Skip advert
Advertisement

Ad watchdog labels Audi MPG claims ‘misleading’

Audi and other manufacturers have been urged to publish disclaimers after complaint over official economy

Audi economy claims questioned

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has called for car manufacturers to publish disclaimers with official MPG figures after ruling that an advert for the Audi A3 1.6 TDI was 'misleading'.

The ruling relates to an online advert, which claims, “Audi A3 TDI – the most fuel efficient Audi ever,” and went on to say that it was capable of 68.9mpg.

Advertisement - Article continues below

However, the ruling does not call in to question the 68.9mpg figure, but instead that the manufacturer did not explain that this was achieved under laboratory testing, and that this wasn’t made clear to the average consumer.

The ASA said that the manufacturer should have qualified this was the case and that the figure achieved may not reflect real life driving results.

This complaint was brought in front of the ASA after an A3 owner claimed that the figures were misleading, and they had not been able to achieve the 68.9mpg stated.

The ruling does not apply to just Audi, however, and it does not ban the claim made for the A3. A spokeswoman for the ASA told us: “We haven’t banned the claim in and of itself; we just want car manufacturers to be clear that these stats are test figures, and don’t actually reflect real driving results.

“It’s a significant ruling for the automotive industry, and has ramifications for the sector,” she added. It also said that it would be communicating more widely with the industry and that it expected all manufacturers to comply.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch is on the way to the UK
Toyota GR Corolla - front cornering

Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch is on the way to the UK

The success of the GR Yaris has persuaded Toyota that there’s room in its UK range for the high performance Corolla
News
19 Jun 2025
Car Deal of the Day: Blistering BMW M135 for a bargain £301 a month
BMW M135 xDrive - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: Blistering BMW M135 for a bargain £301 a month

Not many hot hatchbacks are as complete as BMW’s recently updated M135. It’s our Deal of the Day for 19 June.
News
19 Jun 2025
Car Deal of the Day: a potent 335bhp Volkswagen ID.7 GTX for a rock bottom price
Volkswagen ID.7 GTX - front static

Car Deal of the Day: a potent 335bhp Volkswagen ID.7 GTX for a rock bottom price

GTX Plus gives some extra punch to an already excellent electric saloon. It’s our Deal of the Day for 20 June.
News
20 Jun 2025