The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
Nissan's '80 kW fast-charging' Townstar ad upheld as misleading by the Dutch RCC
Nissan advertised the Townstar EV with an '80 kW fast-charge' connector. On the road it held the peak a minute, then dropped — an omission.
Nissan · 2026-07-07
What happened
On its website, in the downloadable 'prices and specifications' for the Nissan Townstar, Nissan advertised the electric van as having a "CCS fast-charging connection up to 80 kW" and an "80 kW fast-charge connector CCS".
A consumer who had driven the van objected. At and above 20°C the Townstar reached 70 kW for only a minute before dropping quickly below 40 kW; near freezing it managed only 11–16 kW. On a 2.5-hour trip he had to spend 3 hours charging, and around half of chargers failed to communicate with the car. He supplied screenshots of the charging sessions.
Nissan did not file a formal defence. Its position was that charging speed depends on external factors and the stated figure was a peak reached under ideal conditions. The RCC's chairman agreed the figure was a peak value but found Nissan had not disclosed that it applied only very briefly.
The chairman ruled the omission — hiding that '80 kW' is a momentary peak, not real-world charging — could lead an average consumer to a transaction decision they otherwise would not have made, making the advertising misleading and therefore unfair under Article 7 of the Dutch Advertising Code. Nissan was told to stop advertising in that manner.
Why it happened
- '80 kW fast-charge' is a peak the van holds for about a minute, then loses — advertising it without that caveat sold a charging experience the car does not deliver
- The figure was technically true and practically misleading, which is precisely the omission the RCC punishes
- Nissan chose not to defend the claim, so the chairman's ruling was made on the consumer's logged evidence
The lesson
A precisely true spec can still mislead if it hides the difference between a peak and real-world performance. Advertising '80 kW' without saying it lasts a minute turns a fact into an omission.
Aftermath
The RCC chairman ruled the website's '80 kW' claims were misleading by omission under Article 8.3(c) and unfair under Article 7 of the Dutch Advertising Code, recommending Nissan no longer advertise in that manner without stating the charging power is a peak reached only briefly. The case turned on real logged charging data from an owner, in winter, that the peak figure conspicuously failed to describe.
Sources
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