Honda is putting the real-world fuel economy of its super-efficient 1.6 i-DTEC engine to the ultimate test in a 13,000km drive across all 24 contiguous EU countries, with the aim of setting a new Guinness world record for fuel efficiency.

On June 1, 2015, two members of Honda’s European Research & Development (R&D) team will set out in a Honda Civic Tourer on an epic journey from Aalst, Belgium. Heading towards the Netherlands and Germany, their trip will see them navigate the continent in a clockwise direction, with the aim of returning to their starting point some 25 days later, on June 25, having covered a planned total of 13,614km.

The carmaker says the Guinness World Records title attempt comes on the back of several independent tests which have proven its 1.6 i-DTEC engine to consistently out-perform its quoted fuel efficiency in real-world driving conditions.

Under the rules of the Guinness World Records title attempt, the same two drivers must be in the car for every kilometre of the journey. Honda R&D colleagues of some 18 years, Fergal McGrath and Julian Warren, based at Honda’s European manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK will drive an average 592km, taking around 7.5 hours each day.

Fergal McGrath comments: “We are very much looking forward to the record attempt, and while we’re excited we’re both a little nervous about the scale of the task that awaits us. A huge amount of planning has gone into taking on this challenge and we look forward to what we hope will be a successful result when we return to Brussels on June 25. But we’ve got more than 170 hours behind the wheel to contend with first!”

The official Guinness World Records title is ‘Lowest Fuel Consumption – all 24 contiguous EU countries’, measured in litres per 100km and miles per gallon calculated over the entire journey. If successful the new record will apply to all cars, including hybrid and electric models.

Based on strict and rigorous guidelines, the record attempt requires the car to enter each of the 24 countries specified, collecting a range of evidence including a fuel/mileage logbook, GPS readings, video, photographs and independent witness signatures to prove that it has done so.

To ensure accurate monitoring of the route, journey time and distance driven, the record car has been fitted with a tracking device, provided by fleet telematics and stolen vehicle recovery expert, Tracker (part of the Tantalum Corporation). The unit will provide a superior level of journey information, in real-time to ensure that Honda can supply robust and reliable automated data-evidence to meet the requirements stipulated by Guinness World Records.

The car which attempts the record must be a standard model in every respect, with no modifications to give an advantage. This will be judged by an independent witness at the beginning and end of the record attempt. The car can only travel by road, therefore the route does not extend to the UK, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, which make up the remainder of the 28 EU countries. In order to ensure no unfair advantage by reducing weight, the tank of the car must be filled to the maximum at each fuel stop.

The 24 countries which are covered in the route, in alphabetical order, are as follows: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.