Cars have now become such complex machines that 98% of drivers don’t understand what the common warning or information lights on a dashboard mean. According to research, the most confusing lights relate to the catalytic converter, air conditioning and front fog lights.
| How many can you identify? | |
|---|---|
| 1. Car horn | 18. Tyre pressure warning |
| 2. Oil pressure warning | 19. Power steering warning |
| 3. Brake/handbrake warning | 20. Start-stop indicator |
| 4. ABS warning | 21. Press clutch pedal light |
| 5. Battery warning | 22. Press brake pedal light |
| 6. Engine warning | 23. Direction indicators |
| 7. Hazard warning | 24. Rear fog light |
| 8. Engine overheat/coolant warning | 25. Diesel particulate filter warning |
| 9. Airbag warning | 26. Water in fuel filter warning |
| 10. Seat belt warning | 27. Automatic gear box warning |
| 11. Main beam | 28. Brake pad warning |
| 12. Low fuel warning | 29. Cruise control warning/info |
| 13. Front fog light | 30. Bulb monitoring/fault warning |
| 14. Windscreen washer | 31. Glow plug/diesel pre-heat warning |
| 15. Windscreen defrost | 32. Service required or fault/problem |
| 16. Rear window defrost | 33. Stability control (also known as ESC, ESP, ASR or DTC) warning |
| 17. Parking brake light | |
How many did you get right?!
The study, carried out by Britannia Rescue, compared 15 of the most popular new car models and found that there were 99 different dashboard symbols being used. Of these, just 12 were found across all models. Thankfully, of the 2,018 drivers sampled, more than half of them correctly identified 16 of the most common symbols.
| Warning Light | Percentage of drivers who got it wrong |
|---|---|
| Catalytic Converter | 95% |
| Air Conditioning | 86% |
| Tyre Pressure | 71% |
| Fog Light | 58% |
| Engine emissions warning light | 51% |
| Brake system warning light | 48% |
| ABS warning light | 37% |
| Airbag warning light | 35% |
| Main/full beam | 32% |
| Parking brake | 23% |
| Hazard warning lights | 21% |
| Engine overheat/coolant warning | 14% |
| Seat belt warning | 6% |
| Low fuel | 2% |
| Oil pressure warning light | 2% |
| Battery warning light | 2% |
A Britannia Rescue spokesman said:
"Cars have become so complex that the majority of drivers don’t understand what all of the most common warning or information lights on a car dashboard mean."
Ignorance isn't bliss...
Not knowing what the lights on your dashboard mean could actually cost you money. On average, people drive for 12 days before getting a problem checked, and 6% admitted that they ignored a warning light for more than a month. Drivers who take 14 days to repair their car should expect to pay around £200 for a repair: more than double the £85 spent by drivers who get their cars fixed immediately.
How many warning lights does one car need?!
This table details how the warning lights vary depending on make and model:
| Make and Model | Number of Warning and Information Lights |
|---|---|
| Mercedes Benz E Class | 41 |
| Fiat Punto | 33 |
| Skoda Octavia | 31 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 28 |
| Toyota Yaris | 28 |
| Audi A3 | 28 |
| Seat Ibiza | 27 |
| Land Rover Freelander | 26 |
| Renault Clio | 26 |
| Ford Fiesta | 25 |
| Citroen C3 | 25 |
| Peugeot 207 | 22 |
| BMW 3 Series | 21 |
| Nissan Micra | 21 |
| Volvo S40 | 21 |
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