80% of motorists don't know what dashboard symbol that 'looks like a boat' means

The thing about driving is that there are a range of things you need to be aware of and know what they mean, but there’s 80 per cent of you out there that haven’t a clue what a symbol on your dashboard means.

That’s not a great start, is it?

To be honest, there are so many symbols on your dash that it’s hard to know which is which, especially if they rarely flash up with an issue.

But you do need to attempt to know what they mean as if it turns out to be an important issue that needs immediately resolving, then it’s down to you to have it fixed before it writes off your poor car.

If your car suddenly flashes this little symbol that looks like a boat without warning, you’ll know exactly what you need to do once reading this article.

You’ve got your obvious ones that you know about, such as the low fuel symbol, but this one is causing a massive headache for drivers everywhere.

On X, users were trying to figure out what it means, and while most people were making jokes about it, some were actually helpful.

A user posted an image of her dashboard with one flashing symbol circled.

She wrote: “What this light mean?”

Then, someone else retweeted it saying, “Looks like a boat. Probably smooth sailing or something,” and the hilarity ensued.

One person wrote: “That’s the ‘pirates approaching’ warning. better start paddling.”

Another said: “idk what does that mean either.”

The real answer?

A commenter clarified: "It means your car's engine hasn't warmed up to the normal temperature. When it does, that light will turn off. I only know this because I had to look it up for a rental car about 2 months ago.”

Nope, he’s actually wrong too.

It’s the engine cooling warning light and it’s not a boat, it’s a thermometer with wavy lines at the bottom.

According to a survey by ATS Euromaster, 80 per cent of drivers didn't know what it meant.

Essentially, it means that the engine temperature is getting too high, and your car is running low on engine coolant.

If you don’t fix it, your engine could overheat, and you might need to fork out thousands on a new engine.

What this light mean? pic.twitter.com/cgabbCqYml

— Vivian Mayer (@mysty812) December 29, 2024

If this comes on and you’ve no idea what to do, try this: according to Eden Motor Group: “If the light is red, you should pull over as soon as it is safe to do so and switch off the engine.

“If the coolant level is low or there is another problem with your cooling system, you could cause serious damage by continuing to drive. Then you can do some basic checks yourself or call for help.”

To figure out why it’s started flashing, you need to think about several factors that could be at play.

The Group says: “The most likely is either a loss of coolant or a fault with the sensor.”

According to the specialists: “A coolant loss could be caused by a leak somewhere in the system, such as a split hose or a hole in the radiator. You might be able to see, hear of even smell this when you open the bonnet.”

But, if you can’t see a leak, ‘have a look at the coolant tank’ and if you check the ‘maximum and minimum markings on the side’, you’ll know if you have enough in the tank.

You're welcome.