VSA Industry Bulletin

August 31, 2022

Important Considerations When Advertising Vehicles

 

It has come to the attention of the VSA that there are some misunderstandings on accurate representations in motor vehicle ads. Dealers are reminded to comply with the legislation when advertising vehicles. Some important considerations include:

Items To Be Included
Dealers are responsible for all advertising including those on social media by staff. All ads must be compliant. Whenever an ad includes a price or credit offer, the ad must include all of the required total price and credit offer details. Each ad must clearly include dealer numbers, stock numbers, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). If dealers advertise without fee disclosures, the advertised price is the assumed Total Price. See examples below.

Dealer Mark Up
Dealers need to clearly disclose to consumers that they mark the price of the vehicle up and what it is. It may be considered deceptive or misleading if the consumer is led to believe dealer markup is a manufacturer adjustment.

Advertising Cash vs. Financing Price
When advertising a vehicle that has different pricing, for example, a financing purchase price and a cash purchase price, you must include both prices in the advertisement (BPCPA section 60).

Availability of Advertised Vehicles
If a vehicle is sold, all advertising of the vehicle needs to be removed. You may not continue to advertise a vehicle after it has been sold as that vehicle is no longer available for sale to the public.

For more information about the legislation that applies to correct vehicle advertising as well as best practices, check out our VSA Advertising Guidelines.

The Code of Conduct sets professional standards for dealers, salespeople, wholesalers, broker-agents and broker-agent representatives.

Good Ad Example Bad Ad Example