Car buyer survey says motorists are misled by fuel consumption statistics
Sun 30 October 2005
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According to a survey by Auto Express, motorists are being misled by official car fuel consumption figures and sometimes end up paying much more in running costs than they expect.
The report says that vehicle official mpg figures are as much as 20% higher than they can achieve in 'real world' conditions.
Some car buyers are achieving only 30 miles to the gallon in vehicles for which official published ratings claim they will do up to 40.
According to Auto Express Editor David Johns (reported in The Guardian): "The official test is carried out on a mechanical rolling road and bears no comparison to real-life driving on UK roads.
"Our test team discovered that on average cars are around 17-20% less economical than the official claims. This discrepancy could end up costing drivers hundreds of pounds more than they'd bargained for."
Related Links
Auto Express news story
Money Guardian - report link
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