High beam indicator
A blue indicator that the headlamp high beams are on.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The symbol is a headlamp reflector seen from the side, with straight, parallel lines of light coming from it. Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations set it as blue or blue-green, and UN Regulation No. 121 as blue. Ford's F-150 manual says it lights when the high beams are switched on and flashes when the headlamp flasher is used.
Also searched as: full beam, high beam light.
Dashboard symbols vary by manufacturer. The vehicle's owner's manual or a qualified mechanic can say what a light means for a particular vehicle.
High beam or low beam
Both symbols are a headlamp reflector seen from the side. In Canada’s regulations the high beam’s lines of light are straight and horizontal, and the low beam’s slant downwards. UN Regulation No. 121 gives the two tell-tales different colours: blue for main (high) beams and green for passing (low) beams.
Main beam, upper beam, high beam
The same light has different names in different rules. UN regulations say driving beam or main beam for the high beam and dipped beam or passing beam for the low beam; Canada’s regulations read those terms as upper beam and lower beam. Ford’s and Nissan’s manuals say high beam.
Automatic high beams
The LEAF and F-150 manuals both describe a second indicator, for automatic high beams. Nissan’s 2020 LEAF manual says its High Beam Assist indicator lights when the headlights come on with the switch at AUTO and high beam selected, showing that the system is working, while the blue high beam indicator lights only when the high beams are on and goes out when the low beam is selected. In Ford’s F-150 the Automatic High Beam Control indicator lights to confirm the system is ready to assist.
What US rules require
Under FMVSS No. 101 the high beam telltale can’t be dimmed until it is invisible, and it can’t be cancelled while the high beams are on.
Read next
- Next in Dashboard warning lightsTurn signal indicatorsGreen arrows that flash when a turn signal or the hazard warning lights are on.
- The same shape in Accessibility symbolsAssistive listening symbol (ear)An ear with a diagonal bar across it is the International Symbol of Access for Hearing Loss. It marks an assistive listening system: a loop, infrared or FM system that sends sound to hearing aids or headsets.
More dashboard warning lights
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves or lines.
Sources
- Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038): Identification of Controls, Tell-tales and Indicators, C.R.C., c. 1038, Schedule IV, s. 101, Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website, s. 101, Table; s. 108(33); s. 108(33); s. 108(33); s. 108(33)
- Regulation No. 121: Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to the location and identification of hand controls, tell-tales and indicators, UN Regulation No. 121, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (text published by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), Table 1; Table 1, item 2; Table 1, item 2; Table 1, item 2; Table 1, item 2
- 2020 F-150 Owner's Manual, Ford Motor Company, Instrument Cluster: Warning Lamps and Indicators; Automatic High Beam Control Indicators; Automatic High Beam Control Indicators; Automatic High Beam Control Indicators; Automatic High Beam Control Indicators
- 2020 Nissan LEAF Owner's Manual, Nissan North America, Instruments and controls: warning and indicator lights, pp. 2-21 to 2-22
- Standard No. 101; Controls and displays, 49 CFR 571.101 (FMVSS No. 101), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations), S5.3.5(b); S5.5.6(b)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 3, 2026. How we research
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