Spain’s new-car market goes from strength to strength with help from EVs

08 May 2025

The Spanish new-car market’s strong run continued in April, as electric vehicles (EVs) benefitted from a new round of incentives. Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the latest registration figures from Spain.

Spain’s new-car market continued its run of growth in April. Registrations in the country were up 7.1% in the month, as 98,522 passenger cars took to the country’s roads.

The latest data from industry association ANFAC shows a market in its ascendancy. April was Spain’s eighth consecutive month of growth. Other major European new-car markets have seen turbulence in this period. However, the Spanish result makes it the strongest in the region in terms of performance.

April 2024 was also an anomalous month, with deliveries bouncing back after the early Easter. This makes the month’s results even more impressive. Yet compared with April 2023, which also featured an Easter break, the Spanish market improved by 31.8%.

The country had its own challenges in April. A nationwide power outage closed businesses and prevented registrations, although this did not significantly impact results. Instead, a renewal of the country’s MOVES III incentives for EVs has boosted the sector.

In the first four months of 2025, Spain’s registration figures were up by 12.2%, with 377,900 units delivered. It is the only market in the big five to have achieved growth during this period.

Encouraging times for Spain

‘The massive blackout had no impact on the market, as the units not registered that day were registered on subsequent days. The boost in sales in the Valencian community due to the Reinicia Auto+ plan for vehicles affected by the [severe storms last year] continues to be a significant stimulus for the market,’ commented Félix García, ANFAC’s director of communications and marketing.

‘Spain has managed to maintain the positive pace of registrations, backed by the good economic data that drives demand in the private market,’ added Ana Azofra, regional head of valuation and insights at Autovista Group.

‘This is helped by incentives such as the MOVES plan and other regional plans. The momentum of rental companies, so relevant in the Spanish market, is driving registrations while also rejuvenating the used-car market.

‘It is also worth highlighting the growing importance of electrified vehicles, which again grew significantly this month. They achieved a share of 16.2%, bringing Spain a little closer to other European markets. The entry of new players and greater price competitiveness are also behind this good performance,’ she concluded.

PHEVs push forward

The MOVES III programme extension added €400 million to the budget, with applications retroactively applicable from 1 January 2025. The incentive scheme will be available to buyers until 31 December 2025. Buyers can receive up to €7,000 towards the purchase of an EV, if they scrap another vehicle.

The extension was announced at the beginning of April, and has helped boost an EV market that was already growing. Spain’s battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations are some of the lowest among the big five European markets. Belgium and the Netherlands often outperform the country when it comes to EV volumes. However, numbers are now on the up.

In April, PHEV registrations increased by 80.3%, with 9,123 units delivered, according to Autovista24 calculations. The powertrain was the best-performing technology in terms of year-on-year growth.

The result gave PHEVs the third-biggest market share in the country, with 9.3% of the total registrations. This was 3.8 percentage points (pp) higher than April 2024.

In the first four months of 2025, PHEV registrations improved by 42.8%, with 29,635 deliveries. This equated to a 7.8% hold on the market, up from 6.2% recorded in the same period last year.

BEVs also saw phenomenal growth. Deliveries of all-electric powertrains improved by 78% last month, with a 6,837-unit total. This gave the technology a 7% market share, up by 2.8pp.

Between January and April, BEVs saw deliveries increase by 71.2%. The technology accounted for 6.9% of registrations in this period, up by 2.4pp year on year.

Impressive EV figures

With such high growth for each plug-in powertrain, the EV market enjoyed a strong April. Registrations were 79.3% higher compared to the same month last year, as drivers in the country begin to embrace the technology. This equated to 7,059 more EVs taking to Spanish roads, based on Autovista24 calculations.

With this result, the powertrain grouping enjoyed its best market share of the year. In total, 16.2% of all passenger cars registered in Spain were plug-in models, up from 9.7% in April 2024.

This performance means that in the year to date, 19,719 more EVs were delivered to customers, up 54.8%. The 14.7% market share was up 4pp compared to the same period last year.

‘Electrification continues at a good pace in 2025, driven by the renewal of the MOVES scheme and the launch of new, more affordable models. The announcement, at the beginning of April, of the continuation of the MOVES plan is a message to citizens to continue investing in pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles,’ commented José López-Tafall, general director of ANFAC.

‘This is necessary because we are still well below the European average, which is recovering. We must accelerate and continue strengthening electrification, with more efficient tools that incentivise purchases, and by reducing the deployment times of charging points, especially high-power ones.

‘Electrification must also be visible not only to current users, but also to potential users. Therefore, increasing signage for the many charging points and charging stations that already exist on the roads is urgent,’ he added.

Hybrids remain on top

The hybrid market, made up of full and mild hybrids, was the market leader in volume terms during April. The technology is comfortably the most dominant powertrain, and once again saw impressive growth.

Registrations were up 33.8%, with 40,739 units taking to the road. This was a rise of 10,300 passenger cars, and gave the technology a 41.4% market share. In the same month last year, hybrids achieved a 33.1% hold.

Across the year to date, hybrids saw figures improve by 35.9%, according to Autovista24 calculations. A total of 162,297 units equates to a market share of 42.9%, up from 35.5% in April 2024.

Combining the hybrid and EV markets, electrified vehicles led the way in Spain during the month. Registrations were up 44.1%, equating to a 17,358-unit rise. With 57.6% of the market, this group has established itself as the leading powertrain, ahead of the internal-combustion engine (ICE).

Over the first four months of the year, electrified registrations increased 40.3%, with 62,557 more models delivered. The market has achieved a 57.7% share, up from 46.2% seen between January and April 2024.

Petrol struggles worsen in Spain

Spain’s registration rise owes everything to the performance of electrified powertrains. The ICE market has struggled this year, with April’s figures proving to be the worst performance so far.

Petrol has been in decline in the country. However, April saw its worst performance for some time, with a 20.5% drop in registrations. In total, 31,990 units were delivered, representing 32.5% of the market.

In the same month last year, petrol accounted for 43.7% of registrations, making it the dominant fuel type. It has since been overtaken by hybrids, making it the second-most-popular technology in the country.

In the first four months of 2025, petrol registrations declined by 12.7%, with 119,753 registrations. This equated to a 31.7% market share, down 9pp compared to the same period in 2024.

Meanwhile, diesel was once again the least-popular powertrain in Spain. Registrations were down by 38.3%, equating to 3,443 fewer deliveries. In total, 5,557 units made their way to customers, according to Autovista24 calculations. This gave the technology a 5.6% share, dropping 4.2pp.

Between January and April, diesel deliveries declined by 34.4%, with 21,883 registrations. The market share of 5.8% was down from 9.9% recorded in the same period of last year.

Combined, the ICE market saw registrations slide 23.7% last month, a loss of 11,685 units. In the year to date, deliveries are down 17%, with 28,908 fewer units taking to Spanish roads.