Hi all.

Has anyone had a problem with the fuel gauge? The predicted mileage, etc is showing random values.

Best regards.

It isn't random but it will vary depending on your mpg figure.

It was fine until recently. On filling the tank we get the usual mileage figure. But then it stays at that, even though we have done a 100 miles or so. Definitely wrong! I assume it is a Hall effect sensor on the tank and these are very reliable. Yours is the only reply so it is unlikely to be a common problem.

2 minutes ago, JohnD123 said:

I assume it is a Hall effect sensor on the tank

Shown as a simple potentiometer on the wiring diagrams.

@JohnD123 If when fuelling you stop at the first click does the available range show the same as if you are going to brim it maybe putting in 7 more litres?

Full / brimmed maybe 80-100 miles covered before the gauge, estimated range drops?

Everything about the Karoq has been very reliable up to now. So if its a pot, perhaps it needs replacing. They are usually on top of the tank. Does anyone know if it is accessible? I am not as flexible as I was!

Typically mounted on the side of the fuel pump assembly, with the float arm coupled more or less directly onto the wiper.

If it's a petrol engine, opening the tank is quite hazardous, and not usually very easy without the right tool to undo the locking ring.

Thank you Breezy_Pete, I will look.

If the tank is brimmed visually rather than the first click, it’s effectively overfilled so the algorithm to calculate range produces a value that doesn’t change until it drops. As others have said the range depends on the actual realtime average mpg.

Edited 15 July, 202515 Jul by thamestrader

Thanks thamestrader. I understand that. Unfortunately the problem has now gone away. Therefore it is bound to come back at the least favourable moment. Something to look forward to!

9 hours ago, JohnD123 said:

It was fine until recently. On filling the tank we get the usual mileage figure. But then it stays at that, even though we have done a 100 miles or so. Definitely wrong! I assume it is a Hall effect sensor on the tank and these are very reliable. Yours is the only reply so it is unlikely to be a common problem.

That's perfectly normally as you can fill the tank above what the sensor can read. You will then find the gauge won't move until the fuel drops to the point where it can be read. Does it on both our Skodas and did it on my previous Ford.

Edited 15 July, 202515 Jul by sussamb

I don't remember the last time I really paid attention to the fuel gauge, let alone the estimated mileage.

That's not because I have a super thirsty monstrous Octavia, but more because I haven't owned or been in a VAG car in the last decade that has an accurate fuel gauge.

My old Leon was worse - it would be full for up to 150 miles (I kid you not), and then would plummet to 1/3 of a tank over the next 100, before then lasting 50 miles on the final bar. My Octavia seems a bit better, but still naff, while the other SEAT item and Audis have been/are all the same.

That said, none of the BMW's we've had, or my Focus, have been much better. A SEAT tech told me If the car is filled up with the ignition on, that can really mess it up, but beyond that they're just a bit crap. Certainly, the estimated mileage is pure guesswork.

My BMW is bang on correct time after time. When I get home from the North and don't spare the horses filled to first click shows this. When I get back from the South and full to the same it will be 635 miles that shows. Always using the same pump. Then when I head back that way and am 30 miles away it will be showing 630 miles range.

My Skoda ones are consistent too on long journeys, although as I would expect mileage left varies depending on how you're driving, petrol is consumed more quickly if you're travelling at 80 rather than 50, in France that is so not speeding 😃. It's a bit like the GPS I use when walking, my time to destination varies depending on how fast I'm walking.

I drove home from London to the North West a few weeks ago. I filled up as I left London. After at least 60 or so miles of motoring, the range left on the display had actually gone up from the figure it was showing in London. I find the gauge anything but accurate but it was the same on the 5 other Skodas I had before the Karoq.

43 minutes ago, nbramwel said:

I drove home from London to the North West a few weeks ago. I filled up as I left London. After at least 60 or so miles of motoring, the range left on the display had actually gone up from the figure it was showing in London. I find the gauge anything but accurate but it was the same on the 5 other Skodas I had before the Karoq.

Yes, the range goes up because you're now travelling at a more or less constant speed, & so achieving a higher MPG than when you were sat in London traffic. The system can't see into the future, so can only provide an estimate based on the recent data it has.

4 hours ago, Rbz5416 said:

Yes, the range goes up because you're now travelling at a more or less constant speed, & so achieving a higher MPG than when you were sat in London traffic. The system can't see into the future, so can only provide an estimate based on the recent data it has.

Absolutely, I don't grasp how this causes so much confusion 🙄