A standard automatic gear selector has the basic four markings:
P: Parking. Select P when you park your car.
R: Reverse. Select R when you want to reverse the car.
N: Neutral. Select N when you want to push the car or tow it.
D: Drive. Select D to drive the car.
Some cars will have extra markings other than the basic four above. It depends on how many speeds the automatic transmission has. Some cars like Honda or Toyota are equipped with five-speed automatic transmission. It is to allow the driver to have a better control to the car and sometimes it is useful to achieve slightly better mileage when driving in cities with heavy traffic jams. These are other automatic gear patterns found in some cars.
Some automatic gear pattern
| Honda Civic | Honda Fit | Mini Cooper | Others | Others |
| P R N D D3 2 1 |
P R N D S L |
P R N D |
P R N D S |
P R N D L |
D3 or 3: This mode restricts the transmission to the first three gears, which means no matter how hard you throttle the gas pedal; the transmission will not change to fourth gear.
D2 or 2 or S (Slow): Shifting into this mode means the transmission will be locked in second gear. The car will start to run in first gear but only limits up to the second gear. It is very useful for driving up hill or driving in adverse conditions. It is also useful to increase the engine braking effect during downhill driving.
D1 or 1 or L (Low): Shifting into D1 or L indicates that the car will only run in first gear. This mode should only be engaged for towing, uphill, or downhill, otherwise the engine will be damaged if the RPM is too high.
Overdrive or OD or ‘O/D OFF’: This mode is only available in some cars. It can be found as a small button attached to the gear knob or located somewhere around it. The car will shift to lower gear when you turn it on. Use it when you want to over take or in circumstances that require a lower gear.