That’s the finding of Emissions Analytics, which says its research reinforces that average fuel economy is a reflection of the cars we favour.

The company explored average fuel economy for all its vehicle tests in the UK and US, which cover 660 and 276 cars respectively, with similar model types and road conditions used in the testing along with the same drivers.

The results in the infographic show that average mpg sits at 29.9mpg (24.9 US mpg / 9.4/100km) for the US compared to 44.2mpg (36.8 US mpg / 6.4l/100km) for the UK.

The company added that the difference lies in the types of engines. Even though figures for hybrid take-up are higher in the US, the nation’s drivers are also far more inclined to larger-engined ‘gas guzzlers’ with very few diesels on the roads. This compares to the UK where drivers are far more used to diesels.