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

General Motors UK Ltd t/a Vauxhall
- Not Upheld
- Television, Radio
- 07 February 2018
A TV and radio ad for Vauxhall:a. The TV ad, seen in September 2017, showed a couple in a car discussing the Wi-Fi password. The voice-over at the ad’s conclusion stated, “We call that one of life’s small victories and here’s another one: we’ll beat your quote from the well-known online car buyer by £1000 on part-excha...
Ryanair Ltd
- Not Upheld
- Poster, Television, Radio
- 07 February 2018
A TV ad, a radio ad and a poster for Ryanair:a. The TV ad, seen on 26 September 2017, featured images of people travelling on a Ryanair plane. The voice-over stated, "Discover why more and more people are choosing Europe's number one airline." On-screen text stated "IATA Scheduled passengers carried: 201...
trivago N.V. t/a trivago
- Not Upheld
- Television
- 07 February 2018
A TV ad for Trivago, seen on 30 July 2017, began with an actress who said, “How many hotels does Trivago compare? 1,000? 10,000? 100,000? 300,000? 500,000? 700,000? Trivago now compares prices from more than a million hotels to find the ideal hotel for the best price.”
Top Travel UK Ltd t/a Flywhizz
- Upheld
- E-mail
- 31 January 2018
An email for a travel operator, Flywhizz, dated 24 October 2017, included text at the top of the email which stated “From British Airways”. Various airlines were listed in the body of the email, including British Airways.

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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Latest rulings

General Motors UK Ltd t/a Vauxhall

Ryanair Ltd

trivago N.V. t/a trivago

Top Travel UK Ltd t/a Flywhizz

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