How can Car Manufacturers Tell Blatant Lies

[LexusHybrid]

I purchased a Lexus 450h in March 2019, on the basis of the showroom advertised fuel consumption - 50mpg

I discussed with the salesman the reason for my interest and purchase, which was the fuel consumption as I travel around 24,000 miles per annum. (To and from my place of business)

The car is only achieving 30.1 mpg (as of 1st May 2019) and has currently covered 3300 miles.

The car does not meet the advertised fuel description by a massive margin (over 39%)

I could accept a small difference due to driving conditions etc but 30 mpg is a massive difference.

I feel that I have been blatantly mislead and mis-sold. I have wrote to Lexus and been told the advertised mpg in in line with Government guidelines - How can this be right?

I have never had an electric or Hybrid car before and assumed that they were fuel efficient. I had no reason to disbelieve the advertised fuel consumption in the showroom.

I was told a lie by the salesman and misled by the advertisement - How can this be allowed?

[Ethel Street]

It's well known, isn't it, that the EU fuel consumption tests are artificial and don't represent real world fuel consumption? Why are you surprised?

 

https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/fuels-environment/official-fuel-consumption-figures

[king12345]

My wife's toyota aygo was supposed to do a massive 60mpg, but just to get that car to 50mph it woild take a good push on the gas for quite a while.

We never achieved more than 35mpg and sold it.

[CraigMcK]

Unfortunately it’s the tests that are setup in the standards. They are not real life and don’t really take into account traffic, weather, driving style. 

The downside of this type of hybrid is that all electric running is very short, you then need to carry around a battery pack the increases fuel consumption. That is why the government set a minimum electric drive as part of the future fuel ban. 

On any type of ev you need to dramatically change your driving style. Slow acceleration, gentle/no braking. No AC, no heat etc etc

sadly you may have been better with a traditional diesel, it would have been cheaper too

Edited May 1, 2019 by CraigMcK
Correction

[CraigMcK]

Just a side note from car buyer

”We found 45mpg to be easily obtainable around town, but motorway journeys recorded a figure closer to 35mpg.”

i assume to get 24k miles you will be doing motorway journeys. Are you pushing the speed limit? That’s also a big hit on fuel consumption especially on a heavy vehicle. 

[brassnecked]

Might be worth looking at Honest john's real world fuel figures, the "Official" figures quoted fit in with Mark twain's observation of  "lies, damned lies and statitics" they are purely artificial and have no ralation to real world driving with a variance of 25% below or more than the facts.

[ReasonableRon]

I had a Lexus hybrid a few years ago (300h with the 2.5L engine) and did actually manage over 50mpg on one particular journey of around 120 miles of mixed driving, but I was deliberately trying to get maximum mpg on that journey and it was too much hard work and nothing like my usual driving style for me to do it all the time.  It was difficult, however, to then go and challenge the manufacturers claimed figures when i had achieved close to it myself.

[afcwben]

They said my car would do 14 mpg round town and they were right