Q1: What is fuel economy?

Fuel economy refers to the distance a vehicle can travel on each unit of fuel.  It is also commonly known as “mileage”.  For the Fuel Economy Labelling Scheme for Passenger Vehicles, a higher fuel economy figure indicates lower fuel costs and less pollution to the environment compared to another vehicle of same engine capacity.

Q2: What is the purpose of providing the fuel economy figure if it is likely to differ under actual driving conditions?

The objective of the Fuel Economy Label is to highlight the fuel economy of the car model under a standard test condition to the car buyer.  It is not possible to simulate every vehicle condition, traffic condition and driving habits of the car buyer in the test.  Other car model that has the Fuel Economy Label is subjected to the same test standard.  This allows the car buyer to compare the car models in terms of fuel economy on the same basis.

Q3: Why is the range of fuel economy (for vehicles with similar engine capacities) indicated instead of absolute rating?

Consumers have different preferences for brand, engine capacities, styling and other features.  The Fuel Economy Label helps consumers to decide within the range of engine capacity, which of the car model would provide best returns in terms of fuel economy.

Q4: How representative of real life driving are the standard tests?

The fuel consumption tests are representative of the average on-road fuel consumption.  However, they are not wholly representative of real-life driving conditions because only one test vehicle is used as a representative of the model and therefore minor differences may arise within similar individual vehicles. There are also dramatic differences in the driving styles of all motorists and in road, car and weather conditions all of which may have an impact on fuel consumption.

Q5: What is the difference between the various measurement units for fuel economy?

The two units used to define fuel economy/ fuel consumption are distance (travelled) and volume (of fuel consumed).

Some of the commonly used units for fuel economy/ fuel consumption are as follows:

a. kilometres per litre of fuel (km/litre)

b.  litre per 100 kilometres (litre/100km)

c.  miles per gallon (MPG)

It is important to note that the UK (imperial) gallon is NOT the same size as the US gallon.  The conversions between the units are as follows:

1 (US) gallon = 0.833 imperial (UK) gallons = 3.79 litres

 1 imperial (UK) gallon = 4.55 litres = 1.20 (US) gallons

 1 mile = 1.61 kilometres

1 kilometre = 0.621 miles

To convert between the various measurement units, you can use our Fuel Economy Calculator.