Nearly a million owners of Hyundais and Kias will get rebates after the two companies were caught overstating fuel economy on late made autos by between one and six miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle.

The South Korean manufacturer will give owners debit cards to reimburse them for the extra money they are spending for fuel. The amount will vary by the model, amount driven, and location of owner.

“The error was announced Friday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors the fuel economy tests by automakers,” reported the LA Times.

“Consumers rely on the window sticker to help make informed choices about the cars they buy,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “EPA’s investigation will help protect consumers and ensure a level playing field among automakers.”

“The Korean automakers, which are siblings, and share automotive components and testing, said they had overstated fuel economy ratings for about 900,000 vehicles, or 35% of the 2011-13 model year vehicles sold through Wednesday.”

CNN reported that:

Mileage figures on most labels will be lowered by one or two miles per gallon, according to the EPA. The discrepancies involve about 900,000 Hyundai and Kia vehicles already on the road.

The largest drop will be for the Kia Soul. Its highway fuel economy estimate will be lowered by six miles per gallon, taking it down to 29 mpg. Two of the automakers’ most popular models, the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima mid-size sedans, are not involved.

Fuel economy for the Hyundai Elantra, a compact model that was named Car of the Year at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, will be reduced by one mile per gallon.

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