The total marks the lowest since at least 1990, when ACEA first started to compile data, and follow similar slumps in China and the U.S.

April will likely prove no better as car plants remain idle and government-imposed lockdowns exacerbate an economic crash that looks set to outstrip the 2008/09 financial crisis.

"With containment or lockdown measures taking hold in most markets from around the middle of the month, the vast majority of European dealerships were closed during the second half of March," ACEA said.

Sales fell in all EU markets, with Italy -- hit particularly hard by the pandemic -- reporting the biggest drop of 85 percent, while registrations tumbled by 38 percent in Germany, 44 percent in the UK, 72 percent in France and 69 percent in Spain.