Norwegian hoses are, in general, too short to reach over the car. (If they're long enough, you've probably wound up at a truck pump, and had better think twice before pulling the trigger on the filler pistol...)

My filler cap is on the left (Toyota Land Cruiser); my wife cannot remember which side the cap is on, but she DOES remember that she can spot the lid using the mirrors, so we're both happy.

That is very very helpful, thank you! And I'll definitely try to avoid the truck fuel.

Well, it will be helpful once I am legal to drive. Both my spouse and I forgot about my driving - he didn't own a car when I moved (we own a cheap one now). Quite unfortunate, considering the cost of driving classes, but probably a plus considering winter driving seems a slightly different beast comparatively..

Winter driving is a slightly different beast indeed; however, a lot is achieved if one makes an effort to drive more passively - increasing the distance to the car in front, start braking early, &c.

Any driving school will be happy to give winter driving lessons even if you have a valid licence, by the way - and no, no matter what shenanigans you pull during the lesson, they cannot have your licence revoked.

So, if your spouse isn't too comfortable driving on the icy stuff[0], just get in touch with a driving school (preferably in winter, though we do have dedicated tracks with artificial cooling here and there - nothing like skidding around on half an inch of ice in July...)

[0] Here's me assuming he's !Norwegian, too...

I have a valid American licence for a while more, but I missed the window for taking only the written exam. Therefore, I am required to take the classes nevertheless. I understand that winter driving is part of the standard lessons, though I considered taking the class during the winter just for the experience. (Of course, if the winters have as little snow as this past one, it might not make a difference).

He's Norwegian, and very comfortable. The differences on his caution and mine is striking. He drives faster than I would, in mountains, with little to no sliding. Average "snow speeds" are faster here, but I'm sure some of that is because folks use snow tires instead of the "all weather" tires folks used in the states. But to be fair, I'm actually luckier than immigrants having no practical experience with snow and cold and I'm sure most of my previous caution will transfer over nicely.

Suggestion: If he's eligible for doing driving practice with you (Basically - older than 25 and has had his licence for more than five years uninterrupted), just find a large, open parking lot once some snow and ice is around.

Honestly, simply spending a few hours in an empty parking lot did more for whatever winter driving skills I may have picked up than any formal driving lesson did. There's a lot to be said for trying to maneuver the car and failing miserably to do so - repeatedly - without hitting anything. Most educational. (And fun! Just don't get too carried away, or the police will chew on you + spouse for reckless driving if they are bored.)

Proper winter tires helps a lot. As does a gentle right foot and slow, smooth operation of the steering wheel (And if you really want to go native - studded tires and 4x4)

(Not that I expect this to be news to you; I'm just making small talk, as it were. :))

The fuel fillers are different sizes so to put diesel into a gasoline car you'd have to stand there holding the fill over the fuel port.

(Or have outdated/non standard equipment)

-Oh, I wasn't concerned about accidentally filling diesel on a gas powered car; more that the truck diesel comes gushing out much faster than it would from a 'normal' pump. (Though I have to admit, having never tried, I don't know whether the truck diesel nozzles are even larger than the regular diesel ones. (that would make sense, though.)

In Australia at least, truck diesel nozzles are in fact larger than car diesel, and won't fit. I know from having tried to make one fit :(

I don't think I've ever come across a hose that doesn't stretch to the opposite side of the car here in the UK. It always makes me laugh to see people queuing for a particular side when the pumps on the other side are all vacant.

The hose would stretch, but it could touch the body of the car and filling on the other side isn't as convenient because the hose gets bent near the handle.

A similar number of cars with LHS/RHS filler caps would make for some nice load balancing at the pumps, but the problem is that most European and American manufacturers put it on the right side, regardless of vehicle model. Japanese cars sold in the US and Europe mostly have it on the left because the cars were originally designed for LHT and the engineers didn't bother to switch it. Many Nissans also have the dials of the dashboard in the center in order to cut some expenditure in producing LHT/RHT cars.

Why don't they just drive in from the other direction?

UK petrol stations usually have a marked entrance and exit giving an implicit one-way system. Along with the quite tight dimensions, it's quite tricky to approach the pump from the other direction.

That's something that never occurred to me. Even in cities, US gas stations have plenty of room to turn around if you need to approach a pump from the other side.