Seat Ibiza ECOmotive

Cars promoted as eco-friendly are being criticised for pumping out up to 56 per cent more carbon dioxide
than the manufacturers claim.

Three models, including the Honda Civic hybrid, performed so badly in tests that their environmental claims
were dismissed as a gimmick.

A further five vehicles, including Volkswagen’s Polo BlueMotion, hailed as Britain’s greenest car when it was
claimed that it emitted less than 100 grams of CO2 per km (g/km), failed to match the claims made by their makers.

Road tests were carried out by Auto Express magazine, which accused manufacturers of attempting to cash in on
concerns about global warming.

David Johns, the magazine’s editor, said that demand for eco-friendly cars was rising rapidly but it could be hard for
consumers to determine what was “truly green or just pure gimmick”.

Almost a quarter of new cars now claim a CO2 rating of less than 140g/ km. Those with a figure below 120g/ km
accounted for one in 20 sales last year – it is thought that there would have been more, given a better supply.

The Honda Civic hybrid, regarded widely as one of the lowest emitting cars, performed the worst in the tests.

Instead of the 109g/km of CO2 claimed in the makers’ specifications, it was found to put out 171g/km. The testers
said its electric motor was “not strong enough to propel the oddball four-door Civic on its own” and they concluded
that the vehicle “failed to match the firm’s economy claims”.

The second car labelled a gimmick was the Lexus GS450h. It managed fuel consumption of 26.7 miles per gallon
(mpg) in the road test compared with the claimed 35.8 mpg – meaning higher carbon emissions.
Diesel rivals were said to “produce similar emissions and better economy”.

Skoda’s Fabia Greenline was condemned because its emissions were higher than two other less bulky super-minis
that use the same 1.4 litre diesel engine – the Polo BlueMotion and Seat’s Ibiza ECOmotive.

Auto Express described carbon emissions as “the yardstick by which a car’s ‘greenness’ is measured,” and said
that environmental concerns now made a difference in the car market.

Nevertheless, the testers were impressed by the technological innovations introduced to cut CO2 and said five cars
tested could be considered “green” despite fuel consumption – and, consequently, emissions
– failing to live up to official figures.

The five were Ford’s Focus ECOnetic, the Mini Cooper Clubman D, VW Polo BlueMotion, Seat Ibiza ECOmotive
and Toyota Prius.

Official figures for cars are based on laboratory tests conducted by the manufacturers themselves, importers or
independent test engineers. They are a selling point in adverts and are listed by the Department for Transport’s
Vehicle Certification Agency in its consumer guide to 365 models on sale.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders insisted that the industry had “made progress in delivering lower
carbon cars”. A spokesman admitted that cars may emit more CO2 under real world operating conditions but insisted
that all cars had the same “industry standard” tests. Emma Stanley, of Honda, denied that the Civic hybrid claims
were a “gimmick”.