The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration has partnered with MADA and WANADA and advocates for consumer rights to create an easy-to-follow checklist of guidelines for dealer advertising. The guidelines represent the most common advertising questions and provide clarification for each topic. They are not exhaustive, with other federal, state and local laws governing advertisements. Although the guidelines were published for Maryland dealers, they are based on federal guidelines that apply to all dealers in the U.S.
Dealers should make sure any advertising by their dealership conforms to these guidelines, as they will be a reference for auditing and complaint investigations.
The guidelines include links to the NADA’s A Dealer Guide to Federal Advertising Requirements and the Federal Trade Commission’s publication on effective disclosures online. These publications are extremely useful in offering visual examples of proper and improper advertising. MDOT MVA’s one-page checklist of guidelines for dealer advertising can be accessed here. Again, these are based on federal guidelines and apply to dealers in every state.
Echoing MVA’s approach WANADA recommends that dealer members use all of these resources to avoid potential violations of the law. Maryland dealers with any questions or concerns may contact the MVA’s Business Licensing and Consumer Services at (410) 787-2950 or mvablcsd@mva.maryand.gov.
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