
1 
This Order may be cited as the Passenger
Car Fuel Consumption Order 1983 and shall come
into operation on 15th November 1983.
2 
The Passenger
Car Fuel Consumption Order 1977 is hereby revoked.
3 

(1) In this Order—
 “the applicant”
means the person by whom, or under arrangements made
by whom, the tests are carried out under the provisions of Article 6;
 “the ECE Regulation” means ECE Regulation 15, Revision 3 incorporating
the 04 series of amendments which entered into force on 20th October 1981,
being a Regulation which is annexed to the Geneva
Agreement;
 “an ECE fuel consumption document” means a document in the form set out
in the Appendix to Annex 9
to the ECE Regulation issued by the Secretary of State or by the competent
authority of a country which is a party to the Geneva
Agreement;
 “an EEC fuel consumption document” means a document in the form set out
in Annex II to the Fuel Consumption Directive issued by the Secretary
of State or by the competent authority of a state which is a member of the
European Economic Community;
 “the ECE test procedure” means the procedure for the carrying
out of tests of the fuel consumption of vehicles specified in paragraphs 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Annex 9
to the ECE Regulation;
 “the EEC test procedure” means the procedure for the carrying
out of tests of the fuel consumption of vehicles specified in paragraphs 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Annex I
to the Fuel Consumption Directive;
 “the Fuel Consumption Directive” means Council Directive No 80/1268/EEC of 16th December 1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating
to the fuel consumption of motor vehicles;
 “the Geneva Agreement” means the Agreement concerning the adoption of uniform conditions of approval for motor
vehicle equipment and parts and reciprocal recognition thereof concluded at
Geneva on 20th March 1958, as amended, to
which the United Kingdom is a party;
 “Member State”
means any State which is a member of the European Economic
Community;
 “section 15”
means section 15
of the Energy Act 1976;
(2) “light
oil” and “heavy oil” have the same meanings as in section 1(3) and 1(4) respectively of the Hydrocarbon
Oil Duties Act 1979.
(3) Any reference in this Order to a numbered
Article or Schedule is a reference to the Article or Schedule bearing that
number in this Order and any reference to a numbered paragraph is a reference
to the paragraph so numbered in the Article or Schedule in which the reference
appears.
4 

(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2), this Order applies to all passenger
cars about whose fuel consumption provision may be made by Orders under section 15 which are motor cars having four
wheels or more, are propelled by spark ignition or compression ignition engines
fuelled by light or heavy oil and which are of a class manufactured after
31st December 1977 except:
(a) cars constructed or adapted for the use
of a person suffering from some physical defect or disability;
(b) cars manufactured for use outside the
United Kingdom;
(c) cars originally constructed for the conveyance
of goods or burden of any description.
(2) This Order does not apply to:—
(a) cars so constructed or adapted that the
driving power of the engine is transmitted to all the wheels of the car, or
(b) cars propelled by compression ignition
engines fuelled by heavy oil,unless they are of a class which is manufactured after 1st June
1984.
(3) In this Article “motor car” has the same
meaning as in section 190(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1972.
5 
For the purpose of this Order, all cars which do not differ materially
in the technical characteristics specified in Schedule 1 shall be regarded as belonging to
the same class.
6 

(1) The fuel consumption of every class of
car to which this Order applies shall be determined by means of tests carried
out under either the EEC test procedure or the ECE test procedure in or outside
the United Kingdom on a car of each class by, or under arrangements made by,
the manufacturer or in the case of an imported car, the importer of that car.
(2) A test carried out in accordance with paragraph (1) shall be regarded as an officially
approved test when the test results have been recorded by the Secretary of
State in an official fuel economy certificate.
7 

