New Ridiculous MPG Rules To Be Introduced

Saturday, 20. September 2014

OK got my angry hat on so watch out! If it’s not APR it’s bloody MPG. I’m sick to death of the ridiculous arguments over MPG and I’m even more angry to read this week that the EU is to poke their nose into our affairs, yet again, and legislate on the way MPG figures are calculated.

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They are set to demand that vehicle emission and economy tests be carried out on public roads rather than in laboratories. I thought it was dopey enough when What Car decided to carry out their own tests on cars to establish a more ‘realistic’ MPG but simply ignored this idiocy as a ploy to sell more magazines but it’s now getting ridiculous.

First of all expect your road fund licence cost to increase along with your benefit in kind tax as it will show an increase in CO2 emissions but let me turn to MPG, which is about as accurate a measure as APR and Brake Horsepower. I think we would all agree that the MPG, achieved in a laboratory, under very strict test conditions, will not be achievable under normal driving conditions.

So we are all agreed so far. And MPG can vary as a result of the road conditions, the condition of the car and most important of all the way we drive. Agreed? So with such a mash up of so many factors it is virtually impossible to come up with a definitive MPG. Ask any driver how they drive and they will come up with numerous different descriptions, let’s think of a few, carefully, fast, slowly, safely, quickly, with care, legally, illegally, cautiously, erratically, carelessly, considerately and like a rabid monkey.

The fact is that we all drive differently, not only to each other but also in different road conditions. Some drivers drive more carefully when it is raining or if there is ice about whilst others see these conditions as sent to test their rally driving skills affecting the fuel consumption substantially.

Poor service and maintenance of the car can affect fuel consumption as can worn tyres or incorrectly inflated tyres which can make a difference of up to 15% in fuel consumption. Braking hard, braking late, racing away from traffic lights can all affect fuel consumption, even having a window open, continual use of air conditioning or the fitting of a roof rack can affect the fuel you use as well as carrying passengers and/or a load of unnecessary or even necessary weight in the boot.

Cars are also not manufactured with the same precision as a Swiss watch, the mechanics will vary slightly between identical cars produced on the same day providing different fuel consumption. I think you get the gist, it is absolutely impossible to establish ‘accurate’ real life fuel consumption figures for all the reasons mentioned. So why are we about to spend a fortune trying to fix something that ‘aint broke. At least with the way MPG figures are established at the moment all cars are tested consistently in laboratories.

The figures may not reflect genuine real life conditions but they provide a means to compare different makes and models of cars. So if your car choice is between a Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Corsa you will find that the Government controlled average on the Fiesta is 54.3mpg whilst that on the Corsa is 51.4mpg. So whilst you probably won’t achieve either figure when you drive the cars the Fiesta is likely to be a little better than the Corsa. So to change the method now would be a nonsense and a waste of money.

What inspectors found when they checked the way manufacturers established their MPG figures was doors being taped up and tests being carried out on very smooth surfaces. This is where action needed to be taken so that all tests are identical and we certainly don’t need the Europeans poking about and instructing us on how we should do things!

Oh and if it was possible to ‘manipulate’ the figures under controlled conditions in a laboratory I can only imagine the manipulation that will go on when attempting to replicate real life driving conditions. Nonsense, absolute bloody nonsense! By Graham Hill

As Oil Prices Rise – Tips To Save Fuel

Thursday, 28. July 2011

The latest, and potential ongoing, problems with the US economy means that the future of the US dollar is becoming a lot less predictable. One of the downsides to this is the global use of the US dollar to set oil prices. Whilst countries around the world have pushed to change this method of establishing prices it looks as though we’re stuck with it for the Read more »

Graham Hill Explains How Much Driving Fast Costs You

Thursday, 2. June 2011

On the question of economy Auto Express carried out a test to see what the real effect would be of driving a car faster over the same distance. They carried out the test using a Renault Megane Sport Tourer 2.0l diesel. They covered a distance of 70 miles on the Longcross Proving Ground in Surrey. They used this 2 mile circuit as it allowed them to set Read more »

Ford Announces Amazing New Engine

Friday, 8. October 2010

Ford has announced their plans to create the ‘most significant’ engine ever. They are close to making a spectacular breakthrough that will drop the fuel consumption on some of their most popular cars to 100 miles per gallon. The goal will be reached within the next 5 years. The power unit is a new 3 cylinder engine has been created by their research team in Holland. The final decision to go into production lies with the development engineers based in Dunton in Essex. The engine will have a 1.0 litre Read more »

Poor Maintenance Of Tyres Costs Lives & Money

Tuesday, 13. October 2009

This month is Tyre Safety Month! I know I probably didn’t need to mention this as you probably knew already but what it has done is highlight the fact that 80% of cars have tyres that are incorrectly inflated. Incorrectly inflated tyres can affect the handling characteristics of cars and even more dangerously fully laden vans. Vans become far less stable when they carry heavy loads and tyres are incorrectly inflated. The recommendation is that Read more »

Take Care Of Your Particulate Filters

Sunday, 30. August 2009

If you drive a diesel car you probably know that it is fitted with a particulate filter. It is there to remove the dangerous particulates from the emission gasses. Some believe that particulates cause more damage to the environment than CO2, hence the importance of having particulate filters fitted. But they are prone to clog up with the particulates, however, they are made to effectively self clean. It is important that you Read more »

Learn How ESP/ESC Could Save Your Life

Sunday, 7. September 2008

Some good news on the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) front. The EC has moved to make ESC compulsory on all new cars. The bad news is that the system will only be phased in from 2012 and made compulsory from 2014. You will recall that this is the system that checks your speed vs angle of steering and slows you down if you are about to go into a skid, it also applies power and/or braking to the wheels that are gripping. It’s an amazing system that was Read more »

Legal Redress If Car Is Misrepresented Including Fuel Consumption

Monday, 14. July 2008

In my book ‘An Insider Guide To Car Finance’ I provide a great deal of legal advice, obviously if you find yourself in a dispute you should consult a qualified solicitor. However, by way of advice, in these times of high fuel costs suddenly the advertised MPG figures become all important. So what happens when the figures provided by the manufacturer/dealer are incorrect? I often receive complaints about this subject but as the cost of fuel was under reasonable control no one seemed willing to enforce their legal position, however that may well start to change. So in order to clarify your position I would suggest the following. Read more »