The ad asserted that ‘…the well-to-wheel efficiency of a Renault Fluence Z.E. will help reduce CO2 emissions by at least 90% compared to a current Diesel model*…’, with the small print at the bottom stating ‘…*Comparison between a Renault Fluence Z.E. (basis: French average electric mix) and a model from an identical category: Renault Megane Hatch 1.5 dCi (85HP) emitting 133g CO2 well-to wheel’.
There was only one complaint made about that claim, but it turned out to be a valid one: the advertisement was misleading because the 90% CO2 reduction figure had been based on France’s electricity generation mix, which is very different to that in the UK.
Indeed, the energy policies of the two countries are poles apart. France uses nuclear power to generate almost 80% of its electricity, whereas in the UK it is only around 20%. Three quarters of the electricity used here comes from coal or natural gas which, being fossil fuels, emit CO2 during the generation process. Nuclear, of course, doesn’t.
Renault’s response was that, because of the footnote, anyone reading the ad in its entirety would not be misled. However, the ASA disagreed with that defence, rightly pointing out that the average reader would not be aware of the different electricity generation mixes of France and the UK, and their effects on overall CO2 emissions.
Consequently the Renault advertisement must not appear again in its current form.
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