TWO Swindon men have driven the equivalent of UK to Australia and made just nine fuel stops in the entire journey, spending less than £460 to get there at an average of 100mpg.

Fergal McGrath, 43, and Julian Warren, 49, who both work for Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) in Highworth Road, were behind the wheel as their employer set a world record for fuel efficiency.

The pair spent 25 days behind the wheel of a Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC, which recorded an average of 100.31 miles per gallon, in its 8,387 miles across Europe.

In driving through the 24 contiguous countries of Europe, the standard model car achieved an average of 932 miles on each tank of diesel, costing £459 in total.

Fergal and Julian, both members of Honda's European research and development team, set off from Aalst in Belgium on June 1 to navigate the continent in a clockwise direction.

They returned to the start point on June 25 having exceeded the Tourer's quoted efficiency, 74.3mpg, by more than 25 per cent.

The drivers were presented with the Guinness World Records title for "Lowest fuel consumption - all 24 contiguous EU countries (all cars)" at HUM yesterday.

“It was tough, but we really enjoyed it, and setting this new Guinness World Records title has made all of the hard work worthwhile,” said Fergal.

“This was a huge team effort so I'd like to thank everyone involved for all of their commitment and support.

“After spending so much time behind the wheel Julian and I are just happy to be back behind our desks for a while.”

The official title is measured in litres per 100km and miles per gallon, calculated over the entire journey.

Under the rules, the same two drivers must be in the car for the whole journey.

This meant Fergal and Julian, colleagues of 18 years, had the challenge of driving an average of 380 miles a day - about seven-and-a-half hours.

The car had to enter each of the 24 countries specified, collecting a range of evidence including a fuel and mileage logbook, GPS readings, video and photographs and signatures from independent witnesses.

Rules state the vehicle must be a standard model, with no modifications to create an advantage, replicating real world conditions.

Fuelling was carried out at regular filling stations, with the tank filled to the maximum level at each stop to ensure no weight advantage.

Driving speed remained within the law and kept up with traffic conditions.

Leon Brannan, head of cars for Honda UK, said: “This is an incredible achievement and the team should all be very proud of the efforts that they have put in to set this new Guinness World Record.

“Driving the equivalent distance from their home in the UK to Australia in just 25 days is a huge challenge very few would take on.

“The fuel economy figures are remarkable, particularly when you consider this is not a small car, but an estate with class-leading load space and vast practicality.”