HOW REPRESENTATIVE OF REAL LIFE DRIVING ARE THE STANDARD TESTS LISTED BY THE VCA?

Certainly, I found them to be a good guide. The information – as we’ll see - can be worth a £1,000.00 to the average motorist.

The VCA make the point that figures quoted for fuel consumption have been obtained under simulation test conditions to give car buyers information for comparing different models.

Because results are achieved by standard tests they cannot – as the VCA say – be representative of real life driving. They first state, it’s not practical to test each individual new and you may get a better or worse result in real life. Secondly, they are not a warranty of figures you might obtain in real life, which depends on driving style, load, tyre pressures, road conditions and traffic.

The VCA have a searchable database of new car fuel consumption and CO2 emission figures at www.vca.gov.uk . You can also search online for "ACT ON CO2" for the best in class cars with the lowest CO2 rankings. Plus the simple ways you can reduce emissions when you drive.

Recently I have the chance to drive 2 cars with comprehensive on board computers.

The first car I came across had 13,000 miles on the clock and had averaged 46 mpg. I drove the car for 2,000 miles. Within a day I was averaging 56 mpg. After deciding to see what I could achieve I was averaging 66 mpg. With extraordinary effort I was up to 71 mpg.

The VCA data for this manual 5-speed 1248 cc diesel is as follows: urban (cold) 49.6 mpg, extra-urban 74.3 mpg and 62.8 mpg combined.

My opinion is the VCA combined figure of 62.8 mpg is a good guide for someone making an effort to drive economically and they could achieve this figure as I have with 66 mpg. Although the cars history is evidence drivers can struggle to achieve the lower urban figure.

The difference in fuel cost of driving 12,000 miles with diesel at 135.9p per litre is significant. I would use 181.8 gallons of diesel or 827.27 litres at a cost of £1,124.26p It would cost the previous owner £1,613.07p. A massive difference of £488 81p over 12,000 miles.

The next car I came across had averaged 26 mpg over 22,000 miles. I averaged 42 mpg.

The VCA data for this manual 5-speed 1796 cc petrol engined car is as follows: urban (cold) 27.4 mpg, extra-urban 45.6 mpg and 36.7 mpg combined.

Again the VCA combined figure of 36.7 mpg is a good guide for someone making an effort to drive economically and they could achieve this figure or my 42-mpg with extraordinary effort. Likewise, the cars history is evidence drivers can find it difficult to achieve the lower urban figure.

The difference in fuel cost of driving 12,000 miles with petrol at 122.9p per litre is hefty. I would use 1,300 litres of petrol at a cost of £1,597.70p. It would cost the previous driver £2,580.90p. A very big difference of £983.20 over 12,000 miles.

Frightening! But the opportunity for improvement in fuel consumption and in turn CO2 emissions is enormous especially in percentage terms. Plus you can save big money in the bargain.

Regards
Ralph

http://www.carbuyersinfo.co.uk/