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Such an indicator is mandatory in the European Union. > Vehicles of category M 1 with a reference mass not exceeding 2 610 kg and vehicles to which type-approv

Such an indicator is mandatory in the European Union. > Vehicles of category M 1 with a reference mass not exceeding 2 610 kg and vehicles to which type-approval is extended in accordance with Article 2(2) of Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 which are fitted with a manual gearbox shall be equipped with gear shift indicators in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation and its implementing measures. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:200:0001:0024:en:PDF https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:... It is mainly a fuel efficiency measure. It also tells the driver when to shift up or down. Example of the indicator: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kerry-Malone/publication/47548278/figure/fig3/AS:669434658185223@1536617068433/Example-of-a-gear-shift-indicator-on-a-vehicle-instrument-panel.ppm https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kerry-Malone/publicatio...

rob74 3y ago
Yeah... unfortunately, they just show you the gear you should switch to, not the gear you're currently in (although that information is obviously available). So much for keeping your eyes on the road as much as possible...
- marceldegraaf 3y ago
  The photo shows the current gear (3) and an indicator that the driver could shift up (the arrow pointing upward).
  - closewith 3y ago
    Must be model dependent. All the cars I've owned with physical gear levers and gear shift indicators show the recommended gear, not current.
- landgenoot 3y ago
  No, the number is the current gear. The arrow in front of it indicates whether you should shift up or down
  - Spacemolte 3y ago
    It's dependant on the make/model.
  - swores 3y ago
    In all 4 manual cars I've driven (all sold in UK, so maybe different to rest of Europe?) they show an arrow and the number of the gear you should change to. Nothing on the dashboard about current gear (except in the automatic I've driven, which of course doesn't need to tell you when to change gears).
- bdavbdav 3y ago
  Every car I’ve regularly driven (typically European) has shown current gear, and an arrow for which direction you should be moving.
MaxikCZ 3y ago
How completely unnecessary. You know what gear you shifted in because you shifted it in in the first place. If, once in a long while, you shift different gear, you notice imediatelly as you release clutch. If, once in a while, you forget to shift next gear, the motor will scream at you sooner than you notice the indicator. And those people not being able to utilize all those "physical" indicators because of being new/bad drivers or being distracted wont notice this small number regardless of where it shows. Just more electronics in cars that desperately need to be getting rid of those... The only instance of where confirmation of selected gear is usefull is when shifting into Reverse, and that is already acompanied by a beep.
- maeln 3y ago
  Heeeh. I drove mostly manual car (since it tends to be the "default" here in France), most of which did not have a indicator (they predated the law). I got to say, having one is still nice. In cities, where you change gear a lot, it means you still get to see the road if you ever get confused about which gear you are in (yeah, yeah, shouldn´t happen, bad driver, whatever, it does happen). But mostly, it is for the downshift / upshift indicator which is usually tuned for eco driving. Knowing when to shift by feel is usually very easy, but knowing the exact point for optimizing fuel consumption is harder, especially because it can change depending on the car. So having the indicator suggestion is nice.
- swores 3y ago
  The law isn't about telling you what gear you are in, it's about telling you when to shift up a gear (I'm not sure it's required to show downshifts, at least the few cars I've driven - all in the UK - only show up shift recommendations). It's a little thing on your dashboard that pops up an up arrow and the number of the gear you should change to (and down arrow in cars that do support that). And it's helpful because a) different cars have different engines/gear systems such that you can't learn a universal rule of "always move from gear 2 to 3 at X speed / Y RPM", and lots of people aren't good at knowing the most economical point to change into each gear even for their own car, so having the manufacturer program it in does help. I no longer pay attention to it in my car, as I've either shifted a second before it would have shown on the dashboard, or I've purposefully not gone up a gear because at that moment I care more about ability to accelerate for some reason than about being as economical as possible. But those tips were useful in helping me learn the ideal gear changes in my car without having to read up about its RPM sweet spots etc, and useful for anyone who I lend my car to who isn't familiar with the brand/model. > "If, once in a while, you forget to shift next gear, the motor will scream at you sooner than you notice the indicator." True if you're just thinking about not fucking up the engine, but not true if you're thinking about driving economically which is the point of the law. My car for example (a small hatchback, 1L turbo engine) gets best economy (and therefore suggests the gear changes) by upgearing when it's around about 2k RPM (not exactly, and varies by which gear), but the engine could comfortably go to 4k RPM without any screaming at all (iirc redlining is something like 6k-7k, and engine sounds fine until fairly close to that).
yurishimo 3y ago
When was this law passed? I don’t have that on my 2012 Aygo.
- landgenoot 3y ago
  1 nov 2011, but this is a type-approval requirement. > Type approval describes the process applied by national authorities to certify that a model of a vehicle meets all EU safety, environmental and conformity of production requirements before authorising it to be placed on the EU market. So your 2012 Aygo has probably been type-approved before that date.

