Toyota’s Yaris Cross tops list of most efficient cars in real-world tests

The Toyota Yaris Cross has come out on top in a recent test to see how a car performs efficiency-wise against claimed manufacturer consumption figures.

What Car put a series of the latest vehicles through its Real MPG fuel economy testing procedure to see how close they would come to their claimed efficiency. It was the Toyota Yaris Cross which performed the best, posting a real-world MPG of 60.1, just 4.14 per cent less than the 62.7mpg claimed by the manufacturer.

In fact, Toyota has three vehicles within the top 10, with its Yaris Cross, standard Yaris and Aygo X all coming close to their claimed consumption figures. Suzuki’s Ingis, meanwhile, took third place with a real-world score of 59.9mpg against a claimed figure of 56.9mpg.

What Car’s Real MPG tests were conducted under laboratory conditions, but based on a real route which looks to replicate a mixture of driving.

At the other end of the efficiency scale came Audi’s V8-powered S8, which posted a real-world MPG of 21.7mpg – some way shy of the official 24.6mpg claimed by the German brand. The Ford Ranger Raptor, meanwhile, recorded a consumption figure of 24mpg against its claimed 20.4 – meaning that not all models fell shy of their official figures.

Steve Huntingford, What Car? editor, said: “Our Real MPG tests give new car buyers an accurate indication of the likely efficiency of currently available models. While many factors come into play when choosing a new car, efficiency is undoubtedly one of the most important considerations for motorists given the high price of fuel.

“The broad spectrum of models included in our list of the best and worst performers shows that efficiency ratings aren’t necessarily dependent on a vehicle’s size, category or even price – and two of the vehicles in our top 10 even exceeded their official figures, which shows the importance of thoroughly researching your next new car.”