Peugeot Citroen releases 'real-world' fuel-economy figures

The company tested 30 core models on what it called "urban," "rural," and motorway conditions. The cars were loaded with luggage and ran their climate-control systems to better simulate realistic driving conditions.

Specifically, 14 Peugeot models achieved fuel economy that was 44 percent less than published figures; 11 Citroen models got 39 percent less fuel economy; and three DS models achieved 40 percent less fuel efficiency. PSA Peugeot Citroen said earlier this year that it would perform such tests in the wake of the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal in order to be more transparent. PSA worked with advocacy groups France Nature Environment and Transport & Environment on the tests, and the data was audited by Bureau Veritas. The company had already gone on record saying that tested figures for the Peugeot 308 sedan, Citroen C4 Picasso, and the DS3 subcompact – diesels, all – were substantially lower than previously published figures.

Analysts have long said the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) figures were very charitable compared to real-world driving, so the lower-than-published figures are not a surprise.

In addition to VW, companies such as Hyundai-Kia and Ford have been popped for overstating the fuel economy on certain models, so this may have been an effort for PSA Peugeot Citroen to stay one step ahead of that process. Either way, the company says it is the first automaker to voluntarily run tests and publish results about real world vs. published fuel-economy figures. Take a look at PSA Peugeot Citroen's press release below.