Challenge
Your brother-in-law says confidently: 'Square is petrol, right? Everyone knows that.' He is confusing the shape of an old-style pump button with the real EU fuel symbol. Since 2018 fixed shapes apply across all of Europe — and the exam designer expects you to know them exactly, not roughly recall them.
Read this section on its own page: Challenge: Fuel symbols and the 1-minute rule
The model
Circle = petrol, square = diesel, diamond = gas (incl. hydrogen) (Book p.199). This shape coding has applied EU-wide since 2018, on every pump and every filler flap.
Read this section on its own page: The model: Fuel symbols and the 1-minute rule
Core
Since 2018 the same fuel symbols apply across all of Europe (Directive 2014/94/EU): you recognise petrol by the round symbol, diesel by the square symbol, and gas — including hydrogen — by the diamond-shaped symbol. You find them both on the pump and on the car's own filler flap. Did you tank the wrong fuel anyway? Do not start the engine. Once the engine runs, the wrong mixture can circulate through the lines and injectors. A separate, environment-focused piece of advice — not a legal duty: switch off the engine if you have to wait longer than about 1 minute, for example at a closed level crossing or in a queue that clearly lasts longer than a few seconds.
Read this section on its own page: Core: Fuel symbols and the 1-minute rule
Why it matters
Confusing the symbol costs money and time: tanking the wrong fuel in a borrowed, rented or just-swapped car means an expensive drain-and-flush instead of simply driving on. And one minute of unnecessary idling seems harmless, but added up over thousands of short stops a day, that is exactly the kind of emission the environmental advice wants you to watch.
Read this section on its own page: Why it matters: Fuel symbols and the 1-minute rule
Test yourself
At a Tango filling station along the A6, just before Terneuzen, you stand at the pump with a borrowed car. On the screen next to the filler flap there are three symbols: a circle, a square and a diamond. Which symbol goes with petrol?
Show the answer
Circle = petrol, square = diesel, diamond = gas (incl. hydrogen) (Book p.199). This shape coding has applied EU-wide since 2018, on every pump and every filler flap.
Frequently asked questions
‘Square is the symbol for petrol, circle is the symbol for diesel’ – is that true?
No. The EU fuel symbol assigns the shapes exactly the other way round: circle = petrol, square = diesel, diamond = gas/hydrogen. Since 2018 this applies everywhere in Europe
‘If you accidentally tanked the wrong fuel, you may start the engine briefly to move the car out of the way’ – is that true?
No. The instruction has no exception: do not start the engine if you tanked the wrong fuel. Even 'just briefly' already lets the wrong mixture circulate through the lines and injectors
‘You are legally required to switch off the engine if you stand still for longer than about 1 minute’ – is that true?
No. This is an environment-focused efficiency tip, not a legal duty (legal_ref: n/a). The 1-minute threshold is a guideline to limit unnecessary emissions, not an offence if not followed
‘These fuel symbols (circle/square/diamond) only apply at Dutch filling stations’ – is that true?
No. The symbols come from Directive 2014/94/EU and have applied EU-wide since 2018, at every pump in every member state, not only in the Netherlands
‘The diamond is the symbol for petrol’ – is that true?
No. The diamond stands for gas, including hydrogen — not for petrol