On 5 March 2026 Motorpoint, the UK's largest used-car supermarket, ran a paid Instagram ad: 'Why buy new? Save £1000s off nearly new used cars. Browse our wide range across 21 stores nationwide', over an image stating 'Save up to £17,000', with 'NOW ON' and 'UNBEATABLE PRICE EVENT' graphics. A carousel of 40 vehicles repeated the format.
A consumer who could not find a vehicle with a £17,000 saving complained. Motorpoint argued the claim compared its prices against the recommended retail prices of equivalent new cars, and submitted substantiation given to Clearcast in December 2025: 10.68% of its stock fell in saving bands of £19,000 or more, 52.4% in the £5,000-£9,999 range, and the most common bands were £5,000-£5,999 and £6,000-£6,999. Only 20 of 1,611 vehicles — about 1.2% — sat in the £17,000-£17,999 band.
The ASA upheld the complaint on 24 June 2026, finding breaches of CAP Code rules 3.1 (misleading advertising), 3.7 (substantiation), 3.17 and 3.22 (prices). Consumers would understand 'Save £1000s' as substantial savings available across the range, and the evidence did not show £17,000 savings on a significant proportion of vehicles. The 'up to £17,000' claim exaggerated the savings generally available. The ad must not appear again; future savings claims must reflect the true overall picture. Motorpoint accepted its terms and conditions could have been clearer.
The ASA banned the ad because the ceiling was a lure: 1.2% of stock could deliver it, so future claims must reflect the true picture.
The maths did the misleading: 1.2% of the stock could deliver the headline number, and the most common saving was a third of it
'Up to £17,000' is a ceiling, not a promise — but a ceiling only 20 of 1,611 cars touch is a headline selling what the stock does not
Comparing against the RRP of cars it does not sell turned 'what you save' into a comparison with an imaginary alternative
'Up to' is a promise with an asterisk. When 1.2% of stock can deliver the headline saving, the ceiling is not a claim — it is a lure, and the ASA requires the picture behind it.
The ad must not appear again, and Motorpoint was told to ensure future savings claims are not misleading and that 'up to £x off' claims reflect the true overall savings picture. Motor Trader and AM Online covered the ruling as a reminder for car retail that 'up to' headlines need a stock reality behind them; the company said it would add equivalent wording to future ads to reduce the risk of confusion.
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