Fuel consumption levels of some cars are more than 30 percent higher than manufacturers’ claims when tested in real-world conditions.
The latest testing by the Australian Automobile Association found consumers were not receiving accurate information about many cars’ fuel consumption or environmental performances.
AAA Managing Director Michael Bradley said the latest results from its Real-World Testing Program recorded fuel consumption levels between 6 percent and 31 percent higher than in laboratory test results.
Mr Bradley said the testing program showed on-road fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions could differ substantially from the laboratory test results displayed on mandated point-of-sale windshield stickers.
“In our latest batch of results, there is a 44 percent spread in the gap between the tested cars’ fuel consumption lab results and their on-road performance,” he said.
“One 1.2-litre vehicle had similar on-road fuel consumption to several 2-litre cars, and a hybrid SUV had higher petrol consumption than a similar-sized conventional SUV.”
He said the Real-World Testing Program compared vehicles’ fuel consumption and emissions in Australian driving conditions with the mandated laboratory test results reported by car manufacturers.
The latest results covered a mix of SUVs, passenger cars and utes.
