Press Release: Antitrust: car prices fell only slightly in 2009 whereas prices for repairs and maintenance continued to rise despite the crisis

The European Commission’s latest report on car prices shows that prices fell slightly, in real terms, in the European Union in 2009 and also converged within the EU's single market. At the same time prices for repair and maintenance services as well as spare parts continued to rise well above inflation confirming the need for the stricter competition rules in place for the sector since 1 June 2010. The relatively stable car prices in 2009 owes much to the incentives to buy new cars put in place in many countries to mitigate the impact of the economic recession.