Low fuel indicator

How Far Can You Drive Your Kia Vehicle with the Low Fuel Warning Light On?

Kia Vehicle Driving Range with Low Fuel Warning

Would you like to learn how far you Kia vehicle can travel with the Low Fuel Warning Light on? If so, then you should find the following information extremely enlightening. Our staff here at Kia of Irvine is very familiar with the Low Fuel Warning Light on Kia vehicles and is happy to help explain to you just how far you can drive when it has been activated. The staff does recommend that you do not risk driving your Kia vehicle with the warning light on and find a gas station as soon as possible. However, there is not always a gas station nearby so we will inform you just how far your Kia vehicle can travel with the Low Fuel Warning Light on!

Kia Low Fuel Indicator Warning Light

First, let’s cover how your Kia vehicle is able to alert you to your fuel tank being low of gasoline. The fuel tank inside your Kia vehicle contains a small ball-shaped sensor that floats inside the gasoline in your tank. As the fluid levels decrease in your tank, so does the ball-shaped sensor. At a certain point, the sensor will no longer float in the gasoline as it will be touching the bottom of your fuel tank. At this point, the sensor will signal to your Kia vehicle to activate the Low Fuel Warning Light.

low fuel indicator

Kia Vehicle Low Fuel Driving Range

When the sensor activates the Low Fuel Warning light, this typically indicates that about 1.5 gallons of gasoline remain in the fuel tank. Finding out the driving range from this point requires some very simple multiplication. We need to multiple 1.5 gallons by the average fuel economy achieved by your Kia vehicle. For example, the 2019 Kia Optima features an EPA estimated average fuel economy of 32 mpg. When we multiply that by 1.5 gallons, we get 48 miles. Every Kia vehicle offers different fuel economy ratings and fuel economy is impacted by other external factors. As a result, we estimate that most Kia vehicles can safely travel between 20 and 30 miles after the Low Fuel Warning Light comes on.


More: What Do the Dashboard Warning Lights on Your Kia Vehicle Mean?