The number of passenger vehicles being registered for use in the EU fell in the first eight months of the year.

Figures published by ACEA – the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association – revealed a 5.2 per cent fall in purchases in this sector, with 7.84 million cars bought – the lowest figure ever recorded by the organisation for this period.

Spain (down 3.6 per cent), Germany (down 6.6 per cent), Italy (down nine per cent) and France (down 9.8 per cent) were the worst affected countries.

August was a poor month for the European automotive market, with a five per cent reduction in sales from the same period last year.

However, the news was not all bad, as the UK recorded a 10.44 per cent upturn in registrations in comparison to the same eight-month period of 2012, while August registrations were up by 10.9 per cent.

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Posted by Jennifer Yates, Account Manager, The Fuelcard People.