Car Dealer Compliance in the UK: Labels, FCA

The rules for car adverts in United Kingdom

7 rules decide what a dealer in United Kingdom has to show on the car, in adverts and in financing examples. Each one, and what it asks of you:

SI 2001/3523
Passenger Car (Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions Information) Regulations 2001, fuel economy label
Authority Department for Transport, guidance by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA); enforced by Trading Standards
Every dealer must show a label on or near each new car on display or offered for sale or lease. The label follows Figure 1 of Schedule 2 (as replaced by SI 2018/673): A4, the text block at least 180 x 80 mm, fuel consumption for the Low, Medium, High, Extra High and Combined phases in litres/100km and mpg to one decimal place, and CO2 in g/km as a whole number. A breach is a criminal offence with a fine up to level 5, unlimited in England and Wales.
SI 2001/3523
Showroom poster or display for each make
Authority Department for Transport, guidance by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA); enforced by Trading Standards
Each make you sell needs a poster of at least 70 x 50 cm, or a screen of at least 25 x 32 cm, listing all new models of that make. Models are grouped by fuel type and ranked by increasing CO2, with two prescribed sentences printed word for word. You refresh the poster every six months, a screen every three months.
SI 2001/3523
Fuel consumption and CO2 in promotional literature
Authority Department for Transport, guidance by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA); enforced by Trading Standards
All printed promotional matter for a new car must state the official fuel consumption in mpg and in litres/100km or km/l, and the CO2 emissions in g/km. The figures must be no less prominent than the main text, and an advert for several models gives each value or the range. Websites are outside the wording 'printed matter', but VCA guidance expects the same approach online.
SI 2001/3523
Fuel economy guide at the point of sale
Authority Department for Transport / Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)
A dealer must hand the official guide on fuel economy and CO2 emissions to any customer who asks, free of charge. The label tells the buyer this guide is available, in a sentence the regulation prescribes.
CONC 3.5
FCA Handbook, Consumer Credit sourcebook, financial promotions with a representative example (CONC 3.5.3R, 3.5.5R, 3.5.7R, 3.5.9R)
Authority Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
A finance advert that names an interest rate or any amount of the cost of credit, a monthly payment included, must show a representative example and the advertiser's postal address. The example gives the cash price, deposit, total credit, the rate and whether it is fixed or variable, other charges, the term, each instalment including a final one, the total payable and the representative APR, written as 'Representative x% APR'. The representative APR must be at least as prominent as any incentive or comparison in the advert.
CONC 3.7
FCA Handbook, Consumer Credit sourcebook, financial promotions by credit brokers (CONC 3.7.3R, 3.7.5R, 3.7.7R)
Authority Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
A dealer who arranges finance acts as a credit broker and must say clearly that it is a credit broker, not a lender. It must state the extent of its powers, for example that it works exclusively with one lender or with several, and use its legal name as it appears on the FCA register.
DMCC Act 2024
Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, unfair commercial practices (misleading omissions)
Authority Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), with Trading Standards
An advert must not leave out or hide information a buyer needs to decide, such as the full price or what a figure next to it means. Since 6 April 2025 the CMA enforces this directly, with fines of up to 10 % of worldwide turnover.

Car dealer compliance in the UK starts with one regulation: the Passenger Car (Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions Information) Regulations 2001, SI 2001/3523. Every new car you display or offer for sale or lease needs the Figure 1 fuel economy label on or near it, each make you sell needs a 70 x 50 cm poster in the showroom, and your printed promotional literature must give fuel consumption in mpg and in litres per 100 km or km per litre, with CO2 in g/km. As soon as an advert names a monthly payment, the FCA's Consumer Credit sourcebook adds a representative example and the line that you are a credit broker, not a lender. Vehicle Hub keeps these values on the car and prints the label, the poster and the exposé from them, so the forecourt, the paperwork and the website say the same thing.

The UK rule set covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland alike, and it follows the regulation word for word: a car counts as new until it is sold to someone who does not buy it to resell, so demonstrators and pre-registered cars get a label too. Values arrive with your stock, through dealer stock import or the creation assistant, and the mandatory information check tells you which figure a car still lacks before you print. If you also sell into Ireland or France, each market brings its own rules; all 33 markets are on the car labelling directive by country overview. Vehicle Hub applies the rules; it does not replace legal advice on a specific case.

What the UK fuel economy label looks like

The legal label is the plain Figure 1 of Schedule 2, headed 'Environmental Information': a short text about the free fuel economy guide, then make and model, engine capacity in c.c., fuel type and transmission, a table of the five WLTP drive cycles in litres/100km and mpg, and the CO2 emissions in g/km in bold. It has no efficiency class, so Vehicle Hub shows 'no efficiency class' for the UK. Many manufacturers supply a coloured label with VED bands; that one is voluntary and must contain the Figure 1 content. Plug-in hybrids show N/A for the phases and the weighted combined figure, electric cars N/A and 0 g/km.

Figure 1 label printed by Vehicle Hub for a petrol Ford Puma: five drive cycles in litres/100km and mpg, 127 g/km CO2.

