Leisureshopdirect Caravan Blog

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Honest John compiling 'real' mpg figures

Posted by Linda Davidson


Many motorists are complaining that their cars are failing to match the official manufacturer fuel economy figures.


This issue may be particularly irritating for owners of accessories and apparatus for your campervan , as those towing a caravan will often drive long distances to their destination or even just to explore the country.


A discrepancy occurs as the manufacturer figures are produced in a lab designed to simulate driving conditions, with conditions optimised to achieve the best result.


To tackle the problem, Honest John has launched the Real Life Fuel Economy Register, which uses real figures obtained by motorists as they drive on real roads in order to show people what a car may actually be capable of.


It has now built up into a database of more than 12,000 real life mpg submissions covering 1644 cars from 2006 to 2011.


The head of training at the Institute of Advanced Motorists Simon Elstow also recently advised that a heavily laden car will consume more fuel than one carrying just the driver.