So whose ads pay off?

What’s your favourite car ad? Whether it’s Citroen’s robot or Honda’s skydivers, they all cost money to make.

To calculate just how much of a new car’s price goes directly on publicity, industry analyst Ebiquity used registration figures and ad budgets for 2008 so far. Renault tops the table with £389 spent per car sold. Yet Ford, the UK’s best-selling brand, spends £114 per car and BMW only £22. An Ebiquity spokesman said: “Such firms have already built a reputation, so don’t need to try as hard.”

Manufacturer / Registrations / Add budget / Spend per car

Renault: - 68,637 / £26.7m / £389
Citroen: - 55,928 / £17.3m / £310
Toyota: - 72,106 / £20.1m / £279
Honda: - 60,022 / £12.5m / £208
Peugeot: - 82,886 / £17.1 / £206
Audi: - 67,575 / £11.9m / £177
VW: - 120,368 / £18.7m / £155
Vauxhall: - 205,554 / £26.0m / £127
Ford: - 219,824 / £25.0m / £144
BMW: - 75,161 / £1.7m / £22