I have recently acquired a new KIA Picanto 1 and a very accomplished little car it is too. Naturally, the engine will need to go through it's ‘break in’ (as the manual puts it). Also, I would not expect to achieve the official combined mpg figure 67.3 anyway, as I don't use my cars for driving in a laboratory. However, I certainly did not expect to get a mere 47.91mpg either. (Duly entered into the Real Life Fuel Economy Register on your website.)

This is less than the urban figure, when I'm doing over twenty miles on the motorway every working day. Over 5 years of measurements, my previous car achieved 95% of the official combined mpg (I don't spend my evenings doing doughnuts in Tesco's car park), and yet in its first week the Picanto has returned only 71%. In your opinion is this indicative of a serious fault with the vehicle, or just the owner?