Alex Trelinski
CAR numbers in Spain are rising with motorists keeping what they’ve got and shunning electric car purchases.
That’s the conclusion of the Ancera car dealers association in their annual report produced in collaboration with marketing consultants AutoInfor.
The average age of cars on the road reached 13.6 years in 2024, up from 13.3 years the previous year.
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The report stresses the limited number of electric vehicles which they estimate at only 0.63% of all cars, though that is predicted to rise to 4% by 2029.
Despite an increase in registrations towards the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, Ancera says new car purchases has fallen by 0.3% so far this year.
It suggests that 45% of vehicles on Spanish roads are more than 15 years old and are likely to emit more pollutants than newer models
Ancera believes the the new vehicle market needs to hit 1.2 million a year but new registrations in 2023 totalled 950,649 vehicles.
Ancera general-secretary, Carlos Martin, said: “The latest report shows that more than 60% of the fleet is more than 11 years old and 99% of the vehicles in circulation have combustion engines.”
“It is essential for the sector to renew the circulating fleet, as newer vehicles cover more kilometres and are more profitable for our companies,” he added.
“Although almost 94% of the fleet continues to be petrol and diesel, the volume of hybrids and, to a lesser extent, electric vehicles is expected to increase in the coming years,” Martin predicted.
The group called on promoting policies and measures to coax motorists to switch to a less-polluting car and a greater use of sustainable technology.
We would love to buy an electric car in Mallorca, but the costs are SO prohibitive, especially if you only have a pension, that it’s impossible to afford.
Even buying a 10 year old car in Mallorca costs thousands! No wonder people hang onto their old vehicles as long as they can.
Until prices come down significantly, electric cars are out of the reach of most ordinary people. Its a luxury only affordable to the wealthy.