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Van makers have mixed views on proposed fuel economy and CO2 testing for vans.

All new vans would have to undergo extensive fuel economy testing in order to provide prospective customers with accurate figures from January 2008 under radical new proposals. An identical scheme already exists for testing cars, and now the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) wants to expand the system. But while the van manufacturers we spoke to welcomed the idea in principal, all had serious concerns over how  the testing would take place, and questioned its true value to van buyers.

The tests will take place on a rolling road with unladen vehicles - and this is at the heart of their concern. "We have no qualms about sharing the figures with all our customers," says a Citroën spokesman. "In fact, we are one step ahead and already provide the figures for the new Dispatch." However, he goes on to say that a rolling road is unable to determine the difference in GVWs. In other words, a 2.8-tonner and a 3.5-tonner with the same engines will presumably return the same fuel economy in laboratory conditions.

"It hasn't been thought-out well," says a Vauxhall spokesman. He wonders how many van variants will need to be tested, giving the Movano range as an example. He says the panel van is available with numerous roof heights, wheelbases, GVWs and engines, "and then there's the chassis cab" he adds. "As a manufacturer we would welcome sharing the figures, after all we always do well  on fuel economy, but it needs to be a sensible approach."

John Stokes of Iveco also wonders whether different axle ratios and transmissions will be taken into account. He believes that vans should be tested laden in order to give a more realistic figure for potential buyers. Ford's CV boss Steve Kimber (pictured) stresses that the figures are used by potential customers as a yardstick, and nothing else. He says they will be fine as a comparison with other manufacturer's products, but will not be a true reflection of what the vans will achieve in the real world.