Motorpoint's 'Save up to £17,000' ad banned — 1.2% of its cars qualified

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.