Sourced from focus2move.com Mobility Database, which aggregates data from all national carmaker associations or dealers associations, including the ACEA, the report finds that the total of light vehicles sold in Europe was 1,579,000 in April, up 0.8% from a year ago. Year-to-date sales were 6,095,000, up 4.1%.

In April, Germany was back as the largest European car market (and the fifth globally) despite sales at 293,000 units down 3% from a year ago, with cumulative figures at 1,051,900, up 2.9%

Despite losing 7.8% from a year ago, Russia was second with 226,546 sales with a loss of 3.8% for the first four months. France was third with 200,010 sales, up 5.4% from last year while the UK, fourth for April, was again above expectations with 197,400, growing 7.2%.

In fifth place was Italy with 139,793 sales, up 3.5%, followed by Spain in sixth with April sales at 91,024, up 31.5% from last year. Sales for the first four months of the year were up 18.8%.

Despite flat sales, Belgium outpaced a falling Turkey that has lost 27.6%, one of the worst trends globally.

Markets showing strong improvements included Portugal with sales up 54.8% in April whilst Ireland and Hungary grew by over 27%.