Low-cost petrol stations could account for 71% of Spain's total fuel sales

It is rare to find a petrol station where a worker fills a customer's fuel tank nowadays. Facilities that have not adapted to the self-service model seem doomed to disappear.

The Spanish association of self-service stations (AESAE) has just published its sector report for 2025. It shows that self-service petrol stations, often known as low-cost, have become an increasingly attractive option in the market.

Today, this type of petrol station already occupies 29% of the market in Spain, with 3,477 points. The growth since 2019, which is the year they became popular, has been 294%. The big boom came with the pandemic and the aim of reducing human contact to the minimum.

According to AESAE president Manuel Jiménez, self-service petrol stations have been normalised beyond the pandemic. Nowadays, they are seen as a natural part of the supply network.

Jiménez says that Spain is a particularly price-sensitive country and the emergence of self-service petrol stations has made it difficult for traditional facilities to compete. Petrol stations that still provide in-person assistance have two options: they can either close down or adapt to the self-service model. Many have opted for the latter.

Although the transformation process is uneven, there are clear leaders in the expansion trend: Andalucía with 745 stations, up 89% compared to 2023; Catalonia (534, +19%) and Valencia (482, +35%). In relative terms, the highest growth is in the Canary Islands, which has increased its network fivefold to 154 stations (+431%).

Also noteworthy are Navarre (from 24 to 101, +321%), Castilla-La Mancha (263, +105%) and Murcia (139, +120%). On the other hand, the Balearic Islands have reduced their network from 24 to 13 stations (-46%), while Madrid and Catalonia, despite having a large market share, have showed more contained increases (+24% and +19%).

The biggest problem facing self-service petrol stations is the widespread perception that their fuel is of poorer quality, which, many believe, allows them to reduce their prices. Jiménez denies this and says: "How is it possible for something that has almost 30% of the market to do so through a low-quality product?"

AESAE highlights the "structural change in the fuel market", which is slowly taking place as self-service petrol stations prove to be "efficient, competitive and sustainable".

Based on data from other countries, where this type of petrol station is more widespread, their market share ranges between 65% and 75%. AESAE estimates that Spain could reach a 71% share.