What does the label on the fuel pump or charger mean?
Since 2018 in the EU (2019 at UK forecourts) every fuel nozzle carries a label in one of three shapes, and new cars carry the same label by the filler flap: a circle for petrol, a square for diesel, a diamond for gas. Since 2021 charge points and new electric cars carry a letter in a hexagon. The rule is simple: match the label on the pump or charger with the one on your vehicle. Pick the shape below to see what each one says, where it comes from and what to do.
Find the label by its shape
Tap a shape — the labels in it appear here.
Circle — petrol: E5, E10, E85, 3 labels
Square — diesel: B7 to B100, XTL, 6 labels
B7 in a squareDiesel containing up to 7% biodiesel (FAME, fatty acid methyl…B10 in a squareDiesel containing up to 10% biodiesel (FAME). On a vehicle, a B10…B20 in a squareDiesel containing up to 20% biodiesel (FAME). On a vehicle, a B20…B30 in a squareDiesel containing up to 30% biodiesel (FAME). On a vehicle, a B30…B100 in a squareBiodiesel (FAME) up to 100%, that is, fuel that may be entirely…XTL in a squareParaffinic diesel fuel: diesel made by synthesis or hydrotreatment…
Diamond — gas: H2, CNG, LNG, LPG, 4 labels
H2 in a diamondHydrogen gas. On a vehicle, an H2 diamond means it is refuelled…CNG in a diamondCompressed natural gas: natural gas or methane supplied as a gas…LNG in a diamondLiquefied natural gas: natural gas or methane liquefied by…LPG in a diamondLiquefied petroleum gas. On a vehicle, an LPG diamond means it can…
Hexagon — electric charging: one letter, 9 labels
B in a hexagon: Type 1 AC chargingAC charging through a Type 1 vehicle connector and vehicle inlet,…C in a hexagon: Type 2 AC chargingAC charging through the Type 2 configuration, up to 480 V RMS:…D in a hexagon: Type 3-A socket-outletAC charging from a Type 3-A plug and socket-outlet, up to 480 V RMS.E in a hexagon: Type 3-C socket-outletAC charging from a Type 3-C plug and socket-outlet, up to 480 V RMS.K in a hexagon: Combo 2 (CCS) DC, 50–500 VDC charging through configuration FF, the Combo 2 connector, in…L in a hexagon: Combo 2 (CCS) DC, 200–920 VDC charging through configuration FF, the Combo 2 connector, in…M in a hexagon: CHAdeMO DC, 50–500 VDC charging through configuration AA, the CHAdeMO connector, in…N in a hexagon: CHAdeMO DC, 200–920 VDC charging through configuration AA, the CHAdeMO connector, in…O in a hexagon: DC through a Type 2 connectorDC charging through a Type 2 vehicle connector and vehicle inlet,…
How to read the labels
- The shape tells you the kind of fuel: circle = petrol-type, square = diesel-type, diamond = gaseous, hexagon = electric charging.
- The number is a maximum. E10 means petrol with up to 10% ethanol; B7 means diesel with up to 7% biodiesel (FAME). On a vehicle, it is the most that vehicle is labelled to use.
- A vehicle that can use more than one fuel carries every identifier that applies, next to the filler cap and in its manual (UK SI 2019/421, regulation 5).
- No label on your car? The rule applies only to vehicles first placed on the market or registered from 12 October 2018 in the EU (built from 1 April 2020 in the UK), and makers do not recommend adding labels to older vehicles. Use the manual.
- Minimum sizes: fuel labels at least 13 mm across on the nozzle, the vehicle and in the manual, and 30 mm on the dispenser; charging labels at least 30 mm wide.
- Charging labels come in two colour schemes: a white or silver letter on black for the vehicle connector and vehicle inlet (the car side), a black letter on white for the plug and socket-outlet (the charging-station side).
Check your vehicle's manual or the label inside the filler flap. For E10 in the UK, the official checker is Check if your vehicle can run on E10 petrol.