(1) The Secretary of State shall record the
results of tests which have been carried out under the provisions of Article 6 on cars of any class in an official
fuel economy certificate if,
(a) in a case where an EEC fuel consumption
document has been issued in respect of a car of that class (where the car
has been tested under the EEC test procedure) or an ECE fuel consumption document
has been issued in respect of a car of that class (where the car has been
tested under the ECE test procedure), application is made on the form set
out in Part I of Schedule 2
accompanied by a copy of the EEC fuel consumption document or ECE fuel consumption
document as the case may be, and
(b) in any other case when the conditions
specified in paragraph (2)
are satisfied.
(2) The conditions referred to in paragraph (1)(b) are as follows:—
(a) the test shall be carried out in circumstances
where officers of the Secretary of State's Department have been offered all
such facilities as they may reasonably require to satisfy themselves that
the tests are, or have been, properly carried out;
(b) the test shall be carried out at a site
approved by the Secretary of State;
(c) the car which is to be tested is of a
type which either—
(i) is approved as complying with one of
the type approval requirements relating to emissions specified in Part I of Schedule 3 if the car is propelled
by a spark ignition engine fuelled by light oil and in Part II of Schedule 3 if the car is propelled
by a compression ignition engine fuelled by heavy oil, or
(ii) if not so approved is capable of being
so approved;
(d) the particulars of the test shall be
submitted to the Secretary of State in the form set out in Part II of Schedule 2;
(e) the Secretary of State does not have
reasonable cause to believe that the tests have not been properly carried
out; and
(f) the fees specified in Article 11 (if any) are paid to the Secretary
of State.
(3) Where, pursuant to paragraph 2(c)(ii) the car which has been tested
is capable of being approved as complying with one of the type approval requirements
specified in Schedule 3,
the Secretary of State shall not record the results in an official fuel economy
certificate until the type of car has been approved as complying with one
of those type approval requirements and a copy of the approval sent to the
Secretary of State.
(4) Where the Secretary of State has recorded
any test results in an official fuel economy certificate, he shall furnish
a copy of the certificate to the applicant and, subject to paragraph (5), cause the results to be published
from time to time with other test results he has so recorded.
(5) The Secretary of State, if requested
by the applicant, shall not cause the test results recorded in the certificate
to be published until the expiry of such period of not more than 6 months
beginning on the date on which an application was made under the provisions
of Article 7(1)(a)
or, as the case may be, particulars of the test submitted to the Secretary
of State under the provisions of Article 7(2)(d).
8 

(1) Where, pursuant to the provisions of Article 7(1), application is made in the form
set out in Part I of Schedule 2—
(a) the fuel consumption in litres per hundred
kilometres required to be stated in item 3 of the form shall be the fuel consumption
as specified in either paragraph 7
of the EEC fuel consumption document or in the test report referred to in paragraph 10 of that document or, as the case
may be, in either paragraph 13
of the ECE fuel consumption document or in the test report referred to in paragraph 11 of that document, expressed—
(i) if the fuel consumption is 5.0 litres
per hundred kilometres or less, to the nearest 2 decimal places, amounts of
0.005 being treated as zero, and
(ii) if the fuel consumption is more than
5.0 litres per hundred kilometres, to the nearest one decimal place, amounts
of 0.05 being treated as zero, and
(b) the fuel consumption in miles per gallon
required to be stated in item 3 of the form shall be calculated by dividing
282.481 by the fuel consumption in litres per hundred kilometres as specified
in the appropriate document referred to in sub-paragraph
(a) above, the result being expressed to one
decimal place, amounts of 0.05 being treated as 0.1.
(2) Where, pursuant to the provisions of Article 7(2), particulars of the tests are
submitted to the Secretary of State in the form set out in Part II of Schedule 2—
(a) the fuel consumption in litres per hundred
kilometres required to be stated in paragraph
9 of the form shall be the fuel consumption
as determined by the tests expressed in the manner specified in paragraphs (1)(a)(i) and (ii);
and
(b) the fuel consumption in miles per gallon
required to be stated in paragraph 9
of the form shall be calculated by dividing 282.481 by the fuel consumption
in litres per hundred kilometres as determined by the tests, the result being
expressed to one decimal place, amounts of 0.05 being treated as 0.1.
9 

