12 Aug 08
Exclusive tests carried out by 4Car have revealed that so-called 'green' cars are neither as economical nor as planet-friendly as they're made out to be.
Manufacturers claim that specially modified mainstream models such as the Ford Focus Econetic and Skoda Fabia Greenline, plus new small cars including the Fiat 500 1.2 and Mini Cooper D, offer excellent fuel economy and low carbon dioxide emissions.
We tested eight new models to see if their official fuel economy figures bear any relation to those achieved in real-world driving conditions. Our results showed that none of the cars could match the official mpg figures, with two of the cars even falling as much as 10mpg short of the economy claimed.
Arguably more important, at a time that our road tax is based on CO2 emissions is that the cars also emitted more carbon dioxide: all eight are in Road Tax Band B but, on the basis of our tests, all should be classified in Band C.
