A complaint against a Toyota iQ advert has been shunned by the advertising watchdog.

The regional press ad stated "I_CAN_CARRY_4_OF_YOU I_CAN_PROTECT_YOU I_CAN_GO I_AM_UNIQUE I_AM_IQ".

The complainant, who was particularly concerned about the safety of passengers in the rear seats, challenged whether Toyota could substantiate the claim “I can protect you”.

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) did not uphold the qualm noting the Toyota iQ had received a 5-Star rating for safety from Euro NCAP.

“We considered that the claim was likely to lead readers to expect that the car had achieved accepted industry safety standards. Because Toyota has shown that the Toyota iQ has, we concluded that the ad was unlikely to mislead,” it said.