what side is your gas tank on?

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My gas tank cap is on:

  • The driver's side

  • The passenger's side

Results are only viewable after voting.
dr wogz

dr wogz

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Curious...

I got me a Ford Focus a few months ago, adn I'm constantly having to turn the car around because i always forget that my gas cap is now on the passenger side.

My wife's car (Toyota) is on the driver's side.
My old car (Mazda) was on the driver's side.
My older Toypta was also on the drivers side.

Then I thought: maybe it's American cars that have them on the passenger's side, and Japanese on the driver's side. But I've started to look around, and there dosen't seem to be any rhyme or reason for either side.

Anyone have a thought as to which is better / safer / etc..?

:D
 
On the driver side is probably better, only because (at least here in the US) we drive on the right side of the road.

Edit: Not that it matters DUH if you drive in the UK the drivers side would also be easier.
 
My gas tank is on the bottom near the rear of my car, not on the side.

My gas filler tube is on the driver's side. That is handy for the remote filler door opening cable.

Car is Toyota matrix built in Canada. Same as Pontiac Vibe.
 
My car (Ford Escort) is on the drivers side, but my wife's car (Chevy Malibu) is on the passenger side. I think more cars have it on the drivers side, at least it seems that way at gas stations, but I don't know why.

Jeff
 
I miss the days of having it centered and flipping down the license plate. :(

Greg
 
In my experience the gas filler neck is on the opposite the of exhaust tail pipe.


Edit:
After I posted this I realized and should have added that this info won't help you remember which side your filler is on when at the pump.

I also remembered that I heard this on Car Talk one Saturday morning while driving to a rocket launch (the tie-in here). After hearing this on the radio I started to look and cars do seem to be set-up this way.
 
Well, let's see, the car I usually drive (I don't have one of my own yet) has the filler on the drivers side, but my mom's Subaru has it on the passenger side.
Reed
 
The exuast theory should be right... most will be opposite the exuast... if you have dual exuast well then your out of luck
 
62 Bonneville- Driver’s side
72 Maverick- center
76 Trans Am- center
91 Cougar- Passenger side
00 Mustang- Passenger side
63 Alpine- Passenger side but it’s a British car so that makes the original location on the driver’s side. Take your pick.

All the exhaust pipes are opposite of the filler necks, except for the cars with necks in the center, that would be silly.
 
Until recently, I drove an old BMW 535i that had it on the passenger side. My wife (the Honda freak) always ribbed me about it being on the "wrong" side. Now I drive an Accord with it on the driver side as well. Miss the speed of the BMW though...
 
Originally posted by BHP
In my experience the gas filler neck is on the opposite the of exhaust tail pipe.


Edit:
After I posted this I realized and should have added that this info won't help you remember which side your filler is on when at the pump.

I also remembered that I heard this on Car Talk one Saturday morning while driving to a rocket launch (the tie-in here). After hearing this on the radio I started to look and cars do seem to be set-up this way.
Click to expand...

The only exception to the rule has been a handful of Mitsubishis. The older Mirages (Eclipse as well?) will have the filler cap on the same side as the tail pipe. Next time I hit the road, I'll see if they've conformed to the rest of the world. :)
 
Driver's side - Dodge Caravan & Stratus - the way it should be!
 
Ford F150 (2000) Drivers side converting to duel fuel for use with LP gas, I put together a kit and the customer decided not to buy so I latched on to it.

Ford Taurus (2005) passenger side.
 
My previous 91
Taurus Wagon had it on the right hand side, my 91 Grand Am is also on the right. My wife's new vibe has it on the left.
I frankly prefer it on the right since many of the gas stations I stop at have obstructions that can make it difficult to exit through the driver's door when your in the best position for filling the tank.
 
My Grand Am has the gas cap on the passenger side, but the wife's GMC K1500 has it on the drivers side. I think this is probably an exhaust issue - the Grand Am exhaust runs down the center of the car then around the drivers side rear suspension, while the truck has dual exhaust pipes that run down the passenger side then seperate above the rear axle.
 
My Isuzu has the gas input on the passenger side, and the exhaust on the driver's side. My wife's Toyota is just the opposite -- gas on the driver's side, exhaust on the passenger side.

It never occurred to me before that the gas would be opposite the exhaust, but it makes sense. You wouldn't want any spillage to run down onto a hot muffler.
 
Chevy Trailblazer LT 2002 (Vortec V8 engine option): Driver's side

Ford F-250 Superduty extended cab, 2002, 7.2L powerstroke diesel: Driver's side



Earlier this year, I bought and sold a '96 Ford Taurus GL. Had it for a few months, nice car. Drove me crazy that the filler cap was on the passenger's side.
 
Originally posted by Dr Wogz
[Snip] Then I thought: maybe it's American cars that have them on the passenger's side, and Japanese on the driver's side. But I've started to look around, and there dosen't seem to be any rhyme or reason for either side.

Anyone have a thought as to which is better / safer / etc..?
Click to expand...
I thought American cars had the filler cap on the driver's side, but Detroit has been changing the location lately.

My German car has the filler cap on the passenger side (and the exhaust pipe is on the driver's side, under the car :D ).

As I understand it, the filler cap on the driver's side is for convenience at the pump (American). The cap on the passenger side is for safety, ie, adding a gallon of gas while stuck on the side of the Autobahn (or I-95 in Florida).
 
my cobra has the fill tube on the passenger's side
the pathfinder has it on the driver's side

my votes woudl cancel out, so i'm not gonna vote.
 
Originally posted by EchoVictor
I used to have one car with both.
Click to expand...

Same here! My first car was an International Scout. It had two fuel tanks, with a valve on the floor next to the driver's seat. When one tank ran out, I'd have to turn the valve over to the other tank.
 
I would say put the filler in the middle but with how many bumper accidents there are that would be a bad idea... where it is now is good becuase usually ***USUALLY*** a car doesnt get hit on the rear quarter panels in an accident. It might be a good idea though to make it be standard on one side... save a lot of people from looking silly when they get out on the wrong side...
 
Originally posted by 11Bravo
I miss the days of having it centered and flipping down the license plate. :(
Greg
Click to expand...

miss what days? that's exactly where it is on my '82 Buick.

GC
(saving the planet by not throwing away a perfectly good car)
 
My Pontiac Grand Am has it on the passenger side. My wife's Pontiac Montana has it on the driver's side. The exhaust theory seems like a good one...
 
Ihave that same problem, so on my car that has it on the passenger side i made a little sticker of an arrow and stuck it on the gas gague, pointing left. when you look at the gague and notice yout empty it tells you the filler is on the passenger side..
 
We had an Oldsmobile Alero that had that built in to the gas guage. My wife said there should be a law that every car has that...lol
 
A couple of the box trucks at work have a tank on either side of the truck. It's always a pain to fill up, b/c I've got to turn the truck around to fill the other side, and I'll run inside the store to let the attendent know that I'm turning the truck around and not running off with $150 bucks or so of diesel.
 

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