Euro has not yet converged EU car prices - report

23 July 2002: Car price differences between European Union member states have not converged despite the introduction of the euro, according to a European Commission report issued yesterday. The report is based on recommended retail prices before tax provided by the manufacturers.

The biggest price difference for a car between the highest and lowest pre-tax prices jumped to 63 percent for a Fiat Seicento (right) in Britain compared to Spain. In the previous survey, that spread was 50 per cent.

The surveys are taken twice a year. The current one shows that euro zone car prices before tax on May 1 were generally lowest in Spain, Greece, and Finland, while the highest were in Germany and Austria.

Britain, not in the euro zone, had the highest EU prices for more than half the models examined. Denmark, also not a euro country, was among the lower price group.

Companies with wide price differences are Opel-Vauxhall and Saab, and Japanese manufacturers Honda and Suzuki. BMW and DaimlerChrysler, along with Ford, showed price differentials within the euro zone of 15 percent or less.

(The story in more detail is here.)

July 2002