The charging letters at a glance
From the annex table of the vehicle and charging industry's EN 17186 guides. The names Combo 2 and CHAdeMO for configurations FF and AA are the CHAdeMO Association's.
| Letter | Connector and voltage range |
|---|---|
| B | AC charging through a Type 1 vehicle connector and vehicle inlet, up to 250 V RMS. |
| C | AC charging through the Type 2 configuration, up to 480 V RMS: either a Type 2 vehicle connector and vehicle inlet, or a Type 2 plug and socket-outlet. |
| D | AC charging from a Type 3-A plug and socket-outlet, up to 480 V RMS. |
| E | AC charging from a Type 3-C plug and socket-outlet, up to 480 V RMS. |
| K | DC charging through configuration FF, the Combo 2 connector, in the 50 V to 500 V range: vehicle connector and vehicle inlet. |
| L | DC charging through configuration FF, the Combo 2 connector, in the 200 V to 920 V range: vehicle connector and vehicle inlet. |
| M | DC charging through configuration AA, the CHAdeMO connector, in the 50 V to 500 V range: vehicle connector and vehicle inlet. |
| N | DC charging through configuration AA, the CHAdeMO connector, in the 200 V to 920 V range: vehicle connector and vehicle inlet. |
| O | DC charging through a Type 2 vehicle connector and vehicle inlet, in the 50 V to 500 V range. |
What these pages cannot do
- We never say whether a particular make or model can use a fuel. The label by your filler flap, your vehicle's manual, the maker or, for E10 in the UK, the official GOV.UK checker are the authority.
- EN 16942 and EN 17186 are sold by the standards bodies and are not quoted here. Every meaning comes from a public document that reproduces them: UK law (SI 2019/421), the European Commission, CEN's own page, and the vehicle, fuel and charging industry's guides.
- The UK's Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulations 2017 do not contain the label rules (we read the text as made); the UK rules are in SI 2019/421.
- These pages cover the European identifiers. Pumps and chargers outside Europe may be labelled differently.
- The drawings are ours, for identification, not copies of the standards' artwork. UK law specifies Arial Bold for the real fuel labels.
- Left out: A charging letter for Combo 1 (configuration EE) or GB/T (configuration BB). The annex table in the vehicle and charging industry's guides gives letters only for Type 1, Type 2, Type 3-A, Type 3-C, configuration FF and configuration AA. We found no public source giving EN 17186 letters for the other configurations, so none is shown.
- Left out: Household and industrial plugs. The same table says a home plug and home socket, or an industrial plug and socket-outlet, has 'no graphical expression': there is no hexagon letter for them.
- Left out: The optional consumer panel on the pump. Member states may add further information about the fuel on the pump. It is set nationally, not by the identifier, so it has no page here.
- Left out: Diesel identifiers other than B7, B10, B20, B30, B100 and XTL. The UK definition allows any 'BX' number, but these are the diesel identifiers CEN's own page shows. We do not invent others.
A warning light rather than a pump label? What dashboard warning lights mean → · The numbers on the tyre? Tyre markings and size decoder →
Sources
Every document below was fetched and read on the date shown. The standards EN 16942 and EN 17186 are sold by CEN members and are cited through these public documents that reproduce them.
- European Commission: New EU fuel marking: questions and answers (MEMO/18/6102) — The Commission's consumer Q&A for the labels that became compulsory on 12 October 2018: circle for petrol (E5, E10), square for diesel (B7, B10, XTL), diamond for gaseous fuels; where the labels go; that they are required only on vehicles first placed on the market or registered from that date; minimum sizes (13 mm on the nozzle and the filler flap, 30 mm on the dispenser); and that EN 17186 would set the charging identifiers. Checked 2026-09-29.
- European Commission: EU fuel labelling: clearer information for consumers and operators (IP/18/6101) — The Commission's press release of 12 October 2018: the labels are taken on the basis of Article 7 of Directive 2014/94/EU; CEN adopted EN 16942 on 12 October 2016; the gaseous identifiers are CNG, LNG, LPG and H2 in a diamond. Checked 2026-09-29.
