The protocol follows the official release of real-world fuel consumption figures for 30 Peugeot, Citroën and DS models in July 2016 and defines the means and methods to calculate the average real-life fuel consumption of the average customer. The protocol breaks down into the following three steps: 

• Selecting and checking the vehicle 
• Driving the vehicle and performing the measurement 
• Processing the measurement results 

The groups added that the measurements should be taken when the car is being driven by a non-professional driver on public roads open to traffic and under real-life driving conditions, with normal use of air-conditioning systems, passenger and luggage loads and road gradients. 

By the end of 2016, real-world fuel consumption figures for 50 models tested during the year will be published on the Peugeot, Citroën and DS website. At the same time, a simulator to enable customers to predict their vehicles' fuel consumption based on driving style and conditions will also be released online.

In 2017, the PSA Group, Transport & Environment, France Nature Environnement and Bureau Veritas will extend the same procedure to the measurement of real-world nitrous oxide emissions. 

Gilles Le Borgne, Executive Vice President, Quality and Engineering, for the PSA Group, said: “This robust protocol is the result of unprecedented and successful cooperation between a manufacturer, NGOs and a certification organisation. It is now available for all to see and to use as inspiration to encourage greater customer transparency.”