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Law
Competition Policy

Documents (Motor vehicles)

As part of its market monitoring activities, the Commission's competition department has published a number of studies produced by external consultants relating to the automotive sector.

The studies included in this section were produced by external entities for or on behalf of the Commission and represent their authors' views. These views have not been adopted or in any way approved by the Commission and should not be relied upon as stating the views of the Commission or its competition department. The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in these studies, nor does it accept responsibility for any use made thereof.

You will also find selected articles from the Competition News.

 

Car price reports

Between 1993 and 2011, the Commission has published annually the "Report on car prices within the European Union" ("Car Price Report"). This report has been discontinued.

When the report was launched, there were major car price differences among Member States, and it was much more difficult for consumers to compare prices across borders. Since then, the situation has improved greatly, in part due to enforcement action by the Commission, and also thanks to the increased availability of price information on the internet. This means there is no longer a need for the Commission to duplicate this information in the Car Price Report.

The Commission has progressively treated car sales the same as the sale of products in other economic sectors. When EU antitrust rules on vertical agreements in the car sector were reformed in 2010, the Commission did not find any significant competition shortcomings in the new cars sector that might require specific rules. However, specific provisions were adopted for the distribution of spare parts and the provision of repair and maintenance services in car aftermarkets. (See Regulation 461/2010).

The Commission continues to monitor the competitive situation on the new cars market, as well as the markets for spare parts and repair and maintenance, in cooperation with National Competition Authorities. The Commission is committed to safeguard competition in this sector and will not hesitate to take the necessary enforcement action if problems arise.

Archive: Car price reports (1993-2011)

 

External studies

External studies published by The Commission's competition department

 

Articles