WesBank and First National Bank have joined forces to sponsor a Fuel Economy Tour of South Africa.

The WesBank Fuel Economy Tour, for standard production passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, will take place from November 12 to 16.

It will involve a five-day drive, travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town, via Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and George, covering a combined distance of 2 500 km.

The competition will ultimately crown the country’s most fuel efficient vehicles.

The vehicles will be divided into classes, namely petrol, diesel, turbocharged and normally aspirated engines, as well as engine capacity.

Electric vehicles may be included in future fuel economy events.

No overall Fuel Economy Tour winner will be announced. Only class winners will be crowned, with vehicle brands having the opportunity to win a special award for the lowest fuel consumption, for three vehicles running in different classes.
 
The event will be staged under the auspices of Motorsport South Africa, which controls all competitive driving on the country’s public roads.

The plan going forward is to host the WesBank Fuel Economy Tour every year, over the same basic route, so that a meaningful list of realistic, comparative fuel consumption figures can be compiled.

WesBank believes the event will provide motorists with definitive fuel consumption figures in real driving conditions, as opposed to vehicle manufacturers often conducting fuel consumption tests under laboratory conditions.

Disappointing fuel consumption is the most common complaint from new vehicle owners in South Africa, according to recent research conducted by Ipsos.

Perceived poor fuel economy is the number one complaint for 11 vehicle categories, from compact hatchbacks to pick-up trucks.

WesBank also indicates that the cost of motoring in South Africa continues to rise steadily.

WesBank’s Mobility Calculator, a tool used to track and calculate motoring expense, has risen to R7 851.39 a month for 2019.

This number is 3% higher than last year, and 28% higher than five years ago.

Fuel spend accounts for 35% of total costs this year, while vehicle installments are at 45%.

A litre of petrol cost around R6.50 in 2007, with the current price around R15.50.