Energy Act 1976

15 Passenger car fuel consumption. U.K.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Secretary of State may in relation to passenger cars make orders—

(a) requiring fuel consumption to be determined by means of officially approved tests; and

(b) providing for test results, showing the consumption of different classes or descriptions of cars in standard conditions, to be recorded in official fuel economy certificates and published in the specified manner.

(2) The orders may provide—

(a) for requiring manufacturers or importers of cars to carry out officially approved tests, or to arrange for such tests to be carried out (by making available a car to officers of the Secretary of State’s department for that purpose, or otherwise);

(b) for tests to be repeated from time to time with a view to the issue, where appropriate, of amended or amplified certificates;

(c) for payment of fees in connection with testing; and

(d) for official approval to be extended to tests carried out in other countries, and for the results of such tests to be adopted, certified and published in the United Kingdom.

(3) As from a date appointed by such an order in relation to any class or description of cars—

(a) no person shall, in the course of a business, deal in or offer for sale new cars of that class or description unless the relevant official tests have been carried out;

(b) every person who issues material to the general public with a view to promoting sales of cars of that class or description (especially advertisements, technical specifications, sales brochures and the like) shall, if the material contains any statement about fuel consumption, include specified information as to the results of the relevant official tests;

(c) every manufacturer or, in the case of imported cars, importer of cars of that class or description shall secure that any manual or handbook compiled with a view to a copy of it being issued to any first purchaser of such a car includes specified information as to the results of the relevant official tests;

(d) every person who, in the course of a business, deals in or offers for sale new cars of that class or description shall make available for inspection by his customers at any place where he causes such cars to be offered for sale, or regularly transacts business with customers relating to the sale of such cars, specified information as to the results of officially approved tests on all cars which have been subjected to the tests, including not only cars which he deals in or offers for sale, but also those which he does not; and

(e) no person shall, with a view to promoting the sale of new cars of that class or description, display such a car on premises where he carries on a business unless the car has affixed to it, so as to be clearly visible to those to whom the car is displayed, a label in specified form containing specified information including—

(i) the results of the relevant official tests; and

(ii) the fact that the results of officially approved tests on other cars are available for inspection by customers.

(4) The cars about whose fuel consumption provision may be made by orders under this section are road vehicles constructed solely for carrying passengers and their effects and adapted to carry not more than 8 passengers excluding the driver.

(5) In regard to the making and administration of such orders the Secretary of State shall maintain consultation with the motor industry, that is to say with organisations representative of manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers of cars for the United Kingdom market.

(6) Orders under this section may classify and describe cars by reference to—

(a) manufacturer, mark, serial number, trade appellation or country of origin;

(b) design and application (including passenger and baggage carrying capacity);

(c) technical characteristics (including engine size, mode of transmission and carburation system); or

(d) date of manufacture, date of issue from factory or date of importation into the United Kingdom,

or to any such combination of those matters, or of those and other similar matters, as the Secretary of State thinks best adapted to keeping the public informed about the fuel consumption of cars on the market.

(7) In this section—

(a) “relevant official tests”, in relation to any car, means the officially approved tests carried out or, as the case may be, required to be carried out (pursuant to orders under this section) on cars of that class or description; and

(b) “specified” means specified by such orders;

and the orders may specify the cases in which a car is to be regarded as a new car and those in which a person is, or is not, to be regarded as one who deals in new cars.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 15 functions of Secretary of State now exercisable by Minister of Transport: S.I. 1980/1719, arts. 2, 3