Coinciding with the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the Peugeot ECO CUP was designed to see if four different standard Peugeot HDi diesel models in the hands of everyday drivers could deliver fuel economy to match or beat the official government fuel economy figures.

The result? They were not so much matched as shattered. The best return was a fraction shy of 90mpg and, what is more, this wasn't in a tiny city car, hybrid or specially adapted vehicle. It was in a standard production Peugeot 5-door 308 HDi 110 model, driven over 1000kms of French and Swiss roads in heavy wintery conditions.

Even Peugeot's new 7-seat 5008 MPV returned economy figures of just under 80mpg.

Average fuel consumption achieved by the winning drivers:
Peugeot 308 HDi FAP 110 - 89.95 mpg
Peugeot 207 HDi 90 - 87.10 mpg
Peugeot 5008 HDi FAP 110 - 84.77 mpg
Peugeot 3008 HDi FAP 110 - 79.10 mpg

Jon Goodman, Managing Director of Peugeot UK, said: "This project has proven two things; that there are a lot of people out there interested in doing their bit for the planet by stretching fuel economy to the max; and that this can be achieved in standard Peugeot diesel cars, with our new 5008 7-seater MPV nearly cracking 80mpg and our 308 5-door family hatch pushing 90mpg.

This is a great reminder that, in this dynamic and technology-obsessed industry, genuine environmentally friendly motoring is available for the masses right now."