Vehicles not so green as depicted

SOME of Australia’s top- selling cars guzzle up to 59 per cent more fuel than the claim on their Green Vehicle Guide rating label, a test by Australia’s peak motoring body has found.

That means the fuel bill for the average motorist in a small hatchback is between $ 500 and $ 1000 more per year than what the consumption figure on the label indicates.

The Australian Automobile Association tested the consumption and emissions of 30 top- selling vehicles in real world driving conditions – rather than in a laboratory as the tests are normally done – and found few cars match their claimed fuel economy and emissions figures.

However, the AAA did not “name and shame” car brands in the $ 500,000 study because, it says, it would not be fair against models it did not test.

“Our testing was conducted to show the flaws in the whole system, not to attack particular car makers,” said AAA chief executive Michael Bradley.

“However, we would expect a more broadbased national program in the future to include all vehicle details to provide the necessary transparency for consumers.”

Industry figures show the difference between real world fuel consumption and rating label figures was about 10 per cent in 2002, grew to 35 per cent in 2014 and is projected to be 49 per cent higher than published claims by 2020, as car makers get better at optimising lab tests.

The testing found some of the worst vehicles for misleading claims were “eco- friendly” plug- in hybrid cars.