(1) 
(a) In any case where an EEC fuel consumption
document or an ECE fuel consumption document has not been issued for a class
of car, the Secretary of State may require the tests referred to in Article 6(1) to be repeated by, or under arrangements
made by, the applicant in respect of any class of car manufactured or imported
by him at a place and within a period determined by the Secretary of State
in any case where the Secretary of State has reasonable cause to believe that
the results of the repeated tests would differ significantly from the results
recorded in the official fuel economy certificate.
(b) Where tests are required to be repeated
under paragraph (1)
by, or under arrangements made by, the applicant, he shall—
(i) ensure that these tests are carried out
at a place and within the period determined by the Secretary of State in circumstances
where officers of the Secretary of State's Department are afforded all such
facilities as they may reasonably require to satisfy themselves that the tests
are, or have been, properly carried out; and
(ii) furnish to the Secretary of State particulars
of the tests in the form set out in Part II of
Schedule 2 within one month from the date of
the carrying out of the tests.
(2) Where no request has been made by the
Secretary of State under paragraph (1)
but:
(a) the tests referred to in Article 6 have been repeated by, or under arrangements
made by, the applicant in respect of any class of car manufactured or imported
by him; and
(b) in the case of a class of car for which
an EEC fuel consumption document or an ECE fuel consumption document has been
issued following the repeated tests, application is made in the manner specified
in Article 7(1)(a);
and
(c) in any other case, the conditions specified
in Article 7(2)
are satisfied,the Secretary of State shall record the repeated test results by
amending the official fuel economy certificate for the class of car for which
the repeated tests were carried out.
(3) If the Secretary of State records any
repeated test results by amending the official fuel economy certificate for
the class of car for which the repeated tests were carried out, the repeated
tests shall thereafter be regarded as the officially approved tests for that
class of car.
(4) Where the Secretary of State has recorded
any repeated test results by amending an official fuel economy certificate,
he shall furnish a copy of the amended certificate to the applicant and cause
the results to be published from time to time with other test results he has
recorded in official fuel economy certificates.
10 
A manufacturer or, as the case may be, an importer of a class of
car to which this Order applies, except a class of car for which an EEC fuel
consumption document or an ECE fuel consumption document has been issued,
in respect of which an official fuel economy certificate has been issued who
intends to make any changes in the technical characteristics of the car may
notify the Secretary of State on the form shown in Schedule 4 and the Secretary of State may,
if satisfied that the proposed changes in the technical characteristics are
such as to make it appropriate to do so, notify the manufacturer that no further
test is needed and, in that event, the test results recorded in the official
fuel economy certificate for the class of car before the change in technical
characteristics shall be regarded as the test results for the class of car
after the change in technical characteristics and the Secretary of State shall
amend the official fuel economy certificate accordingly.
11 
Where, pursuant to the provisions of Articles 7(2)(a) or 9(1)(b),
an officer of the Secretary of State has observed a test (whether carried
out in the United Kingdom or outside it), there shall be paid to the Secretary
of State on demand by the applicant a sum equal to the cost of travelling
and subsistence expenses reasonably incurred by that officer for the purpose
of observing the tests.
12 
The Order revoked by Article 2
having appointed 1st April 1978 as the date on which section 15(3) should have effect in relation
to every class of car to which this Order applies except:—
(1) classes of cars manufactured after 1st
June 1984 which comprise cars so constructed or adapted that the driving power
of the engine is transmitted to all the wheels of the car; and
(2) classes of cars manufactured after 1st
June 1984 which comprise cars propelled by compression ignition engines fuelled
by heavy oil;
this Order hereby appoints 1st December 1984 as the date
from which section 15(3)
shall have effect in relation to the classes of cars referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2).
13 
For the purposes of paragraphs (a), (d) and (e) of section 15(3), a car is to be regarded
as a new car if any person in the course of a business uses in respect of
it any indication that it has been driven for less than 500 miles unless any
such person shows that it had been previously sold to a person who bought
it for a purpose other than that of selling or supplying it.
14 

(1) For the purposes of paragraphs (b) and (c) of section 15(3), the information as to the results of the
relevant official tests to be included in material issued to the general public
or in manuals or handbooks shall be information as to the fuel consumption
expressed both in miles per gallon and in litres per 100 kilometres of the
class of car to which the tests relate as determined by those tests and recorded
in an official fuel economy certificate.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (d) of section 15(3), the information
relating to cars which have been subjected to the relevant official tests
shall be the information as to the results of the tests which the Secretary
of State has last caused to be published under Articles 7(4) or 9(4).
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (e) of section 15(3), the label to
be affixed to a car shall be in all respects (including size, lay-out and
variation of type) in the form shown in Schedule
5 and shall contain, by insertion in permanent
and legible characters in the appropriate spaces, the following information—
(a) a distinctive reference to the models,
that is to say descriptions of cars, to which the relevant official tests
relate, and
(b) information as to the fuel consumption
expressed in miles per gallon of the class of car to which the tests relate
as recorded in the official fuel economy certificate as determined:—
(i) by the tests simulating urban driving,
(ii) by the tests at a constant speed of
90 kilometres per hour, and
(iii) by the tests at a constant speed of
120 kilometres per hour, if such tests are required to be, or have been, carried
out.
(4) For the purposes of paragraphs (1) and (3)
above, amendments to an official fuel economy certificate shall be disregarded
if they are made less than two months before the car for the first purchaser
of which the manual or handbook is issued or, as the case may be, to which
the label is to be affixed leaves the factory.
15 