Mandatory details in United Kingdom

Fuel consumption per drive cycle (Low, Medium, High, Extra High, Combined) in litres/100km and mpg, one decimal
CO2 emissions in g/km as a whole number
Make, model, engine capacity, fuel type and transmission
Official fuel consumption in mpg and in l/100 km or km/l, as labelled lines
Plug-in hybrid: weighted combined consumption and CO2, equivalent all-electric range
All new models of one make, grouped by fuel, CO2 ascending, with the two prescribed sentences
Price including 20 % VAT, with the net price
Vehicle Excise Duty in whole pounds, clearly labelled
Representative example with 'Representative x% APR' and the dealer's postal address
'Credit broker, not a lender' sentence with the lenders you work with

What you get

The Figure 1 label in one click
Open a new car and print its fuel economy label on A4, laid out like Figure 1. The five drive cycles in litres/100km and mpg come from the car's own WLTP values, so nobody retypes a figure on the forecourt.
A showroom poster for each make
Vehicle Hub builds the 70 x 50 cm poster per make from your stock: models grouped by fuel, ranked by CO2, with the two sentences the regulation prescribes. Print it again when the six months are up.
mpg and CO2 in every exposé
Exposé and price sign carry labelled lines: official fuel consumption in l/100 km, km/l and mpg, official CO2 emissions and the VED in whole pounds, with the price including 20 % VAT.
Finance examples the FCA way
The Loan Calculator writes 'Representative x% APR', lists the representative example in full and adds your credit broker sentence with the lender you work with. The lender fields only appear for branches in the UK.
The check before publishing
A car missing its transmission or its WLTP values gets no label, and Vehicle Hub names the gap. Online, a missing line is flagged so you can fix it before a buyer notices.
The same figures on your website
The Vehicle Hub widgets show the consumption and CO2 lines on each car's page, in en-GB format with pounds, so your site and your label never tell different stories.

Print a UK label for one car from your forecourt

Set your branch's main market to the United Kingdom, import a few new cars or add one by hand, and print its Figure 1 label and exposé. If a value is missing, Vehicle Hub tells you which one before anything reaches the windscreen.

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How to get started

Set the main market to the United Kingdom
Open Vehicle Hub in your KIMISUITE workspace and choose the United Kingdom as your branch's main market. The UK rule set decides which cars count as new and which values each output needs.
Bring in your stock
Import from mobile.de, your dealer system or a CSV or XML feed, or add cars with the creation assistant. Fuel type, transmission and the WLTP figures come with the car.
Check the values the UK asks for
Look over the energy tab of each new car and fill in what the check names, such as a missing transmission. If you arrange finance, enter your lender and broker details under Financing.
Print and publish
Print the Figure 1 label for the car, the poster for each make and the exposé, then publish the car on your website with the widgets. Every output uses the same values.

Pricing

The UK rule set, the Figure 1 label, the poster per make, the exposé and the Loan Calculator are part of Vehicle Hub, which starts at a fixed monthly price (see pricing) per dealership workspace. Your sales team, the person who preps the cars and the finance desk all work in it for that one price, with no charge per printed label.

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Is it the right fit?

A good fit if

Franchised and independent dealers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who sell new, pre-registered or demonstrator cars
Dealers who fill in labels and posters by hand today and copy mpg figures into their brochures
Dealers who arrange finance as credit brokers and want every finance example to carry the representative APR
Dealers with plug-in hybrids and electric cars in stock

Not the right fit if

Dealers who want Vehicle Hub to publish their stock to Auto Trader, MOTORS or eBay; Vehicle Hub imports stock, it does not post to UK portals
Dealers who mainly sell gas, hydrogen or fuel cell cars; for these Vehicle Hub prints no UK label, so you use the manufacturer's
Dealers looking for the coloured manufacturer label with VED bands; Vehicle Hub prints the legal Figure 1 label
Anyone who needs legal advice or help with an FCA application; Vehicle Hub applies the rules, your adviser answers questions about them

Frequently asked questions

What does car dealer compliance in the UK cover for new car adverts?

Three duties from SI 2001/3523 and two from the FCA. You put a Figure 1 fuel economy label on every new car, show a poster per make in the showroom and give mpg and CO2 in printed adverts; finance adverts need a representative example and the credit broker sentence.

Do pre-registered cars and demonstrators need a fuel economy label?

Yes. Under the regulation a car stays new until it is sold to someone who does not buy it to resell it. Vehicle Hub treats your demonstrators and pre-registered cars as new and asks for their label values.

Does the label rule apply in Northern Ireland as well?

Yes. SI 2001/3523 extends to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Windsor Framework does not move this information rule to EU law. In Northern Ireland the Department for the Economy enforces it.

Is a car dealer a credit broker when it offers finance?

Usually, yes. A dealer that introduces buyers to a lender is credit broking and needs FCA permission, often a limited permission for secondary credit broking. Its adverts must say it is a credit broker, not a lender, and name the scope of its lender panel.

What must a car finance advert show in the UK?

A representative example as soon as it names a rate or a payment that includes interest. It lists cash price, deposit, credit amount, rate, term, instalments, total payable and the representative APR, plus your postal address. Vehicle Hub shows the example only once your lender details are complete and the UK market is released for financing.

Do I have to show mpg on my website?

The regulation names printed matter, so websites are not covered by its wording. The VCA expects the same approach online, and Vehicle Hub shows the labelled consumption and CO2 lines on every car page and flags the ones that are missing.

Who supervises customer data and enquiries in the UK?

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Enquiries from your website reach you by email and in CRM Business Hub with the car named, and your dealership stays the controller of that data.

What happens if a new car has no label?

It is a criminal offence under the regulation, with a fine up to level 5, which is unlimited in England and Wales. Trading Standards checks forecourts, and showing due diligence is the defence, which a label printed from the car's data makes easy.