FCAI Throws Shade at Real-World Fuel Figures – But Are Lab Tests Any Cleaner?

We’ve all done it, haven’t we? Fingered through a spec sheet hoping to divine some kind of real-world truth from those glossy, government-sanctioned economy numbers. Whether you’re cruising in an EV, dallying with a hybrid, or running on pure unleaded drama, the published fuel figures are usually as trustworthy as a politician on polling day. Remember, the FCAI represents the carmakers.

This week, the FCAI (that’s the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries for the acronym-averse) piped up about “real-world” fuel tests. They reckon these street-level stats – the kind you might actually get driving to Bunnings on a hungover Saturday morning – are confusing buyers.

Tony Weber, the FCAI’s top dog, says all vehicles sold in Australia are tested under lab conditions known as ADR 81/02. According to Tony, this ensures a fair playing field – apples with apples. Trouble is, it’s more like apples to unicorns, because no one’s getting 12L/100km in a twin-turbo V8 unless they’re rolling downhill with the engine off and the wind of RuPaul’s wrath at their back.

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Let’s not forget: some carmakers – yes, looking at you Dieselgate alumni – once got creative with these lab tests. Cars were put into special test modes, not to save fuel but to fake cleanliness. Engines ran extra lean, filters kicked in early, and emissions dropped just long enough to pass inspection. Then, out on the open road, they belched filth like a bogan ute at Summernats. All perfectly legal—until it wasn’t.

So now Tony’s worried that government-funded real-world testing contradicts the results of the government-mandated lab tests. He says the inconsistency could “undermine consumer confidence.” Honey, consumer confidence was undermined when diesel was sold as “clean.”

The FCAI claims it supports “evidence-based transparency,” but insists it must be consistent. Sure, but consistent nonsense is still nonsense. The truth is, no figure – lab or real-world – will ever tell you exactly what you’ll get on your commute unless you’re replicating every gearshift, red light, and hot chips stop with military precision.

Bottom line? Treat official economy numbers like a drag queen’s age: aspirational, well-presented, but not entirely rooted in reality.

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