It is a very interesting question. Whenever I purchase a car, one of the first things which I often forget is the side on which their gas tank is located. Have you ever experienced this dilemma. I am sure you did. In fact, all car drivers do experience it when they replace their car every now and then. I have obtained the following article from Reader`s Digest, one of the most prestigious magazines, to let you know the reason why don`t all cars have the gas tanks on the same side. It is very interesting phenomenan. Perhaps, you never thought about it. But, today, is the time to know the secret. Believe me the below information will make you more informed than most of the drivers in the world.  It may be noted that, not all the details may be relevant to you as the article was originally written for the American audience. However, you may still find some interesting information by reading it. It is a very interesting question. Whenever I purchase a car, one of the first things which I often forget is the side on which their gas tank is located. Have you ever experienced this dilemma. I am sure you did. In fact, all car drivers do experience it when they replace their car every now and then.

I have obtained the following article from Reader`s Digest, one of the most prestigious magazines, to let you know the reason why don`t all cars have the gas tanks on the same side. It is very interesting phenomenan. Perhaps, you never thought about it. But, today, is the time to know the secret. Believe me the below information will make you more informed than most of the drivers in the world.  It may be noted that, not all the details may be relevant to you as the article was originally written for the American audience. However, you may still find some interesting information by reading it. So, let us jump into the details without any further ado.So, let us jump into the details without any further ado.

Why Don’t All Cars Have Gas Tanks on the Same Side?

The position of a car’s fuel door (if you can actually remember where it is) remains one of the greatest unsolved motoring mysteries.

Do car company engineers draw straws to decide what side of the car the fuel door goes on? No—but they might as well. If you’ve ever been stuck in a long line for gas and spent the time wondering why your fuel door is on the left (or right), don’t expect a succinct answer.

According to Ford spokesman Mark Schirmer, as reported on theAllstateBlog, engineers are free to place fuel doors on the side of the car that offers the easiest packaging. And while one on each side would be rather convenient, we’re not likely to see dual fuel doors anytime soon—there’s neither the room nor the demand for them.

“The placement of the fuel door is mainly a factor of fuel tank design, location, and underbody packaging,” Nissan’s Steve Yaeger told theAllstateBlog. “With all of the structure and components located underneath the vehicle, (engineers) would quickly encounter restrictions in trying to route the filler tube to the same side on every vehicle.”

Schirmer says Americans prefer fuel doors on the left side of their cars, probably because it makes it easier for them to place their car’s left fender close to the fuel pump. For this reason, it’s possible that drivers in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, India, and other countries who drive on the left side of the road favor a right-hand-side fuel door. But there’s nothing to confirm that driver preference is a factor. There are regulations about where the fuel door should be positioned, but these don’t specify the right or left side of the car. (Current regulations regarding car fuel systems demand the filler be at the widest part of a car, inboard of any crumple zones, and safe from dripping onto any hot exhaust bits or electrical wiring.)

Robert Frank, writing for PBS Newshour, puts forward the “equilibrium” arguments, suggesting that if all cars had fuel doors on the same side, 50 percent of the pumps in the gas station would be unused, and we’d all spend even more of our time waiting in line to get gas. (Good point!)

Oh, and if you can’t remember the location of your fuel door (and if we’re completely honest, most of us will have to take a second and think about that before we answer), simply look at the little diamond-shaped arrow on the fuel gauge on your dashboard—it points to the side of the car where the fuel door is. Do it before you pull up to the pump, to avoid the embarrassment of having to get back into your car and drive to another pump.