Engine temperature gauge stays on cold

Does the engine come up to operating temperature after driving it a few miles?

You can check this by feeling the upper radiator hose to see if it hot, careful not to grab it as it could burn your hand, just touch it slightly with a finger, it should be very hot.

Another way is to connect an OBD scanner to the OBD port on the car after it has run a few miles and see what the engine temp is, the ecu uses a separate engine temp sensor, if it reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit or above the engine temp gauge for the instrument cluster is bad or you may have an engine thermostat that needs replaced.