Australia's top-selling new cars are using up to 60 per cent more fuel than advertised, according to a report that casts fresh doubt on the accuracy of the laboratory testing underpinning the federal government's vehicle emissions standards.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Results from the country's first major on-road vehicle emissions test program show popular new cars are using an average 25 per cent more fuel than what is claimed on their government-mandated Fuel Consumption Labels.
Commissioned by the Australian Automobile Association in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, the 10-month study has extensively tested 17 of the most common "light duty" vehicles on the Australian market.
The association is conducting the $500,000 study because the government does no testing of its own to ensure car manufacturers comply with emissions regulations of the Australian design rules, instead relying on European test results. That means a number of models and engine configurations available here are never put through their proper paces.
The association is not 'naming and shaming' particular manufacturers or cars, but says just one of the cars tested did better in the real world than in their lab test results. The other 16 did between 1 per cent and 60 per cent worse.
The discrepancy between lab and real-world results occurred across a range of fuel types, technology levels and emissions standards.
The association's CEO, Michael Bradley, said the results put a huge question mark over the fuel and cost savings the government is offering Australians under its proposals to introduce even tougher vehicle emissions restrictions.
He's warning the assumptions on which the government is basing its proposals are flawed and could end up costing Australians more than necessary, while delivering less of an environmental benefit than promised.
"Our test results are a warning to Australians to take the government's promises of fuel and cost savings with a grain of salt, and expect those savings to be significantly less than what's promised," Mr Bradley said.
The association is calling on the government to update its modelling, undertake further public consultation and conduct its own real-world driving tests for new vehicles in Australia before pushing ahead with any tougher restrictions.
Australia has had road vehicle emission standards for new vehicles in place since the early 1970s, and these have been progressively tightened.
The current standard for new light vehicles is known as "Euro 5" but the government is considering adopting even tougher "Euro 6" restrictions.
The government says vehicle emissions standards have been a major contributor to improvements in local air quality, particularly over the last 10 years.
The ongoing AAA tests are being done by engineering consultancy ABMARC using Australia's only portable emissions measurement system. They are conducted by driving each of the 16 vehicles - from a range of manufacturers and using different fuel types - in normal traffic around a set route in Melbourne consisting of urban, extra-urban and freeway driving.
Each vehicle was a 2014 model or newer and was driven at least 2000km. This first round of testing was conducted between May 2016 and this month.
The Volkswagen emissions scandal - also known as "dieselgate" - erupted in September 2015 when American authorities found Volkswagen had programmed some of its diesel engines perform far better in lab tests than they did in the real world.
