The spec sheet from Toyota shows that the 2021 Prius LE AWD-e (which I’m getting this week) has LED clearance lights. I’ve tried asking a friend who is into car journalism and even she is baffled - she suggested maybe an odd name for puddle lights. I also am about halfway through the owner’s manual and can’t find reference to them. Can you tell me what they are and maybe point to then on a picture of the car for me?
On the Prius AWD-e, they’re the vertical LED lights at the corner of the front bumper. They also swap out the black plastic for silver painted ones. “Clearance lights” is Toyota speak for front mounted accent lights.
Sorry I should’ve labelled my photo. Yellow arrow is the clearance light. Green arrow is the fog light.
Called 'clearance lights' because they are near the edges of the car. Somebody approaching you in oncoming traffic and seeing the lights therefore roughly knows your width, and can judge how to stay clear of you.
Why could I NOT see those arrows... Anyway: maybe someday Toyota’s top engineers will explain: why the (useless?) clearance lights are recessed into those sculpted “intake ports”.
it's a fabulous new invention. i can't tell you how many times i have been clipped at night over the years by cars that didn't realize how close they were to me. toyota for the win again! i would have called them lighthouses though
Those really aren't "clearance" lights. The historical use of which is to mark the corners or sides of a big vehicle. Also called marker lights. Some cars actually had small marker lights on the front and rear side fenders but they seem to have pretty much disappeared lately.
Sam spade 2, that’s probably why I was so confused! When I tried searching the internet for clearance lights, I got references to lights on the tops of tall trucks and buses!
