Almost one in four cars sold in Catalonia in the first quarter of this year are plugged in, according to data published this Wednesday by the automotive sector employers' associations Anfac, Fecavem and Ganvam. Thus, in Catalonia, 34,340 cars and SUVs were sold from January to March, of which 23.8% can be connected to the electrical grid: that is, they are plug-in hybrids or pure electrics.

The sale of cars with only diesel or gasoline engines is declining rapidly. In 2026, three out of every four cars sold in Catalonia have an alternative powertrain, with non-plug-in hybrids leading the way. According to data from industry associations, 20,569 cars were sold in Catalonia between January and February, 4.1% more than in the same period of the previous year. Of these sales, 15,424 units were alternative models – hybrids, plug-in hybrids, pure electric vehicles, or gas-powered vehicles – representing 74.9% of the total. Half of the cars registered in Catalonia, 10,270, were non-plug-in hybrids, while plug-in hybrids accounted for 2,144 and fully electric vehicles for 2,342. Gas-powered cars totaled 668. However, plug-in hybrids are gaining ground, increasing by 54.8%, while pure electric vehicles grew by 40.16%. Conversely, non-plug-in hybrids increased by only 13.78%, and gas-powered vehicles fell by 4.9%.

The 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.

During 2025, leasing companies registered 351,287 vehicles in Spain, representing a 4.51% increase over the previous year's 336,142, according to data published by the Spanish Vehicle Leasing Association (AER). However, the growth rate of vehicle acquisitions for leasing is lower than the overall growth of new vehicle registrations in Spain, as a total of 1.36 million vehicles were sold in the country during 2025, a 12.33% increase compared to the previous year. Therefore, leasing accounted for 25.74% of total vehicle registrations in 2025, meaning that one in four new vehicles was acquired by leasing companies, compared to 27.67% in 2024. This weight loss coincides with an exceptionally good year for total vehicle sales in the state. The vehicle segment where leasing has the greatest presence is that of commercial vehicles, vans, and pick upwhere the sector holds 42.59% of the market.

Catalonia closed 2025 with 136,142 registered cars, an 11.8% increase compared to the previous year. According to data from the automotive industry associations Anfac, Faconauto, and Ganvam, the Catalan market accounted for 11.9% of the national total, consolidating its position as the second-largest sales region after Madrid (42.9%). Electrified cars dominated, representing 65% of the total: non-plug-in hybrids were the most popular, although plug-in hybrids saw the greatest sales growth. While sales of traditional combustion engine cars continued to decline, electrified models are gaining ground. Thus, 34,827 gasoline cars were sold in Catalonia during 2025, a 19.7% decrease compared to the previous year. The drop was even greater for diesel cars. Only 4,571 units were sold, almost 36% fewer than the previous year. In contrast, alternative fuel vehicles gained ground. 96,744 units were sold, 35.6% more than the previous year. Non-plug-in hybrids maintained a significant presence in the Catalan market, with 58,675 registrations accumulated during the year, 18.3% more than in 2024 and close to 12% of the national total. As for gas-powered vehicles, Catalonia registered 7,442 units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 72.3%, with a 12.7% share of the national market. As for plug-in hybrids, 15,078 units were sold, more than double the previous year's figure (100.53%), while pure electric vehicles totaled 15,549 units, a 56.8% increase. Overall, the Catalan market's performance was slightly lower than that of Spain as a whole, which reached 1,148,650 passenger cars sold in 2025, representing a 12.9% year-on-year increase. According to national data, electrified passenger cars accounted for 66.8% of the total, with a market share rising from 63% in January to 72.1% in December. Regarding brands and models, companies like Toyota, Renault, and Volkswagen continue to be among the most prevalent in the vehicle fleet, with models such as the Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio, and MG ZS leading sales throughout the year. Seat ranked fifth among best-selling brands, with the Seat Ibiza as its flagship model.

The age of the car fleet circulating on our roads continues to grow and now stands at an average of 14.5 years, a figure 0.3 years higher than the 14.2 years recorded in 2023. This figure is even higher if we analyse the rest of the vehicles. We find that industrial vehicles are the oldest in the fleet with an average of 15.1 years, but not far behind commercial vehicles, with 14.7 years. As for buses, they are the youngest with an average of 11.5 years.