What Causes the ECO Light on the Dashboard to Illuminate?
1 Answers
When the ECO indicator light on your car illuminates, it indicates that the vehicle's economy mode has been activated. ECO is an English abbreviation formed from the words Ecology (environmental protection), Conservation (energy saving), and Optimization (power). The ECO mode is further divided into active ECO driving mode and passive ECO driving mode. ECO mode can be either active or passive. The difference lies in the fact that the active mode has a dedicated button, allowing the driver to choose whether to enable it. When the driver presses the ECO mode switch, the dashboard indicator light turns on, and the vehicle automatically adjusts settings such as throttle opening, transmission shift logic, and air conditioning output power. Passive ECO mode does not have a dedicated button. When the dashboard ECO indicator light illuminates, it serves only as a reminder. ECO automatically evaluates your driving behavior, and if your current driving operation achieves the optimal fuel supply, the dashboard will display the ECO indicator light accordingly. Most cars use the active ECO driving mode, which means they have a dedicated switch button. In daily driving, we can enable ECO mode, except in situations such as driving over 120 km/h, idling, being in N/P gear, or manual mode—especially when climbing hills. In these cases, enabling ECO mode would not highlight its fuel-saving characteristics and could even affect performance. Additionally, ECO mode typically deactivates under the following conditions: When the vehicle speed exceeds 120 km/h, the car prioritizes speed, and ECO mode automatically deactivates. When idling or in N/P gear or manual mode, ECO mode may also deactivate. When high torque output is required, such as when climbing a hill, the engine control unit prioritizes delivering sufficient power to drive the vehicle, and ECO mode will not operate.
