Official MPG Figures Unrealistic, Says UK Auto Magazine

Taco Cowboy (5327) writes "Research carried out by UK consumer magazine What Car? which concluded that official manufacturers' MPG figures are unrealistic. Based on the research, new car buyers in the UK who trust official, government-sanctioned fuel economy figures will pay an average of £1,000 (€1,216) more than they expect on fuel over a three-year period. Since launching True MPG two years ago, What Car? has tested almost 400 cars in real-world conditions, using cutting-edge test equipment and achieving economy figures that are on average 19% lower than the government figures."

Comments

Real-world conditions

[Anonymous Coward]

Under-inflated tires, lousy fuel, ignored maintenance, rapid acceleration, more than one occupant / actual cargo, stop-and-go traffic, air pollution, air pressure variation, air temperature variation, elevation variation...

And these are just a few of the things that would cause your "official" MPG figures to deviate from observations.

No fuel economy figures are going be right

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't the more important thing that the all the cars figures are comparable.