Scots drivers save fuel but not cash 23 | 09 | 2010

    DESPITE BUYING more fuel-efficient cars, Scottish motorists aren't really making any fuel cost savings due to the continuing rising prices at the pumps.

    New figures show that although the average company car driver in Scotland covering 10,000 miles uses 13% less fuel than his or her 2004 counterpart, higher pump prices mean it costs just as much to keep it fuelled.

    The figures, produced by The Miles Company show the cost of fuelling a car over 10,000 miles, based on inflation-adjusted fuel prices and the average CO2 rating of new cars acquired by fleets each year, from 2004 to the present.

    And despite the fuel savings, the 2010 fuel bill is marginally higher, even though the CO2 from new cars (and therefore their fuel consumption) has fallen from 167g/km to around 145g/km.

    “The message is clear," Paul Jackson, managing director of TMC, told Scotcars, "businesses that intend to cut their fleet costs cannot afford to rely solely on more efficient company cars.

    “While the most fuel-efficient cars – those in the sub-120g/km CO2 bracket – are holding their own in the race against higher fuel prices, the average new car is being left behind.”

    Jim McGill

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