The five largest car markets in Europe, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain, all recorded increased sales in August compared to a year earlier.

However, the boost in August was not enough to shore up the decline in previous months and overall the market is down by 1.1% year-to-date.

Commenting on the findings, Gareth Hession, vice president, research at JATO Dynamic, said: ‘The increased sales in the European market in August are certainly welcome news for the industry. Hopefully this momentum can be maintained, but we are all aware that there is still much economic uncertainty across the Continent.’

According to the firm’s analysis, of the top 10 models, eight recorded increased sales in August, with five recording increases of more than 10%. The Volkswagen Golf has remained Europe’s best-selling car, with increased sales of 18.3% in August compared to a year earlier, although year-to-date sales are still 3.9% lower than 2010. The Volkswagen Polo, with sales up by 3.4%, has retained second place, while the Ford Focus narrowly beat its smaller sibling, the Fiesta, to third place in August.

Eight of the top 10 brands recorded increased sales in August. Outside the top 10, Jeep has recorded a 46.4% increase in year-to-date sales, mostly resulting from increased sales of its Wrangler and Compass models in Italy with the brand now available through Fiat’s large dealer network, and benefiting from increased marketing.

Lexus has also recorded significantly increased sales for the year-to-date, up 30.7%, following the introduction of the new CT 200h model as an entry model to the brand’s range.