Most cars use one of two refrigerants: R-134a or R-1234yf. Older vehicles may use R-12 , but that’s much less common now.

How to check

  • Look for the A/C label under the hood ; it usually says the refrigerant type and capacity.
  • If there’s no label, check your owner’s manual or a vehicle-spec lookup using the make, model, and year.

Quick rule of thumb

  • Pre-1995: often R-12.
  • 1995–2012: often R-134a.
  • 2014 and newer: often R-1234yf.

If you want, send me your car’s year, make, and model , and I can help narrow it down.