#0397736 #397736 Friction Block Assembly Johnson/evinrude 1986-2007 4-35hp #3 on 2040-parts.com

Car makers to be forced to disclaim ‘Official’ economy figures

We’ve banged on for a long time about the futility of official economy figures, especially as car makers get better and better at ‘gaming’ the official economy tests to produce the results they want. Much of the impetus to create the best headline economy figure for a car is driven by taxation, with car makers well aware that the better the official economy results are, the lower their CO2 will be (CO2 isn’t tested for – it’s just extrapolated from the official mpg) and the more appealing the car will be to buyers, particularly fleet buyers. But a ruling by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) against Audi could at least see car makers having to admit in their adverts that the ‘official’ economy figure bears no relation to what owners can expect to achieve in the real world.

Britain's favourite car brands revealed

Earlier this week, we revealed the results of the Driver Power survey by Auto Express, where drivers were asked to rate their cars for factors including reliability, running costs and performance. Now, MSN Cars can exclusively reveal the results of the manufacturer survey. In short, according to more than 50,000 motorists, these are the most satisfying and reliable brands in Britain.

Tyre kickers cost industry millions

CUSTOMERS who have no intention of buying a used car are costing dealers millions of pounds every year in wasted time and lost purchases. By taking up the time of sales staff and keeping them away from genuine buyers, so called ‘tyre kickers’ soak up time touring showrooms and asking questions. Some will even take a test drive while having no intention to buy a car.