Public confused about fuel economy data on car adverts says campaign group
Tue 07 April 2009
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A poll conducted by the campaign group We are Futureproof says that only a minority of people can understand information about fuel economy and CO2 emissions in the format currently shown on car advertisements. Four times as many people say that they find the colour-coded format easier to understand.
The poll's findings come from a new survey conducted by YouGov for campaign group We Are Futureproof (a group which evolved from the campaign the ‘Alliance Against Urban 4x4s’). We Are Futureproof is pushing for the introduction of colour-coded labels on car advertisements, similar to those used in showrooms and on white goods.
The results of the poll showed that more than half of people correctly identified the efficiency of a fictional new car when the information was shown in a colour-coded chart, compared with less than one third when the information was presented in plain writing (56 per cent vs 31 per cent).
Blake Ludwig, from We Are Futureproof, said: "It's clear people don't understand what the raw CO2 and fuel economy numbers on car adverts mean, or how different cars compare in terms of 'grams per kilometre', so it's not enough just stating these figures in billboards and magazine adverts."
“Instead, the public needs to know how a car compares with others in terms of fuel efficiency and pollution, and our survey shows that a colour-coded scale is much easier to understand."
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