Windscreen wiper switch
Identifies the windscreen wiper control — usually a stalk on the steering column.
What pressing it does
Moving the stalk starts the wipers and picks the speed. SEAT's Ateca: 0 off, 1 interval (or rain-sensor sensitivity), 2 slow, 3 fast, and a brief press for a single wipe. Hyundai's Tucson: OFF, INT (intermittent, interval set with a knob), LO, HI, and MIST for a single wipe while you hold the lever down; with a rain sensor, AUTO sets the interval from the rainfall.
Check your car's manual: makes and models differ in what a button does, which positions a switch has and whether it works with the engine off, and your owner's manual is the authority for your car.
- What it looks like
- A windscreen outline with a wiper blade and the arc it sweeps
- Also labelled
- Windshield wiper; Wiper; Wipe
- Standard
- UN R121 and FMVSS 101
What to check in your car's manual
Which position is automatic on your car, what the small knob on the stalk adjusts, and how to put the wipers in the service position before lifting them.
Where makes differ
Positions and names differ (numbers on SEAT, INT/LO/HI/MIST on Hyundai), and a rain-sensor car turns the interval position into an automatic mode. SEAT says the wipers only work with the ignition on and the bonnet closed.
Where the regulations list it
| Rule | Row | Function | Must be lit with the headlamps |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN R121 | Table, item 13 “Windscreen wiping system (continuous)” | Control | Yes |
| FMVSS 101 | Table 1, “Windshield wiping system”: symbol, or the words “Wiper” or “Wipe” | Control | Yes |
UN Regulation No. 121 (01 series), location and identification of hand controls, tell-tales and indicators: Cars (M) and light goods vehicles (N1) approved under the UN 1958 Agreement, which includes the EU, UK and Japan. Paragraph 5.2.1: where fitted, a control listed in the table is identified by the symbol in its column 2; note 2 says the symbols are substantially identical to those of ISO 2575:2004. US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 101, Controls and displays (49 CFR 571.101): Cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses sold in the US. S5.2.1: a control listed in Table 1 or Table 2 is identified by the symbol in column 2 or the word or abbreviation in column 3. S5.3.1(a): a control marked 'Yes' for illumination must have its identification lit whenever the headlamps are on, except on the floor, console, steering wheel, steering column or windshield header.
Good to know
- US cars may show the word 'Wiper' or 'Wipe' instead of the symbol (FMVSS 101 Table 1).
- Both manuals warn against wiping a dry or icy windscreen: SEAT says dry wiping can cause damage; Hyundai says to defrost a heavily snowed or iced windscreen for about 10 minutes first.
Other buttons under “Windows”
Sources
The symbol is cited to the regulation rows above; what pressing it does is taken from the owner's manuals below. Each document was read on the date shown.
- UN R121: UN Regulation No. 121 (01 series) as published in the Official Journal of the EU, L 5, 8 January 2016, pp. 16-19: table 'Symbols, their illumination and colours' checked 2026-09-25
- FMVSS 101: govinfo: 49 CFR 571.101 in the Code of Federal Regulations, 1 October 2025 edition, Table 1 (pp. 329-332) and Table 2 (p. 334) as printed checked 2026-09-25
- Hyundai 2025 Tucson (general market, English web manual): Front windshield wipers — HI, LO, INT, OFF and MIST positions; AUTO with rain sensor; defrost first in heavy snow or ice. checked 2026-09-25
- SEAT Ateca owner's manual, UK English, edition 06.21 (model year 2022), PDF: Windscreen wiper and rear window wiper systems, p. 122-123 — Positions 0-3, short wipe; wipers only with ignition on and bonnet closed; do not wipe a dry screen. checked 2026-09-25
Written in our own words; the manuals cover their own models only.