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How can I tell if a car is diesel or petrol?

How do I know which type of gas to fill up the car? My girlfriend and I are going on a road trip. We decided it was best for us to rent a car. The rental car is low on gas and I don’t know which type of fuel to use.

avatar
Phoebe Mah · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
I hope the
road trip
is going well so far!
This is a great question. To tell if a car is using diesel or petrol, there are two ways you can check, which include:
  • Checking the sticker: Typically, rental car companies will inform the renter which fuel to use by placing a sticker in various areas on the vehicle and on the car key. If you can’t find the sticker on the key, try looking for a sticker on the dashboard, fuel gauge, or even the inside of the door over the fuel cap.
Look at the back of the vehicle: At the back of the car, you can see the vehicle’s model name prominently displayed. Identifying this model can give you a clue which fuel to use.
For example, typically, diesel engines will display the letter D on the model name. So, if you see a Volkswagen TDI model name, the letter D indicates the vehicle will likely use diesel.
Hopefully this helps!
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