Spain’s used-car sales top 1.64 million through September
Spain recorded 1,640,051 used passenger-car and SUV transactions through September, up 2.6% year on year. Electrified models and vehicles up to five years old gained ground, but cars over 15 years still accounted for 41.6% of sales.
Used vehicles outsell new cars
Spain’s market for used passenger cars and SUVs recorded 1,640,051 transactions through September, an increase of 2.6% from the same period a year earlier, according to figures from industry associations GANVAM and Faconauto reported by ABC. The result confirms the continuing strength of secondhand demand even after activity softened slightly in the latest month.
September produced 184,051 transactions, down 0.6% year on year. Despite that marginal decline, Spain is currently selling 1.8 used cars for every new car, illustrating the importance of the secondhand channel for households, dealers and vehicle-finance providers.
Demand splits between younger and very old cars
Vehicles up to five years old increased their sales by 5.2% through September and represented 26% of the market. Growth in this segment gives franchised dealers and independent retailers a larger pool of relatively modern inventory, including vehicles returning from leasing and fleet use.
At the same time, cars more than 15 years old remained the largest age category, accounting for 41.6% of transactions. The average used vehicle sold in Spain was 11.4 years old. For transactions between private individuals, the average exceeded 15 years, while that channel represented more than six out of every ten deals.
GANVAM and Faconauto said Spain urgently needs a national fleet-renewal plan to meet the Sustainable Mobility Law. The associations noted that incentives under the current Auto+ plan do not require an older vehicle to be scrapped. Their concern is that rising overall sales alone will not modernize the fleet while older cars continue to dominate private transactions.
Electrified models lead powertrain growth
Electrification is supporting demand for younger used vehicles. Sales of secondhand battery-electric passenger cars rose 39.8% through September to 27,920 units. Used plug-in hybrid sales climbed 46.9% to 43,762 units. Although these volumes remain a limited portion of the total market, their growth is substantially faster than the headline rate.
Traditional powertrains showed weaker momentum. Diesel remained the leading technology with 48.1% of transactions, but its sales declined 2.9%. Gasoline-car sales were almost flat, falling 0.2% to 581,955 units in the first nine months.
Madrid diverges from weaker regions
Regional performance varied sharply in September. The Community of Madrid registered 32,999 transactions, up 34.6% for the month, and accumulated growth of 13.5% through September. Castilla-La Mancha advanced 10.1% and Navarra gained 2.8% during the month.
Other regions contracted: Cantabria fell 14.8%, the Canary Islands 12.7%, La Rioja 11.9% and Andalusia 9.5%. The differences indicate that the national increase is uneven, with Madrid providing a particularly strong contribution while several large regional markets lost momentum in September.
