UK car dealers offer vehicles for hundreds of pounds less than if the same model was bought in mainland Europe, a survey has revealed.

Online car seller Drivethedeal.com says UK dealer-supplied cars were on average £826 cheaper than equivalent imported models, a figure that has risen by £119 since its last survey in summer 2002.

The company chose 10 cars from its site and compared prices on equivalent models sold on three sites specialising in imported cars. It said that eight of the 10 cars were better value when purchased directly from Drivethedeal.com and then sourced through a UK dealer.

Examples given are a Citroen C5 HDi SX and a Renault Scenic Dynamique 1.6 which were £3,236 and £1,404 cheaper respectively when sourced in the UK. Details of the survey follow a study that found the gap between new car prices in the UK with those in the rest of Europe is closing.

The European Index of New Car Pricing warned UK fleets that as a result, sourcing cars from another country in a bid to save money is becoming a less attractive proposition.