Japanese car manufacturer Toyota have been told off by the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency over green claims it made about it’s flagship hybrid car, the Prius. The ASA have found Toyota guilty of exaggerating the car’s environmental benefits.

In their advert, Toyota claimed that the Prius emitted up to one tonne less CO2 per year than a standard diesel family car. However, their figures were based on an annual mileage of 12,500 miles (20,000 km). This is the average mileage of a US car - the average yearly mileage of a UK car is just 8,400 miles (13,440km).

The ASA did agree that the Prius emitted significantly less CO2 than some other cars with a greater engine capacity though. However, they did not believe that the evidence submitted by Toyota demonstrated that the Prius emitted one tonne less than equivalent cars with diesel engines. Toyota are adamant that the ad was ok, saying that the emissions were “up to” one tonne less per year.

Even so, the ASA has upheld the complaints and the ad is now not permitted to be shown in the UK in the same form again.

You can read the full adjudication of the UK’s ASA here.

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