Earlier this year the Consumer Council sparked outrage within the industry after it published an article in its monthly magazine claiming that Islanders were being ‘ripped off’ by local car dealers.
The article, published in the April edition of the magazine, claimed that Jersey motorists were paying over the odds for cars compared with prices in the UK and on the internet. It was later forced to print an ‘unreserved apology’, saying that it had used ‘flawed data’ and did not compare like-for-like prices.
Now Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean has asked the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority to review the market to clear-up any concern over the price of cars in the Island. It will consider the level of pricing, costs and profit associated with vehicle sales to Jersey customers.