What is the engine management light?
Also known as the ‘check engine’ light, the engine management light is an LED symbol found on the dashboard of your vehicle that helps you to understand when there may be a fault that needs attention.
Here, we’ll help you to recognise the engine management light on your own vehicle, as well as exploring what it means when it comes on and how that could affect your next maintenance steps.
What does an engine management light look like?
The engine management light can take a few different forms, which we’ll go into below. Remember, not every vehicle will display the check engine light in the exact same way, so being aware of the variations out there can help you to recognise the engine management light if you get a new car or hire a vehicle.
Some things remain the same in all cars and vans. For example, the engine management light is always found on the dashboard behind your steering wheel. Most of the time, it displays with a steady amber light – although there are some circumstances where a red or flashing amber light may show instead.
The most common kind of variation between models is in the physical shape of the light. In some cases, your check engine light may show as the words ‘CHECK ENGINE’ on your dashboard – which makes it easy to identify and understand.
More commonly, the engine management light displays as an outline image of an engine. For the less mechanically inclined, it’s a small, boxy symbol with detailing on the left, right and top sides (see the image above). Sometimes, this might have the word ‘ENGINE’ incorporated somewhere to give you an extra clue.
If you’re really struggling to identify the engine management light, or any other warning light on your dashboard, then you can check in your vehicle handbook or manual. There should be a page inside that details the various symbols and their definitions to help you out.
Failing that, speak to a qualified mechanic at your local autocentre. They can help you to identify any warning lights in your vehicle, and are best placed to carry out any repairs necessary to resolve engine problems.
Why is my engine management light flashing?
As we’ve mentioned above, the engine management light often appears as a solid amber light which, when lit, means there’s a fault with your engine that needs to be looked at by a qualified mechanic.
However, in some cases the light might flash instead of staying solid, or it may display as a red light rather than amber. This typically means that the fault is very serious and requires immediate attention.
If your check engine light shows red or flashes, then you should pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so. It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different ways your check engine light might display itself by consulting your vehicle manual ahead of time, so you can understand whether your light is indicating a severe problem.
If it is indicating a major fault, or if you’re not certain, then you may need to call for roadside breakdown assistance. This is because continuing to drive with a fault – particularly if you’re not sure what the fault is – could lead to increased damage that may be more expensive to repair. Worse, it could result in an accident that harms you or other road users.
Either way, you should take your vehicle to a garage or autocentre as soon as possible to have the problem looked at. This will usually involve an engine diagnostic scan, which assesses the state of the engine and lets your mechanic know exactly where the faults lie.
Can a car pass its MOT with the engine management light on?
Whether the engine management light is amber or red, solid or flashing, when it comes on it means that there’s a significant issue somewhere in your engine. So, is this something that is checked on an MOT?
The simple answer is yes – many cars that have an active engine management light will automatically fail the MOT as it is considered a major fault. However, some vehicles are exempt from an engine management light inspection. These are:
- Diesel vehicles registered before 1st July 2008
- Petrol vehicles registered before 1st July 2003.
If that applies to your vehicle, you won’t receive an automatic failure simply for having the check engine light on.
Even so, being exempt from the check engine light inspection doesn’t mean that it won’t cause problems during your MOT. The light shows because there’s a fault in your engine, and depending on the exact nature of the fault, that may be enough to fail your vehicle.
Whatever the case, you should have the problem fixed as soon as possible to avoid putting yourself and other road users at unnecessary risk – and to avoid making the issue worse by forcing your vehicle to run with a fault.
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