(1) Where a person
supplies a new car to another person (in this Article, referred to as “the customer”) under a hire purchase
agreement, conditional sale agreement or credit sale agreement and
(a) he carries on the business of financing
the acquisition of cars by others by means of such agreements, and
(b) in the course of that business acquired
the car supplied to the customer only as a means of financing its acquisition
by the customer from a third person,

he shall not be regarded as a person who deals in new cars.
(2) Where a person supplies a new car to
a customer under a hire agreement, and
(a) he carries on the business of financing
the use of cars by others by means of hire agreements, and
(b) in the course of that business, acquired
the car only for the purpose of financing its provision to the customer by
a third person,he shall not be regarded as a person who deals in new cars.
(3) In this Article—
(a) “hire
purchase agreement”, “conditional
sale agreement” and “credit
sale agreement” have the same meaning
as in section 189(1)
of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and
(b) “hire
agreement” means an agreement other
than a hire-purchase or conditional sale agreement under which a new car is
bailed or (in Scotland) hired in return for periodical payments by the person
to whom it is bailed or hired.
16 
The Secretary of State may exempt any manufacturer or importer
of cars (or any class of manufacturer or importer of cars) from any of the
requirements of this Order either unconditionally or subject to conditions
and with or without a limit in time and may vary or revoke any such exemption.
17 
Where, before the coming into operation of this Order, the fuel
consumption of any class of car has been tested and the results of the tests
recorded in an official fuel economy certificate under the provisions of the
Order revoked by Article 2,
the results of the test shall be regarded as having been recorded in an official
fuel economy certificate issued under the provisions of Article 7 of this Order.
Tom King
Secretary of State for Transport
9th October 1983
SCHEDULE 1
Article 5

Reference mass.
Internal characteristics of the engine affecting its power-speed curve (eg compression ratio, valve characteristics).
Type of fan and its method of drive (eg electrical, mechanical).
Type of aspiration (eg natural, turbocharged, supercharged).
Fuel feed system (eg number of carburettors, types of carburettors, injection system).
Ignition characteristics (eg diesel, conventional spark ignition, electronic spark ignition, ignition timing, distributor advance curve).
Type of transmission (eg manual, automatic, 4 × 4, front or rear wheel drive).
Number of gears (eg 4, 4 with overdrive, 4 with range change, 5).
Final drive ratio.
Speed of car for each gear ratio (including overdrive) at an engine speed of 1000 rpm.
Type of bodywork, including any aerodynamic aids (eg saloon, coupé, estate, hatchback, sports, with or without spoilers).
Type of tyre (eg normal/low resistance).
Devices and equipment whose object is to influence fuel economy (eg engine stop devices, automatic freewheels, cylinder cut out devices).
NB. The examples given of various technical characteristics are not intended to be exhaustive.

SCHEDULE 2
Article 7
PART I
PART II
SCHEDULE 3
Article 7(2)(c)
PART I
1 
The type approval requirements contained in Council Directive 70/220/EEC
of 20th March 1970
as amended by Council
Directive 74/290/EEC of 28th May 1974, Commission Directive 77/102/EEC of 30th November 1976, Commission Directive 78/665/EEC of 14th July 1978,
and Council Directive
83/351/EEC of 16th June 1983, or
2 
The type approval requirements contained in ECE Regulation 15 of 11th March 1970 amended
on 11th December 1974, issued with a revised text on 1st March 1977 and 6th
March 1978 and corrected on 31st October 1978, or
3 
The type approval requirements contained in ECE Regulation 15 of 11th March 1970, amended,
revised and corrected in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 above but issued with a revised
text on 20th October 1981, or
4 
The type approval requirements specified as item 4B or 4C in Schedule 1
to the Motor Vehicles (Type Approval) (Great Britain) Regulations
1979.
PART II
5 
The type approval requirements contained in Council Directive 72/306/EEC
of 2nd August 1972,
or
6 
The type approval requirements specified in ECE Regulation 24 of 23rd August 1971, corrected
on 1st December 1972, amended on 11th September 1973 and corrected on 1st
July 1975, or
7 
The type approval requirements specified in ECE Regulation 24 of 23rd August 1971, amended and corrected as specified in paragraph 6 and further amended on 11th February 1980, or
8 
The type approval requirements specified as item 5 or 5A in Schedule 1 to the Motor Vehicles (Type Approval) (Great Britain) Regulations 1979.
SCHEDULE 4
Article 10

SCHEDULE 5
Article 14
