Real MPG: Most economical family cars

Family cars tend to lead tough lives, carrying people and luggage on long and short journeys alike. That means it’s particularly important to know how many miles you’ll be able to eke from a gallon of fuel, no matter where life takes you.

Fortunately, our Real MPG tests can help. Rather than relying on often-optimistic official WLTP or NEDC fuel economy figures, our results show what’s achievable – around town, on motorways and in the countryside – if you drive gently, but without resorting to complicated ‘hypermiling’ fuel-saving techniques.

How we test for a car’s Real MPG

Our Real MPG tests are conducted in laboratory conditions designed to simulate real-world driving. We favour this approach because it delivers comparable results which can’t be influenced by factors such as weather, temperatures or erratic traffic conditions.

To more accurately reflect how drivers really use their cars, our laboratory tests are based on real-world driving routes, which take in motorway, town and rural roads.

As a further control measure, all cars are thoroughly prepared ahead of testing to ensure they’re in the condition the manufacturer recommends. This includes ensuring all tyres are correctly inflated.

The tests are performed in a temperature-controlled environment, with headlights off and the climate control set to 21 degrees (or the midway point if the car has manual air conditioning), operating with its slowest fan setting.

The resulting fuel economy figures are calculated using measurements of the car’s exhaust emissions, which are then translated into our definitive Real MPG figure.