January 2022 saw a "new historic low" in car sales across the EU, dropping 6% from the same period in 2020.

New data released shows that the 682,596 cars registered across the European Union represents the lowest figure since records began in 1990.

Data from the industry's carmaker association claimed semiconductor shortages continued to hit car sales across the region.

While there were increases in Slovakia (72.6%) and Romania (55.5%) there was a clear variation with nearly all countries in western Europe seeing contractions across the area, according to the ACEA (carmakers association).

The association noted "a new historic low in EU car sales for the first month of the year".

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The pandemic saw car manufacturers struggle as they were unable to get chips critical to operating systems in modern cars, meaning they were unable to fulfil demand in 2021.

This has seen a knock-on impact on the second-hand car market as the number of vehicles available has decreased.

Both Italy and France saw decreases in new car registrations, almost 20%, and while Spain remains roughly stable, Germany saw their sale rise by 8.5% according to the ACEA.

European carmakers all saw a drop in sales, while their Asian counterparts, with the exception of Nissan, saw their number rise.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 16 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers