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Calling EVs 'zero emissions' is 'misleading', says ASA

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled electric cars should not be advertised under the blanket ‘zero emissions’ term.

The watchdog has ruled against two separate advertising pieces from BMW and MG that used the term 'zero emissions' and called them 'misleading'.

Both rulings concern paid-for Google adverts on August 16, 2023. The BMW advert contained the claim: “Zero emissions cars – Download your brochure today. Visit BMW’s official online website. Find the perfect BMW electric car. Book a test drive. Explore a range of BMW electric cars…”. Meanwhile, the MG ad featured the claim: “Find A Dealer – Book A Test Drive. Save £1,000 On Your Next MG HS Plug-in Hybrid, MG ZS or MG5 EV Trophy Long Range Renewed with a modern design, increased range, and even more technology. Zero Emissions”.

BMW said it had bid on terms such as 'zero emissions cars’ on Google search to target customers and hadn’t planned for the ‘zero emissions’ mention to be included in the advert. However, the carmaker said the term had been included in the ads due to an automatic keyword feature in Google Ads, and added it wasn't aware this had occurred. 

BMW confirmed it had stopped all bidding on any zero-emissions keywords and would turn off the automatic keyword feature in Google Ads in future.

The ASA said it “welcomed BMW’s assurance that the claim would not be repeated in the future”, it concluded that the use of ‘zero emission cars’ without any further context was “likely to mislead”.

The ASA also felt the claims in the MG advert misleadingly represented the vehicles’ environmental impact. It said: “Any associated ‘zero emissions’ claim needed to clarify that it referred to emissions while the vehicle was driven on the electric motor. Similar claims for vehicles powered by petrol or diesel engines would always mislead.”

Overall, the watchdog said that adverts must be clear in their environmental claims and that 'zero emissions' only applies to cars ‘while they are being driven’. It pointed to emissions are produced during the manufacturing of EVs.