By Robin Pomeroy
BRUSSELS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - British motorists are paying up to 60 percent more for cars than their EU neighbours, a survey from the European Commission survey showed on Thursday, confirming it as the costliest EU country for car buyers.
In the most extreme example in a survey of car prices in the 15 EU states, the Commission found a Fiat Seicento cost 59.5 percent more in Britain than in Spain, pre-tax.
"It's always worthwhile to shop around between the different member states," Commission spokesman Tilman Lueder said.
British drivers faced added costs from a high euro and the requirement for right-hand drive models. The survey found conversion costs for changing the steering wheel from one side to the other added between four and 10 percent to the price.
Within the euro zone, Germany topped the high-price chart. Thirty-one models were between 20 and 42 percent more expensive than in the lowest price countries.
The cheapest place to buy cars were Finland, Greece and the Netherlands, the survey, which the European Union's executive arm conducts every six months, found.
The figures show a tiny amount of price convergence between EU countries since the last survey. Standard deviation of prices was 10.1 percent, compared with 10.6 percent six months ago.
Overall, manufacturers' recommended retail prices ex tax were down 0.2 percent when the survey was conducted last November, the Commission said.