Low drive battery light (electric cars)
The charge in an electric car's drive battery (traction or high-voltage battery) has run down to its reserve: it is the electric car's low-fuel light. It is not the red battery charging light, which reports a fault in the 12-volt charging circuit.
Yellow / amberRed
Not defined by regulation: a maker convention
What to do
Charge as soon as possible and check the remaining range on the display. Volkswagen's red 'battery empty' lamp means the range may be just a few kilometres: charge immediately. Nissan says charge the Li-ion battery as soon as possible. Peugeot says view the remaining range and put the car on charge as soon as possible.
Makes differ: what this light means on your car, the other colours it may use for the symbol and what the car wants you to do are set by the manufacturer, so your car's owner's manual is the authority.
How urgent is it?
- Yellow: Have it checked soon. Volkswagen: charge the high-voltage battery. Peugeot: put the vehicle on charge as soon as possible.
- Red: Stop now. Volkswagen: the range may be just a few kilometres — charge the high-voltage battery immediately (Volkswagen files its red lamps as stop as soon as it is safe).
- Symbol
- A battery with plus and minus signs, stacked on more cells
- Also called
- Low traction battery level; Li-ion battery low charge warning; High-voltage battery low charge
- Colour
- Yellow / amber or Red
- Standard
- None — a maker convention, described here from 3 makers: Volkswagen, Nissan, Peugeot
Where makes differ
Volkswagen's ID. models use two colours: amber when the charge reaches the reserve range, red when the battery is nearly empty. Peugeot's lamp is orange with a chime; when the charge becomes critical its tortoise lamp comes on and power gradually decreases (see the reduced power light). Nissan's 2023 LEAF lights it with a message and its yellow master warning light.
Not defined by regulation: a maker convention
Neither US FMVSS 101 (Tables 1 and 2) nor UN Regulation No. 121 lists this light, so no rule fixes its symbol or its colour. What follows is what the makers cited below say; other makes, and other model years of the same make, may draw it differently.
Neither FMVSS 101 nor UN R121 lists a drive-battery charge tell-tale; their low-fuel tell-tale is for fuel.
Related lights a regulation does define
Other yellow / amber maker lights
All yellow / amber dashboard lights, regulated ones included
Other red maker lights
Sources
No regulation defines this light, so it is described from 3 carmakers' own manuals or owner pages, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Volkswagen: Volkswagen UK — Low charge level of the high voltage battery (amber) (amber lamp) — The charge level of the high-voltage battery has reached the reserve range; a text message is displayed; charge the high-voltage battery. checked 2026-09-28
- Volkswagen: Volkswagen UK — High-voltage battery empty (red) (red lamp) — The range may be just a few kilometres; a text message is displayed; charge the high-voltage battery immediately. checked 2026-09-28
- Nissan: Nissan UK owner's manual, 2023 LEAF — Li-ion battery low charge warning (3. Li-ion battery low charge warning) — Appears when the Li-ion battery charge is getting low; the low battery charge warning light and the yellow master warning light also light; charge as soon as possible. checked 2026-09-28
- Peugeot: Peugeot handbook, 3008 and 5008 (UK English, 2024 edition, PDF) (Dashboard instruments — Low traction battery level (Electric); Tortoise mode) — Orange, fixed with a sound: the state of charge of the traction battery is low; view the remaining range and put the vehicle on charge as soon as possible. checked 2026-09-28
Written in our own words; the makers' pages cover their own models only.