Can MPG stats be trusted?

New research again casts doubt on official, government-sanctioned fuel economy figures.

New car buyers who trust official MPG stats will pay an average of £1,000 more than they expect on fuel over a three-year period, according to What Car? True MPG test results.

That is because the official figures are achieved under laboratory conditions that can rarely be replicated in the real world.

Since launching True MPG two years ago, What Car? has tested almost 400 cars in real-world conditions using cutting-edge test equipment, achieving economy figures that are an average of 19% lower than the government figures.

Most efficient cars tested by What Car? True MPG to date

Vehicle                                                    True MPG         Test Official MPG 
1 Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi EcoDynamics                           70.6mpg                88.3mpg
2 Citroen C3 1.4 e-HDi Airdream EG                   70.3mpg                83.0mpg
3 Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC                                       66.4mpg                78.5mpg
4 Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi ECOnetic                          62.1mpg                 78.5mpg
5 Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC                          61.8mpg                72.4mpg
6 Dacia Sandero 1.5 dCi 90                                    61.7mpg                 74.3mpg
7 Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi Ecoflex S                      61.4mpg                85.6mpg
8 Hyundai i20 1.1 CRDi                                           61.1mpg                 74.3mpg
9 Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet                                         61.0mpg                72.4mpg
10 Renault Clio 1.5 dCi 90                                      60.1mpg                 78.5mpg