EPA finds Hyundai, Kia exaggerated mileage claims

EPA finds Hyundai, Kia exaggerated mileage claims

Zach Bowman:

Hyundai aggressively advertised the fact that the brand offers four models that boast 40 mpg, but that claim is no longer true. The 2013 Hyundai Accent, Veloster and Elantra will now see their EPA estimates fall to either 37 or 38 miles per gallon on the highway. The report quotes Hyundai CEO John Krafcik as saying, “We’re extremely sorry about these errors” and blamed “procedural errors” in the company’s fuel economy testing as the reason behind the discrepancy.

Hyundai and Kia both say this is due to “honest mistakes.”

Nevertheless, 37 or 38mpg is still very good. If those estimates themselves are accurate.

In 2011, Autoblog’s review of the Elantra Limited said the following about it’s mileage:

Hyundai is hanging its hat on the fact that competitors must resort to special high-fuel economy models or diesel power to net the big 4-0 on the highway, and they’ve been positively champing at the bit to remind you that whether you purchase a manual or automatic, every Elantra boasts 29 mpg in city driving and 40 mpg on the highway. That’s impressive, but when the rubber met the road, we were only able to average about 31 mpg during our week of mixed driving with the car. That’s still rock-solid, but a bit below the EPA’s combined estimate of 33 mpg.