What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Why can't we have more accurate speedometers fitted to modern cars?

Now that we have better quality sensors and electronics, is it not possible for car manufacturers to fit accurate speedometers? On a section of road works where the speeds are closely monitored, most drivers keep to the limit, but only as indicated. If true speedometers were fitted, the whole of the traffic line would speed up by up to ten percent, a truly worthwhile amount. I can imagine the auto marketing people protesting, but it could make a significant difference to journey times and traffic throughout, even more so at 70mph.

Asked on 9 November 2013 by RH, Doddinghurst

Answered by Honest John
They prefer to fit speedos and odometers that enhance the perception of the driver of the mpg he is getting as far as they can within the rules. Mazdas are currently the closest to accurate, over-reading by only about 2 per cent compared to the norm of around 6 per cent.
Similar questions
I filled up today and started to calculate my mpg using the trip meter reading, when it occurred to me that it is probably as inaccurate as the speedometer itself (in my case about 7-8per cent optimistic)....
I have owned two cars from new with trip computers, both of which were over-optimistic about fuel consumption. Typically in my 2008 Mondeo diesel I achieve 47mpg by doing brim-to-brim calculations. The...
I've just bought a new 61-plate Toyota Prius which has a completely electronic dashboard display. Checking the speedo against a SatNav, it showed that at a constant 70mph indicated (held by cruise control...
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer