New car sales in Spain up 18% in May driven by more electric vehicles and 'Dana' flood-damage replacements

The passenger car market in Spain has experienced a notable upturn in May, closing the month with an accumulated growth of 14% so far this year. While this is a positive figure, it is still 10.2% below the pre-pandemic record sales for 2019.

This momentum is largely due to two factors. Firstly, the growth of the electric vehicle sector (cars with electric motors, including hybrid vehicles that use other fuels too, so not just pure electric). Secondly, the boost in sales in the areas in Spain most affected by the 'Dana' weather events that wiped out so many vehicles.

Electric passenger cars achieved their best-ever record with 21,861 units sold, representing almost 20% of the total market.

Meanwhile, light commercial vehicle registrations also grew by 14.9% to 17,885 units. However, the commercial vehicle, bus, coach and minibus segment continues to decline, with a drop of 15.5% and 2,517 units registered.

New passenger car sales reached a total of 112,820 units, an 18.6% increase over the same period last year. Sales of pure electric and plug-in hybrid (BEV+PHEV) passenger cars added 21,861 new units, representing a 138% increase in May. During the month, electrified cars accounted for 19.4%. These figures mark the highest ever single month for electrified passenger car sales.

For the year as a whole, 77,562 units have been sold, 71.7% more than in the previous year. In 2025, they already represent 15.8% of the market, 5 percentage points more than in 2024.

This has an impact on emissions, with the average CO2 emissions of cars sold in May falling to 104.1 grams of CO2 per kilometre driven, 12.6% lower than the average emissions of new cars sold in the same month of 2024. For the cumulative total for 2025, average emissions stand at 108.8%, 7.6% lower than in the first four months of 2024.

In terms of sales by channel, the largest increase was recorded in sales to private individuals, with 45,749 units and an increase of 22.2%. The rental industry grew by 18.8% in May with 32,794 sales, and companies added 34,277 new units, an increase of 13.7%.