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Green car ads 'confuse' British drivers

18/07/08

UK motorists are confused by the green claims of car manufacturers and would like to see stricter controls on their advertising, a survey has revealed.

In a poll conducted by the electric vehicle merchant NICE Car Company it was shown that the majority of drivers - 82 per cent - do not know how much CO2 their vehicle emits, which may interest car insurance customers.

The survey also showed that 78 per cent of respondents said they were confused by adverts that claim cars are low-carbon, while 87 per cent said there should be more control on the use of these claims in advertising.

Londoners were shown to be the most knowledgeable about their car's carbon emissions, while the over-55s were the least in-tune.

Over 80 per cent of drivers aged over 55 said they were confused by statements such as low carbon, compared to only 71 per cent of motorists aged between 16 and 24.

Julian Wilford, co-founder of NICE Car Company, said: "Green advertising claims are a bit of a free-for-all at the moment. Add a bewildering array of manufacturers' environmental programmes branded eco-this and blue-that and you have a cocktail for confusion.
Consumers need more consistent information."

Meanwhile, theAutochannel.com reports that figures have shown Fiat and Mini are the only mainstream car manufacturers to have brought the carbon emissions of their vehicles under 140 grams per kilometre.

In a report released by Clean Green Cars, Porsche was found to be the worst performer for reducing emissions as the carbon output of its vehicles actually rose during the first half of 2008.

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