How to Find the Gas Tank on a Rental Car

Everyone I know has had this experience. You jump into that new or rental car for the first time with the intention of getting gas, but you never think to pay attention to which side of the car the gas tank is on. Then you pull up to the gas station and realize that you have no idea which side of your car should face the gas pump. You have to make a decision: do you think the gas tank is more likely on the right side of the car or the left? Then you park the car, jump out, and determine whether or not you guessed correctly.

Inevitably, at least in my experience, I always guess wrong. I then have to get back in the car, turn it back on, and attempt to maneuver my car so that the gas pump faces the opposite side. If the gas station isn't busy, then this more embarrassing than anything. However, if you waited in line for five minutes to get your place at the gas pump, turning your car around can become an ordeal.

Here's something that most people don't know that everyone should know: you can tell which side of the car that the gas tank is on from inside the car. I drove for nearly ten years before I was clued in to this little trick. There are two different ways that car manufacturers clarify the side of the car that the gas tank is on. Both ways are located on the gas gauge.

Some cars have a little arrow somewhere on their gas gauge that points to the side of the car that the gas tank is on. While this seems obvious enough, most people are so bombarded by all of the symbols and information located on their dash that they never even notice it, and, if they do, they aren't sure why it's there. The next time you're in a rental car and you need gas, look for the little arrow. It will point you in the right direction.