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.

Audi has been taken to court by a buyer who says he bought an Audi A3 1.6 TDI because Audi claimed in their adverts that “The A3 16 TDI is the most fuel-efficient Audi ever returning a quite remarkable 68.9mpg on a Combined cycle“. The buyer never got close to that figure and lodged a complaint with the ASA.

Audi’s defence was that the official figures didn’t give an accurate representation of real world performance and that was ‘well known’ by consumers’. But the ASA weren’t buying the argument and has told Audi that they must make it clear in their adverts that official figures are not a  guide to real world economy and should only be used to compare the relative economy of different cars.

The ASA said of the ruling:

This is a significant ruling that draws a line in the sand. It is not just about Audi. It sets a precedent that will have ramifications for other car manufacturers.

The ruling sets out quite clearly that qualification is needed when quoting mpg figures. There will be an industry-wide communication to manufacturers and trade associations so they are aware of what to expect in future.

Frankly, it’s about time the whole system for ‘official’ economy figures was changed to better reflect real world economy, and the emphasis on taxation changed from CO2 to NOx and particulates – the stuff that really causes problems.

But that would need common sense from legislators, so don’t hold your breath.

By Cars UK