Car sales slow in January due to lack of subsidies

BarcelonaThe automotive market is starting the year weakly. In January, 9,434 new cars were registered in Catalonia, 0.7% fewer than in the same month last year, while across Spain as a whole, new registrations rose by only 1.1% to 73,103 units, according to data published this Monday by the industry associations Anfac, Faconauto, and Gan. These associations highlight two factors that have significantly impacted the slowdown in car sales this January, following a year of growth in 2025. Firstly, the effect of the DANA storm. Last year, car sales growth in January was very high due to the aid received by Valencians to replace vehicles damaged by the storm. This effect lasted for a few months last year, but has now subsided.

On the other hand, the end of the Moves Plan, with the approval of the Auto Plan still pending, has led many potential buyers to postpone purchasing a car, as there is currently no government assistance available. Only some dealerships are offering loans to offset future subsidies, hoping they will be retroactive to January 1st.

Félix García, communications director of the manufacturers' association Anfac, explains that "January is starting positively despite the uncertainties," and emphasizes that without the effects of the DANA storm, the growth rate would not be 1% but 7%. Even so, he points out that "neither the Auto+ Plan has been published nor is the extension of the personal income tax deduction for the purchase of an electric vehicle in effect," and, in this regard, notes that "it is necessary to provide certainty to the market and consolidate the transformation towards electromobility."

Raúl Morales, communications director of Faconauto, indicates that the growth in registrations [nationwide] this January is a "mirror" because these are transactions that had been carried over from December. Morales is clear: "The fact that there hasn't been a plan to subsidize the purchase of electrified vehicles has discouraged many purchases and has meant that no order book is being generated for the coming months."

More electrified vehicles

However, sales of electrified vehicles are gaining ground. Thus, in Catalonia, overall vehicle registrations fell in January, but hybrid car registrations increased by 6.41% to 4,763 units; plug-in hybrid registrations grew by 64% to 984 units; and pure electric vehicle registrations increased by 0.67% to 895 units. At the national level, sales of electrified vehicles (electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including passenger cars, quadricycles, buses, and commercial and industrial vehicles) began 2016 with 16,654 units sold, representing a 46.2% increase compared to 46.7% in the previous year. The percentage of electrified vehicles at the start of this year stands at 18.59%, 6 percentage points higher than in January 2025. By technology, conventional hybrids remain the preferred option for users, accounting for nearly 40% of sales. Sales of pure electric vehicles increased by 25% in January 2026, with 7,398 units registered. These vehicles represent 8.26% of the total market, 1.5 percentage points higher than in the same month of 2025. Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles grew by 70.2% during January, reaching 9,256 registered units. This represents 10.33% of the market share for the month, a 4 percentage point increase compared to January 2025. Sales of non-plug-in hybrid vehicles increased slightly this month, with 8.6% more units sold. A total of 35,651 vehicles with this technology were registered during January, representing 39.79% of the total market share.