PSA Group has fulfilled a promise to publish ?real world? fuel consumption tests for its cars ? and revealed the glaring inaccuracy of the industry-standard test.
The promise by PSA ? parent company of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS Automobiles brands ? came in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal last year, and according to the group has been done to offer transparency to its customers.
The group has published real-world figures for 30 of its core models and shown what motorists have long known ? the automotive industry?s recognised test, conducted in a laboratory, is woefully inaccurate.
On average models recorded real-world consumption figures around 20mpg less than the official combined cycle fuel consumption figure. The least difference was produced by a Peugeot 2008 1.2 PureTech 82 model with a manual gearbox which returned 44.1mpg, only 13.5mpg less than the official figure of 57.6. At the other end of the scale a Citroën C3 BlueHDi 75 with manual transmission and stop & start returned 57.6mpg, a staggering 36.5mpg under the official figure of 94.1mpg.
The test procedure was established by two independent French organisations, Transport & Environment (T&E) and France Nature Environment (FNE), and
measures fuel consumption using a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) installed on the vehicle.
Bureau Veritas, an independent and internationally respected body, guarantees the procedure, ensuring that it is conducted in line with specifications a...