Car loan customers warned over green car claims

Environmentally-conscious motorists considering taking out a secured car loan to buy a new car have been warned about green claims made by manufacturers.

A study conducted by 4Car found that tests carried out by manufacturers to assess fuel economy and emissions do not offer accurate results.

Instead, 'real-world' tests undertaken by the website on eight supposedly low emission cars revealed all fell short of their official figures, Car Finance customers may be interested to learn.

Tim Bowdler, editor of 4Car, said the official test regime – which is done in a laboratory – is "too simplistic" and does not account for "real-world operating conditions".

"The batch of cars that we tested all claim to have 'green' credentials, but they are not as environmentally friendly or as economical as we've been led to believe," he commented.

Among the cars for sale tested by the website were the Golf Bluemotion, Skoda Fabia Greenline, MINI Cooper D and the HONDA Civic Hybrid.

Those with car finance and other road users looking for a greener car ought to look to vehicles with the lowest fuel consumption and emissions in the class of vehicle they prefer, Jay Nagley, publisher of Clean Green Cars recently said.