Three of Australia’s best-selling utes are thirstier and dirtier on the road than in the lab, according to the latest real-world vehicle tests.
The Australian Automobile Association revealed its road test results for another 15 vehicles on Wednesday, ranging from small SUVs to 4×4 utes.
While six out of the 15 vehicles used less or as much fuel as promised, nine vehicles consumed more petrol or diesel on the road, with one exceeding its estimate by seven per cent.
Alarmingly, four of the vehicles tested also produced more harmful emissions than allowed in lab tests.
The results come one year after the motoring body launched the $14 million Real-World Testing Program, which was funded by the federal government and designed to analyse up to 200 vehicles over four years.
Three of the country’s top-selling utes were driven on roads around Geelong, Victoria, in the latest testing and all used more diesel than estimated and produced more nitrogen oxide than allowed in lab tests.
The current model Ford Ranger 4×4 ute exceeded the NOx lab limit by 26 per cent, while the Isuzu D-Max 4×2 ute from 2023 and 4×4 ute from 2024 exceeded the limit by more than 50 per cent.
Both Isuzu utes produced more than triple the nitrogen oxide that will be allowed under guidelines to be introduced in December 2025.
The road tests also showed Toyota’s Corolla Cross hybrid vehicle used seven per cent more fuel than lab tests indicated and its Kluger hybrid SUV exceeded fuel estimates by four per cent.
The news was better for Audi’s Q3, Hyundai’s Tucson, and Kia’s Carnival people-mover, however, as all three used less fuel than promised.
The latest data brings the AAA’s vehicle tests to 58 in its first year, and managing director Michael Bradley said the results proved testing needed to be undertaken.
He said 21 of the vehicles analysed produced more pollution than allowed in lab tests and one exceeded its fuel consumption estimate by 31 per cent.
“We can now say with confidence that while some vehicles produce fuel consumption and emissions in line with lab tests reported by car makers, many do not,” he said.
“The results raise a question for regulators about whether car dealerships should be required to reveal real-world testing results to consumers at (the) point of sale.”
Mr Bradley said Australian motorists who relied on lab tests for guidance could end up paying more to run their vehicles, and urged consumers to compare the on-road test results before making a purchase.
“Real-world testing will drive down demand for models that over-promise and under-deliver while improving affordability for Australians,” he said.
Vehicles in the program are tested on a 93km route through urban streets, rural roads and motorways based on guidelines used in Europe.
The testing program followed a 2015 scandal in which Volkswagen evaded emission tests using software that recognised when its vehicles were used in labs.
AAP
I’ve got to be honest, I often drive a Camry Hybrid and RAV4 hybrid as part of my work, and I know they’re not popular on here as Toyota is dragging its feet with EVs, but they consistently return fuel economy figures 0.2l/100km above and below their claimed averages. I’ve driven these cars Sydney to Newcastle, around systems, in traffic etc and they are consistently very efficient. The Toyota hybrids, by all accounts of what I’ve heard from owners, can very easily match or even beat their claimed averages. The hybrids in this article using 7 and 4% higher than a claimed average is really not too bad, considering how many of our EV electrics consumption figures often differ from their claimed usage.
Oh, there’s no doubt that Toyota hybrids are much more efficient than regular ICE, they are vastly better than driving a non-electrified ICE vehicle, but they are still purely fossil fuel powered vehicles. EVs, on the other hand, can be 100% renewably powered (ours is), something no type of vehicle that includes ICE can be.
That’s the real issue, the only way we can stop burning stuff is to eliminate all forms of ICE vehicles. So many people don’t realise that we need to not only stop adding CO2 to the atmosphere, we actually need to get back to 350ppm to avoid the worst climate change effects, and that’s not possible while we are burning fossil fuels of any sort.
Yep. My previous lease was a Yaris hybrid and while it only drank 3.4 lt/100km and we only drove about 6000 kms a year, it stil was contributing to climate change. At the time a similar sized pure BEV was not available so we made the best choice we could and switched to BEV as soon as something remotely sensible was available.
I’d say on balance from the end-user POV the Yaris was probably cheaper overall than the Dolphin, especially over a 3 yr lease, though my personal opinion is that the BYD is a more enjoyable car to drive. I also understand that not everyone is a position currently to be able to make the same switch for various reasons, but the government should be putting it’s shoulder against the wheel to identify these obstacles and remove as many as possible.
I suspect my real consumption is my 2010 Prius was higher than the car reported. it served us for 12 years and over 400,000 kms.
My Electric Kona has now reached 70,000kms. I did a comparison at 60,000kms and found I had saved $4428 over what I would have paid for fuel in the Prius.
REal world tests are essential for consumers but it isn’t that easy.
Climbing steep gradients have a big impact of economy of underpowered vehicles but not so on the flat where overpowered is a disadvantage. Downhill with a hybrid or electric can vary depending on efficiency and battery capacity. Cold weather versus hot makes one test result different to the next. Towing or not, Driver only versus 5 x 90kg. Headwinds v tailwinds v no wind, a few kmh over limit or under limit makes big difference, traffic or lack of traffic.
No, it’s much, much easier than that. There is only one test: does the vehicle emit CO2, yes or no?
humidity too.
And they are 8 times more likely to kill a child in an accident.
But great news in Victoria today, the Mayor banner electric scooters. 🤦
That Ranger didn’t deserve anonymity…
The unfortunate thing, is that LDV is directly responsible for pollution from utes in Australia, by deliberately overpricing its BEV’s in Australia.
People who read this, including, especially, the The Driven team (who should publish an article about this) should view the video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhOb39pdpek&ab_channel=EcotricityNZ
noting that the prices are after the neolithic New Zealand government of the man who appears to be Robert Muldoon’s clone (he looks like Robert Muldoon, but, without any hair), abolished their Clean Car programme (https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/clean-car-package-drive-down-emissions) that provided subsidies for clean cars in New Zealand, as Luxon wants to sabotage the New Zealand economy and make people in New Zealand ill, and, people should note the prices relative to Australian prices.
The price for the LDV eT60 in New Zealand, is 40K NZD (+ ORC), compared to 43K NZD (+ORC) for the MG4 Excite 51, 43K NZD ( ORC) for the GWNM Ora, 41K NZD (+ORC) for the MG ZS EV Excite, and, the corresponding price for the LDV eT60, in Australia, if LDV Australia was not trying to hinder people from buying its BEV’s, would be about 35-40,000AUD, instead of the 100K AUD price in Australia – 2.5 times the price in NZ. WTF! .
Because we do not have the RD6 ute in Australia (it may get here before the end of the decade, if it does end up being sould in Australia), the LDV eT60 is grossly overpriced in Australia, lacking competition, BUT, in New Zealand, as the man in the video made clear, the LDV eT60 is the CHEAPEST new BEV for sale in New Zealand. LDV just doesn’t want Australians buying the eT60, so, they put ridiculously excessive prives on the LDV BEV’s in Australia, to discourage people from buying Battery Electric utes in Australia, to (like the feral government) maintain the increasing pollution levels in Australia.
I note that, at the time of my post above, and, me posting this, xe.com shows
“1 AUD = 1.08281 NZD”, so, if the pricing would be the same, allowing for currency exchange rates, the LDV eT60 , according to the Australian price, would be priced at about 108K NZD , compared to the price at which it being sold in New Zealand, of 40K NZD (+ORC).