The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have ruled in favour of smart, the manufacturer of diminutive green cars following complaints about an television advert used to promote their cars.
The advert shows a time-lapse sequence the two-seater car driving from London to Edinburgh. The voiceover states that, “on one tiny 33 litre tank, a smart car can do 433 miles”.
Five viewers challenged whether the ad misleadingly implied that the stated fuel efficiency was achievable in typical driving conditions.
However ASA concluded that the calculation of the driving range derived from official VCA figures in testing of the smart car’s performance while Mercedes sent evidence of independent tests of the driving range.
In their adjudication the ASA stated: “We considered that the VCA figures in conjunction with Mercedes’ evidence was sufficient to support the claim that a smart car could do 433 miles on one tank of petrol. We concluded that the ad was not misleading.”
Dermot Kelly, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “We’re delighted that the ASA has vindicated our position, on what is a very solid environmental and economical message, and decided to reject the complaints.
Kelly continued: “The television ad demonstrated that a drive from London to Edinburgh is proven to be well within the capabilities of the smart fortwo on less than one 33 litre tank of fuel.”
