Ad watchdog puts brakes on Renault

A RENAULT advert has been banned for using French electricity figures to back a claim that the carmaker is reducing emissions, a watchdog said yesterday.

The national press ad described Renault's plan for four electric vehicles, claiming "the well-to-wheel efficiency of a Renault Fluence ZE will help reduce emissions by at least 90 per cent compared to a current diesel model".

Accompanying small print said the comparison was based on the "French average electric mix". A reader complained the ad was misleading because the French electricity generation mix had significantly lower levels of emissions than power produced in the UK.