In what could be accounted as the most earth-shaking revelation, well-known British auto magazine, What Car? claimed that the fuel-efficiency levels claimed by manufacturers for their models are actually more than the figure their cars manage. The magazine claims that cars, in reality, burn 8% more fuel than claimed.



The most deceptive of all green cars is the popular Prius. Actually, this hybrid petrol-electric Toyota Prius, achieves only 52 miles per gallon, nearly 14mpg below Toyota’s claim. Other popular green cars also guilty on this account are: The Kia Picanto 1.1 did 46mpg compared with the claimed figure of 57.6mpg; Smart Fortwo achieved 51.5mpg instead of 60.1mpg; the Peugeot 107 54mpg not 61.4mpg; and the Toyota Aygo 54mpg instead of 61.4mpg. These figures were arived at by using an electronic meter, which was inserted into the cars’ fuel systems to measure the fuel used over identical routes and conditions.



Manufacturers can sigh a huge sigh of relief, as the report puts the blame not on the cars but on the method of testing enforced by EU. Steve Fowler, editor of What Car?, said:

The fault lies not with the manufacturers but the method of testing cars’ economy enforced by the EU. Tests are carried out in laboratories with only gentle acceleration and at high temperatures - very different to real driving conditions. The EU should adopt a more realistic system suited to the way motorists drive, to provide accurate data.