Advice on fuel figures

Car dealers have been advised to stick to official figures when providing consumers with statistics and other information about fuel economy. That’s the advice from David Vinsen, chief executive of the Imported Moto Vehicle Industry Association, in the wake of a ruling made by the Disputes Tribunal. The tribunal has awarded a buyer from Marton $6,000 in compensation after upholding an application for damages based on what the consumer was told when he was purchasing it. “This is all about the need for the industry to understand the issues around fuel-economy certificates,” Vinsen told Autofile Online. “Basically, if the information a consumer is supplied with comes from an official database, then the dealer should be covered because it is indemnified by the government against claims. “Our advice to registered motor-vehicle traders is to stick to the information available on the RightCar website when it comes to fuel-economy figures. “It is also worth explaining to customers, especially when they show an interest in such figures, that the calculations on fuel-economy labels, which must be displayed on vehicles, come from EECA and they are based on laboratory conditions that are unlikely to be achieved in real-life except if a car is being driven in an exceptionally fuel-economy manner. “It should be stressed that majority of people will never achieve those figures unless vehicles is being driven very, very carefully. When consumers are interested in fuel-economy figures, dealers need to take great care about what they say and stick to the official figures.”