New passenger car registrations in the European Union in November fell 1.3 percent to 1.217 million vehicles from a year ago but were up 0.9 percent over the first 11 months, the ACEA European car association said on Friday.

Total European sales were down 1.1 percent in November and rose 1.1 percent for the 11 months.

ACEA said private demand in most of the countries of western Europe was damped by sharp rises in fuel prices, loss of purchasing power and regulatory changes.

Among car makers, Volkswagen Group remained the market leader for the 11 months, but its market share slipped to 19.7 percent from 20.1 percent.

PSA Peugeot Citroen Peugeot booked a sales rise and its market share was stable at 13 percent.

Ford made a small rise to 10.6 percent from 10.5 percent, GM was stable at 10.2 percent, while Renault declined to 8.6 percent from 9.2 percent. In the month of November, however, Renault's share was up to 9.1 percent from 8.1 percent on the back of recent new car launches such as the Twingo and Laguna.

Fiat's market share rose to 7.9 percent from 7.4 percent over the 11 months.