Holidays, travel and motoring

Helpful guidance on the advertising rules for ads about Holidays, Travel or Motoring, and examples of previous Advertising Standards Authority rulings in these areas.

When it comes to buying a holiday or a car, there is an array of consumer choice. There are dozens of comparative websites out there to make the decision easier but it is important consumers can trust all holiday, travel and motoring ads they see not least because their purchasing decisions can often be expensive ones.

Holiday and travel ads should ensure they don’t mislead consumers and should contain all non-optional taxes, duties, fees and charges that apply to most buyers in their quoted price. Holiday advertisers should ensure that their descriptions are accurate and the photos which they feature in their ads are representative of what’s being offered. They should also ensure they have evidence to back up any comparative claims they are making in their ads and proof of availability of an offer.

Motoring ads must also make sure they don’t mislead consumers but another important part of the advertising rules they must adhere to are those around social responsibility.

Adverts for cars must not condone or encourage unsafe or irresponsible driving, such as not wearing a seatbelt, or depict speed in a way that might encourage motorists to drive irresponsibly or break the law. Car ads are permitted to give general information about a vehicle's performance such as acceleration, braking power, road holding and top speed, but they cannot make speed or acceleration claims the main message of their ads or link speed with excitement.

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Latest rulings

Toyota (GB) plc
- Not upheld
- Poster, Internet (social networking), Television
- 13 November 2019
TV, poster and Facebook ads for a hybrid car were not misleading.
Bristol Airport Ltd
- Not Upheld
- E-mail
- 09 October 2019
An email promoting return flight deals from Bristol to North America was not considered misleading.
We Buy Any Car Ltd
- Not Upheld
- Television, Radio
- 18 September 2019
Ads on TV and radio for webuyanycar.com were not misleading about the advertiser’s vehicle valuation because a used car’s worth was not an objective measure and the ads focused on the speed and simplicity of the service.
BVS Ltd
- Upheld
- Internet (on own site)
- 21 August 2019
A downloadable brochure for a car tuning service – Tunit Performance tuning – entitled “PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMY SOLUTIONS FOR ALL PETROL AND DIESEL CARS, 4x4s, COMMERCIAL AND AGRICULTURAL VEHICLES”, seen on 13 May 2019. It featured text which stated “An independent university study foun...

View all rulings

Holidays, travel and motoring

Helpful guidance on the advertising rules for ads about Holidays, Travel or Motoring, and examples of previous Advertising Standards Authority rulings in these areas.

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