BarcelonaAlmost 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.
Thus, while traditional fuels are losing ground, electrified cars are gaining. In Catalonia, 34,340 cars were registered in the first quarter, 10.62% more than in the same period last year. Of these, 7,557 were gasoline, with a decrease of 16.29% compared to the first quarter of the previous year. The drop was more significant in the case of diesel engine cars: 757 were registered in the first quarter, 48.85% less than in the same period of 2025.
In contrast, alternative powertrains reached 26,026 units, 26.74% more than in the first quarter of last year. Within this group, non-plug-in hybrid cars stand out (those that have a support electric motor but do not plug into the electrical grid), which have an Eco label from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), with 16,540 units, 17.81% more than in the same period last year.
In the case of plug-in hybrids –many of which have a Zero label–, 3,862 units were registered from January to March, 67.48% more than in the first quarter of last year, and pure electrics registered 4,311 units in the same quarter, 45.35% more than in the same period last year. The rest of alternative fuel cars, 1,313 units, were gas-powered, with an increase of 7.36% compared to the first quarter of last year.
In the State as a whole, registrations exceeded 300,000 units in the first quarter of the year, representing an increase of 7.6% compared to the same period in 2025. Regarding sales by fuel type, in the first quarter, plug-in hybrid vehicle sales grew by 74.2%, with 35,740 units. Similarly, electrification completed another positive quarter, with 27,227 sales of 100% electric vehicles, corresponding to a rise of 41.6% year-on-year.
Regarding electrified passenger cars (BEV+PHEV), in the year-to-date cumulative, 62,966 units have been reached, 58.4% more than in the same period of the previous year, representing 21% of sales, almost 7 percentage points more than in 2025. The market share of these two types of models reached 20.6%.
Pre-pandemic figures are exceeded
The director of communication and marketing for the manufacturers’ association Anfac, Félix García, has highlighted that “the month of March once again demonstrates the good state of the market”. “We exceeded 130,000 units sold, a figure above sales in the same month of 2019”, just before the pandemic, he added.
García also highlighted that the growth compared to last year would be even higher without the effect of the storm (DANA), which boosted sales last year due to the need to replace damaged cars in Valencia. For the sector’s associations, at the current pace, the year could close with 1.2 million units sold.
