Car companies continue to sell vehicles in Australia that use much more petrol and emit more toxic fumes than advertised, despite repeated investigations identifying discrepancies in marketing.

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) on Wednesday released the latest results from its “real-world” testing program, a four-year $14m government-funded scheme that scrutinises claims made about vehicles’ fuel consumption and emissions.

The country’s peak motoring body said it had tested 114 popular cars, vans and utes since the program began in August 2023 and found more than 77% of these vehicles used more fuel than advertised.

In its most recent study, the AAA said 25 of the 30 cars tested used more petrol than advertised, showing consumers could not rely on the fuel consumption and emissions information provided at point of sale.