Fuel Light On - Low Fuel Level: Should You Keep Driving? Expert Opinion

Many drivers are used to refueling for a certain, quite modest amount. It seems convenient — but there is one subtlety in this approach that not all car owners are aware of.

Highlighted separately for Europe

Those who like to refuel for a fixed amount, for example, 15 dollars (or the equivalent in euros), should remember: fueling systems calculate not the cost of fuel, but its volume. If a liter of A95 gasoline costs about 1 dollar, then for 15 dollars you are entitled to about 9.18 liters. However, automation often rounds this quantity — and usually not in your favor.

And separately for the USA

Those accustomed to refueling for 15 dollars should know: at gas stations they consider not the amount, but the volume of fuel. In Minnesota, for example, a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline costs about 3.08 dollars. For 15 dollars you get about 4.87 liters, or about 1.29 gallons. At the same time, the system often rounds the amount of fuel — and most often not in your favor.

Moreover, it's important to understand: constant driving on an almost empty tank can lead to overheating and accelerated wear of the fuel pump.

To clarify: the pump is installed directly in the fuel tank and is cooled by the gasoline itself. If there is less than a quarter of a tank of fuel — cooling becomes insufficient.

And that's not all. When there is very little fuel left in the tank, moisture begins to accumulate on its walls. It gets into the injectors and causes corrosion of the precise elements of the fuel system. In addition, the risk of small debris entering — the very sediment that has been settling at the bottom of the tank for years — increases. Even despite the presence of a rough filter, particles can still break through into the system.

To avoid fuel loss and problems with the fuel pump, it's better to refuel not for a fixed amount, but to focus on the fuel level in the tank — maintain a reserve of at least a quarter of the tank's volume.