corporate technical trainer at Bosch Mobility Aftermarket, an automotive parts supplier.
Drivers can avoid the struggle of determining the correct side of the car by paying attention to the triangle's direction.
What’s the purpose of the arrow next to the gas light?
The arrow serves as a quick and simple way of indicating which side of the vehicle your fuel tank is on.
The lore behind the tiny triangle, also known as the ‘Moylan Arrow,’ derives from former Ford engineer Jim Moylan, who was frustrated by the lack of a clear way to determine the gas tank's location. As the story goes, after getting soaked in the rain because he did not know which side of the pump to pull up to in a company car, Moylan sketched a simple arrow next to the gauge and submitted it to Ford’s internal suggestion team. The oldest documentation of the feature is in the 1989 Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer.
Do all cars have the arrow next to the gas light?
While the arrow is a staple feature in almost every modern car, some models lack it. For example, electric vehicles without a fuel tank will not have this detail. Haney notes that the owner’s manual “will include diagrams and explanations to help you understand all of the symbols on your dashboard,” but may not call it out explicitly.
Whether you’re in the market for a new vehicle or exploring your dashboard, this feature is ideal for anyone who wants to spend as little time as possible at the fuel pump and pay homage to the late Moylan, who passed away in December of 2025.