- UK Government (legislation.gov.uk): The Alternative Fuel Labelling and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/421) — The UK law that puts the labels on forecourts (from 1 September 2019) and on vehicles built from 1 April 2020. Its explanatory note says Part 2 replicates BS EN 16942:2016 and implements Article 7 of Directive 2014/94/EU. Schedule 1 gives the shapes, minimum sizes and the meaning of each symbol: EX, BX, XTL, LPG, CNG, LNG and H2. Checked 2026-09-29.
- UK Government (legislation.gov.uk): The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/897) — Read because it is the UK's main alternative-fuels infrastructure law. The text as made contains no fuel-label or charging-label rules; the UK label rules are in SI 2019/421 above. Checked 2026-09-29.
- UK Department for Transport (GOV.UK): E10 petrol explained — The UK government's guidance, last updated 2 November 2022: E10 contains up to 10% renewable ethanol; standard 95-octane petrol became E10 in Great Britain in September 2021 and in Northern Ireland in November 2022; E5 stays on sale as the 97+ octane 'super' grade; what to do if your vehicle is not compatible or you put E10 in by mistake; the circular E10 and E5 labels on the dispenser, nozzle and near the filler cap. Checked 2026-09-29.
- UK Department for Transport (GOV.UK): Check if your vehicle can run on E10 petrol — The official E10 vehicle checker for cars, vans, motorcycles and mopeds. You need the vehicle manufacturer, and may need the model, engine size and year of manufacture. Checked 2026-09-29.
- CEN-CENELEC: European Labels: Fuel — The standards body's own page of EN 16942 identifiers: E5, E10 and E85 for petrol-type fuels (quality in EN 228 or EN 15293); B7, B10, B20, B30 and B100 for diesel-type fuels (quality in EN 590, EN 16734, EN 16709 or EN 14214); XTL for paraffinic diesel (EN 15940); CNG, H2, LNG and LPG for gaseous fuels (for instance EN 589, EN 16723-2 or ISO 14687). The identifiers are shown as pictures of the labels. Checked 2026-09-29.
- ACEA, ACEM, ECFD, FuelsEurope and UPEI: Fuel labelling for road vehicles: information for consumers (PDF) — The European vehicle makers' and fuel suppliers' consumer leaflet: where the labels are placed, which vehicles carry them, how to match them, and why a missing label on an older car means nothing. Checked 2026-09-29.
- ACEA, ACEM, ECFD, FuelsEurope and UPEI: Fuel labelling for road vehicles: information for operators (PDF) — The same organisations' guide for filling-station operators: what the letters and numbers mean (E for ethanol and other oxygenates, B for FAME biodiesel, XTL for paraffinic diesel to EN 15940), and the minimum label sizes. Checked 2026-09-29.
- ACEA, ACEM, ChargeUp Europe, CharIN and Eurelectric: Labelling for Electrically Rechargeable Road Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure: information for consumers (PDF) — The vehicle and charging industry's consumer guide to the EN 17186 identifiers: the hexagon, the two colour schemes, where the labels go, the 20 March 2021 start date, and an annex table giving the letter for each connector configuration and voltage range. Checked 2026-09-29.
- ACEA, ACEM, ChargeUp Europe, CharIN and Eurelectric: Labelling for Electrically Rechargeable Road Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure: information for charge point operators (PDF) — The operators' version: the minimum size (30 mm wide, outline at least 3.2 points), that each charging point is labelled according to its voltage range, where on a charging station the label must be fixed, and the same annex table. Checked 2026-09-29.
- CHAdeMO Association: IEC / EN standardization (Takeshi Haida, CHAdeMO Technical WG) (PDF) — The CHAdeMO Association's overview of the DC charging standards. Its table of IEC 62196-3 connector configurations names Configuration AA as CHAdeMO (Japan), Configuration EE as COMBO 1 (US), Configuration BB as GB/T (PRC) and Configuration FF as COMBO 2 (DE). Checked 2026-09-29.
- MENNEKES: Charging point labelling — A charging-equipment maker's summary of EN 17186 and Directive 2014/94/EU: where on the charge point the label goes (next to the socket-outlet or where the vehicle connector is stored, or on the cable's connector or a flag near it). Checked 2026-09-29.