As much as the car makes life easier for many of us, it can bring with it a whole raft of problems and irritations. An issue that falls into the 'irritation' category is that of fuel consumption. There has been much in the media recently about how far manufacturer's official MPG figures compare with the reality of everyday car use.

The Miles Per Gallon figure is much flaunted sales driver, so it can be quite annoying for motorists who discover they can’t ever actually get anywhere near it.

As has been reported in various sections of the media, this has been largely put down to the fact that the process of measuring MPG is deeply flawed - at least in the EU. So why is there such a discrepancy? It is mainly down to the fact that these MPG tests are carried out under the most economical situations, key ones being:

• vehicles are allowed to be warmed before the test commences

• any high performance facility is turned off

• petrol-hybrid cars make more use of the electric engine that would occur in real life

• the test drivers do not drive in any way like real people.

 

But while you may never reach your manufacturer's MPG figure, there are things you can do to cut your driving outgoings (aside from choosing affordable, quality annual breakdown cover from startrescue.co.uk!). These include:

• Don't use the car just to drive down to the newsagent

• Don’t exceed the 70mph speed limit on the motorway

• Use the stop/start mechanism on your car, if you have one

• Keep tyre pressure at manufacturer's recommended level

• Read the road properly to reduce excessive braking and accelerating