AVERAGE new car prices across Europe during the third quarter of last year were at their weakest for more than two years, a new study has found.

The latest quarterly survey by the Roadtodata Euro Index reveals that prices fell in five markets – the largest number since the index was launched in 1998. Sweden recorded the biggest fall in prices, down 2.2% year-on-year, and prices also fell in Italy (-1.7%), the Czech Republic( -1.3%), the Netherlands (-1%) and Poland (-0.2%).

Markets identified by the study in which prices rose most quickly were Portugal, with average prices up 3.5%, and France, up 2.9%.