Electric and hybrid vehicle sales in Spain surged to a record high in January

The most sustainable types of vehicle are taking control. Sales of hybrid and electric cars have risen significantly in the past year, and that trend appears to be continuing in 2022.

These types of car are approaching about half of new registrations in January, a historic figure driven by the increase in fuel prices and policies to reduce emissions in major towns and cities.

Even though the market is in a difficult situation because of a lack of microchips and the bottlenecks in logistics, manufacturers are committed to producing new and more efficient models.

"Consumers consider hybrid and electric vehicles to be a realistic option and that's why a major boost is needed in developing public charging points, to give clients more confidence. The current financing plans for the purchase also need to be as effective as possible," says José López-Tafall, the CEO of Anfac - the Spanish association of motor manufacturers.

Between January and December last year 859,477 vehicles of all types were sold in Spain, which was one per cent more than in 2020 but 32 per cent lower than in 2019. Car registrations dropped by 18.7 per cent in the last month of 2021 compared to December 2020, to 86,081.

The figure for this January was better than that of the same month last year, but it is the second lowest since 2000. In the first month of this year, the sector continued to be held back by the lack of supplies, which has considerably reduced the stocks of vehicles available. Registrations of cars and 4x4s were higher than those of January 2021 by just 400, and there was a growth of one per cent, according to Anfac.

However, this static sales growth has been alleviated thanks to the registration of electric, hybrid and gas-powered vehicles (cars, quads, commercial and industrial vehicles and buses), whose sales increased by 57.8 per cent in January compared with the same month last year, to a total of 19,845. Of those, 19,084 were cars.

The sales of these alternative vehicles (electric, hybrid and gas-powered) exceeded those of petrol (16,579) and diesel (15,404) vehicles. The increase in registrations of these vehicles in the first month of the year meant these types of vehicles had 38.3 per cent of the total market in Spain.

In the case of cars, the market share of electric and hybrid is 45 per cent.

Electric only vehicles now accounted for 10.4 per cent of the market - with the car segment accounting for 12.6 per cent.

Similarly, self-charging hybrids continue to consolidate and now account for 25.7 per cent of the market for vehicles overall and 31 per cent of car sales, according to the analysis by Anfac.

More of this type of sustainable vehicle were registered in January than any other type, at 13,339. This is an increase of 43.5 per cent compared with the same month in 2021. They are followed by plug-in hybrids, at 3,218 (an increase of 123 per cent) and electric vehicles, whose sales rose by 254 per cent in January to 2,188.

With regard to Malaga province, registration of new hybrids rose by 64.04 per cent compared with last year, the highest number in Andalucía after Cadiz.

In terms of electric vehicles, Malaga province is in fourth position when it comes to growth, with an increase of 144.44 per cent, after Seville, Cadiz and Almeria, according to information from Anfac and Faconauto.

"The dealers are noting that customers are more interested in this type of vehicle now. There has been an incredible increase in the sales of hybrid models," says Carlos Oliva, president of the Asociación Malagueña de Automoción (Ama-Asomauto). "Concern over fuel consumption and environmental factors have a lot to do with it," he says.

Even though sales of electric models are lower, Oliva says they have also increased. "The sales figures are good, but the price is about 25 per cent higher than that of a diesel car, while the hybrids are much more competitive," he explains. He also says there need to be many more public charging points, because "this is something that is not yet fully developed," and that makes it more difficult for people to use a 100 per cent electric vehicle.

With regard to the situation for dealers, the president of Amar-Asomauto explains that in Malaga it is similar to the rest of Spain: the stock of new cars is extremely low.