Car prices: buying abroad often remains good deal

Publication date: 02 March 2004

The Commission released today its latest report on car prices. It shows that price convergence for new cars across markets continues. However, the latest figures show that many European consumers can still make significant savings by buying their cars in other Member States. This is because price differentials between certain countries, and particularly for certain models, are still significant. Pre-tax car prices are lowest in Denmark, Greece and Finland. Prices in Germany, the biggest market, and, to a lesser extend, in Austria remain among the highest within the euro zone.

This report is the first report released since the transition period for the application of the new regulation on motor vehicle distribution (Regulation 1400/2002) ended. It is based on car prices as they stood on 1 November 2003 and compares prices for a total of 91 models among the best-selling cars.

For more information:
- Commission press release (IP/04/285) 
- condensed electronic version of price tables

car_prices_112003.pdf (70 KB)