Car sales grow by double digits despite the holidays due to the boost in electric vehicles.

BarcelonaCar sales rose 12.4% in Catalonia through August compared to the same period last year. Specifically, 86,523 new vehicles were registered in eight months, according to data published this Monday by the sector's associations. In August alone, 8,255 registrations were recorded in Catalonia, 16.8% more than in August 2024. The manufacturers' association (Anfac) celebrated the market's continued "at a good pace" and attributed this, above all, to sales to individuals and companies and to electrified vehicles.

In fact, overall sales of electrified cars have soared 83.35%, reaching 20,365 registrations, almost double the 11,207 registered last year. The association forecasts that the country will close the year with more than 1.1 million cars sold.

Despite the summer and holiday period, Anfac has highlighted that passenger car sales have once again recorded "positive" figures, and in the eight-month cumulative total in Spain, 769,452 new passenger cars have been registered, 14.6% more than a year ago, but 1% more due to the pandemic. In August alone, sales increased by 17.2% annually, reaching 61,315 sales, and a quarter of the total were electrified. It also highlights that in 2025, for now, in the eight months closed, records have improved compared to last year.

Gasoline and diesel

Looking at sales by fuel type in Catalonia during August, gasoline passenger car registrations fell 28.3% year-on-year, to 1,835; and diesel registrations fell 30.5%, to 253. However, other fuels saw improved figures. Year-to-date, diesel sales fell 30% to 3,376 units, while gasoline car sales reached 22,686 units, a 20.4% decrease.

Overall registrations of electrified vehicles (including passenger cars, commercial and industrial vehicles, buses, and quadricycles) reached nearly 2,300 (2,298), more than double the 917 registered last year. Hybrid vehicles rose 19.5% to 3,495, and natural gas vehicles rose 47% to 531.

According to Anfac, the figures show "the effort" that brands are making to bring "increasingly affordable" electric models to market. The employers' association believes that for now, "all that's missing" is for electric car aid plans to have "sufficient" funding and for the aid to be "direct and easier to process."

More plug-ins

While non-plug-in hybrids accounted for the largest growth in sales last year, plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles (which also require plug-in) are now experiencing the greatest growth. According to data from employers' associations, between January and August, sales of non-plug-in hybrid cars grew by 21%, to 30,780 units, and sales of plug-in hybrids grew by almost 90%. Despite the significant growth, new cars with this technology only accounted for 9,103 registrations.

As for pure electric cars, the growth is also very significant, over 81%, to 9,835 units. Thus, plug-in cars sold in Catalonia far outnumber diesel cars and now practically outnumber gasoline cars.