rob74 3y ago

Yeah... unfortunately, they just show you the gear you should switch to, not the gear you're currently in (although that information is obviously available). So much for keeping your eyes on the road as much as possible...

marceldegraaf 3y ago
The photo shows the current gear (3) and an indicator that the driver could shift up (the arrow pointing upward).
- closewith 3y ago
  Must be model dependent. All the cars I've owned with physical gear levers and gear shift indicators show the recommended gear, not current.
landgenoot 3y ago
No, the number is the current gear. The arrow in front of it indicates whether you should shift up or down
- Spacemolte 3y ago
  It's dependant on the make/model.
- swores 3y ago
  In all 4 manual cars I've driven (all sold in UK, so maybe different to rest of Europe?) they show an arrow and the number of the gear you should change to. Nothing on the dashboard about current gear (except in the automatic I've driven, which of course doesn't need to tell you when to change gears).
bdavbdav 3y ago
Every car I’ve regularly driven (typically European) has shown current gear, and an arrow for which direction you should be moving.

MaxikCZ 3y ago

How completely unnecessary. You know what gear you shifted in because you shifted it in in the first place. If, once in a long while, you shift different gear, you notice imediatelly as you release clutch. If, once in a while, you forget to shift next gear, the motor will scream at you sooner than you notice the indicator. And those people not being able to utilize all those "physical" indicators because of being new/bad drivers or being distracted wont notice this small number regardless of where it shows. Just more electronics in cars that desperately need to be getting rid of those... The only instance of where confirmation of selected gear is usefull is when shifting into Reverse, and that is already acompanied by a beep.

maeln 3y ago
Heeeh. I drove mostly manual car (since it tends to be the "default" here in France), most of which did not have a indicator (they predated the law). I got to say, having one is still nice. In cities, where you change gear a lot, it means you still get to see the road if you ever get confused about which gear you are in (yeah, yeah, shouldn´t happen, bad driver, whatever, it does happen). But mostly, it is for the downshift / upshift indicator which is usually tuned for eco driving. Knowing when to shift by feel is usually very easy, but knowing the exact point for optimizing fuel consumption is harder, especially because it can change depending on the car. So having the indicator suggestion is nice.
swores 3y ago
The law isn't about telling you what gear you are in, it's about telling you when to shift up a gear (I'm not sure it's required to show downshifts, at least the few cars I've driven - all in the UK - only show up shift recommendations). It's a little thing on your dashboard that pops up an up arrow and the number of the gear you should change to (and down arrow in cars that do support that). And it's helpful because a) different cars have different engines/gear systems such that you can't learn a universal rule of "always move from gear 2 to 3 at X speed / Y RPM", and lots of people aren't good at knowing the most economical point to change into each gear even for their own car, so having the manufacturer program it in does help. I no longer pay attention to it in my car, as I've either shifted a second before it would have shown on the dashboard, or I've purposefully not gone up a gear because at that moment I care more about ability to accelerate for some reason than about being as economical as possible. But those tips were useful in helping me learn the ideal gear changes in my car without having to read up about its RPM sweet spots etc, and useful for anyone who I lend my car to who isn't familiar with the brand/model. > "If, once in a while, you forget to shift next gear, the motor will scream at you sooner than you notice the indicator." True if you're just thinking about not fucking up the engine, but not true if you're thinking about driving economically which is the point of the law. My car for example (a small hatchback, 1L turbo engine) gets best economy (and therefore suggests the gear changes) by upgearing when it's around about 2k RPM (not exactly, and varies by which gear), but the engine could comfortably go to 4k RPM without any screaming at all (iirc redlining is something like 6k-7k, and engine sounds fine until fairly close to that).

yurishimo 3y ago

When was this law passed? I don’t have that on my 2012 Aygo.

landgenoot 3y ago
1 nov 2011, but this is a type-approval requirement. > Type approval describes the process applied by national authorities to certify that a model of a vehicle meets all EU safety, environmental and conformity of production requirements before authorising it to be placed on the EU market. So your 2012 Aygo has probably been type-approved before that date.