29/08/2026
A light appears on your dashboard. How worried should you be? Read the colour first, because it works like a traffic light and tells you how urgently to act even if the symbol means nothing to you.
Red means stop as soon as it is safe to do so. Amber means something needs attention but you are usually alright to drive on carefully. Green and blue are not warnings at all, they simply confirm that a system such as your sidelights, main beam or cruise control is switched on. Manufacturers change the symbols between models, but the colour convention stays the same.
The red lights that genuinely mean pull over rather than press on: oil pressure, usually shown as an oil can, which means the engine may not be getting oil where it needs it, and engines can be destroyed in a very short distance without it. Coolant temperature, meaning the engine is overheating, where carrying on can warp a cylinder head. The brake warning light, particularly if the pedal feels different underfoot. And the battery or charging light, which means the alternator may not be charging, so the car is running the battery down and will eventually stop.
Here is the rule most people do not know: a flashing warning light is more urgent than the same light showing steadily. A flashing engine management light usually signals a misfire, and a misfire can damage the catalytic converter quickly.
If a red light comes on while you are driving, stop somewhere safe, switch the engine off rather than leaving it idling, and never open a hot cooling system. Check the obvious, oil level, coolant level, and anything leaking underneath.
Most amber lights can wait until morning, but do not let one become permanent. Drivers get used to seeing it, stop noticing it, and then a second fault appears with no way of telling. A diagnostic check reads the codes the car has actually stored rather than guessing from the symbol.
Not sure what yours means? Ring us with the registration, describe the colour and the symbol, and we will tell you honestly whether it is safe to move. Free collection and drop-off across Liverpool.
Read more: https://www.acrliverpool.co.uk/dashboard-warning-lights-which-ones-mean-stop-now/