Car advertisments in London to carry fuel economy data

The UK department for transport (DfT) will soon demand that car advertisers increase the visibility of carbon dioxide emission and fuel economy information on outdoor ads.

There will be a requirement for information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions "should be easily legible by a person standing on the opposite side of the road", soon.

The notice includes: "It is not sufficient that the advertisement can be read by someone standing directly in front of the billboard, since it is designed to be seen by a much wider audience."

The document also states that CO2 emission information does not necessarily have to be visible to a passing vehicle.

The DfT has been holding discussions with stakeholders such as ISBA and the Advertising Standards Authority since August last year, in an effort to finalise a set of guidelines on how environmental data should be presented on car ads.

In June, the DfT revised its rules to state that the promotional literature requiring CO2 and fuel economy figures included outdoor ads, and that the data must share 'equal prominence' with the main information of the ad.