The first car I ever owned had but two gauges in its dash – a wide, horizontal speedometer, and, almost as a second thought, a fuel gauge. All other engine monitoring – comprised of generator and oil pressure indicators – was handled through the far less communicative idiot lights. Yep, that little Chevy was about as talkative as a pre-miracle worker Helen Keller.

Today we’re blessed with a plethora of cars that not only offer far more info via the dash, but can also tattle on us via a computer connection through its OBDII port. Shut up, car. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! The thing of it is, while early cars tended to keep their operating parameters close to their metaphorical chest, today’s cars seem to say too much. G-meters, economy gauges, upshift lights, there’s sometimes too much going on, and in the case of Ford’s hybrids which reward snail-like pace with an electronic bush growing on the dash, they can be a little freaky.

Considering all the gauges that have been offered over the years, I’m sure that we can all agree on a few that are not only useful, but are downright necessary. There are others however, whose service might be called into question. Thinking of those, which gauge do you feel has been the most useless?

Image source: Peachparts.com