What does WLTC fuel consumption mean?
3 Answers
WLTC fuel consumption refers to the fuel consumption value measured under the WLTP test procedure for pure fuel or hybrid light-duty vehicles in the WLTC cycle. The following are factors that affect vehicle fuel consumption: Displacement: The engine displacement has a certain impact on the vehicle's fuel consumption, but this impact is a fixed value. Tire pressure: The vehicle's fuel consumption is also directly related to tire pressure. When the tire pressure is too high or too low, the vehicle's fuel consumption will increase. Road conditions: The road conditions on which the vehicle is driven will also affect fuel consumption. Driving habits: When driving, it is important to drive gently, avoiding heavy acceleration and braking, as this will increase fuel consumption.
As a regular car owner who frequently watches car reviews, I've researched the meaning of WLTC fuel consumption. Simply put, it stands for the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, which simulates more realistic driving conditions. Compared to the outdated NEDC standard, its test route includes aggressive driving scenarios like overtaking and hill climbing, with a significantly increased proportion of urban sections, and the maximum test speed is directly raised to 131km/h. This dynamic testing method makes the fuel consumption data more reflective of our actual daily driving conditions, avoiding the frequent discrepancies seen with NEDC where official figures might show 6L but real-world usage reaches 9L. However, it's important to note that factors like tire pressure and air conditioning can affect the final data.
When I was selecting a car at the 4S dealership, I specifically looked into this parameter. The WLTC test divides the entire process into four phases, intentionally incorporating frequent acceleration and deceleration to simulate congested road conditions. The test duration is a full 23 minutes, which is 1.5 times longer than the old standard. The yellow fuel consumption labels that manufacturers now place on car windows all display this data. For example, my hybrid car has an official WLTC rating of 5.3L, and in actual driving with air conditioning on the highway, it’s around 6L, which is indeed much more reliable than the earlier NEDC rating of 4.8L that would actually consume 7L in real driving. However, fuel consumption still increases by about 15% when using heating or cooling in winter and summer.
