I was in London yesterday and spotted this ad on the tube:

The ad headline reads:

Cheaper car insurance for homes with two or more cars

And the flash says:

Kate and Steve could insure both their cars with Admiral MultiCar and SAVE UP TO £200

Yet on closer inspection the small print on the ad is quite revealing:

It’s not a great picture, but the small print reads:

13% who had a multicar quote between July – Dec 08 for 2 cars & 2 drivers and provided a best alternative quote saved £200

Now while that says to me that not all customers getting quote provided a best alternative quote, of those that did only 13% actually saved the amount claimed in the flash on the ad.
Is 13% of people really justification for saying “cheaper car insurance” and “could..save up to £200” in an advert?
Well, within the letter of the code that governs advertising, yes, it is.
But to me it just seems dishonest – aiming to mislead potential customers on the basis of information that doesn’t properly back up the claim made.
There’s a real difference between claims you can make and those you should make in advertising.
And for me, basing a claim of savings that only apply to 13% of people just doesn’t stack up.