what is the l on the gear shift
Best Answer: L stands for LOW. On many automatics you will see a number 1 instead of L, but it is the same thing. The shift control locks the shift mechanism in the lowest gear. The L stands for low gear, which is 1st gear, the gear with the highest ratio for engine vs. drivetrain. In other words I guess you could say the engine spins a lot faster than the wheels, like on a mountain bike where you pedal a whole lot in first gear but don't go that far.