Description
In October 2023, the UK watchdog ASA ruled against Nissan over adverts for the adverts for the Nissan Qashqai with e-power that used the slogan “fuelled by petrol driven by electric” to describe the car’s powertrain. The ruling noted that the ads were misleading as they “did not make the nature of the vehicle’s power source sufficiently clear.”
In a change to previous rulings on electric vehicles, the Nissan ruling states: “whilst the ad did not include any explicit claims in relation to the car’s environmental impact, we considered that by focusing on the car’s use of electricity, consumers were likely to understand that the car was a better choice for the environment than traditionally fueled vehicles. However, because the ads did not make sufficiently clear the nature of the vehicle’s power source and because it required petrol to power the electric motor, which would produce tailpipe emissions, we considered that the ads were also misleading in this regard” (emphasis added).