Spanish Car Market Passes One Million Sales by the End of October
Spain registered 98,487 new cars in October 2026, up 1.8% on a year earlier and the best October since 2007, according to manufacturers' association ANFAC. The market passed one million registrations for the year, and plug-in cars took 31.5% of October sales, Motor16 reported on 3 November.
Key takeaways
- 98,487 registrations in October, up 1.8%, with two fewer working days.
- 1,010,545 cars from January to October, up 6.2%.
- Battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars together rose 43.1% to 31,044.
- BYD ranked fifth among brands with 5,306 cars.
Plug-in cars reach almost a third
Electric and plug-in hybrid cars took 31.5% of the market in October, with 31,044 registrations. For the year so far they total 248,343, up 37.6%, a 24.6% share. Average CO2 emissions of new cars fell to 91.8 g/km in October, and the average for the first ten months, 99.3 g/km, is below 100 g/km for the first time in the series. October had two working days fewer than in 2025, so daily sales grew faster than the headline figure.
Who bought the cars
Private buyers registered 52,686 cars, up 2.6%. Rental companies took 7,267, up 30.6%, while company registrations fell 3.3% to 38,534. The industry expects more than 1.2 million registrations for the full year. Dealers warned that the boost from the Plan Auto+ incentive faded in October as its budget runs down, and they want clarity on support for 2027.
Brands and models
The Dacia Sandero was again the best-selling car in Spain. BYD was the top Chinese brand for the third month in a row, finishing fifth overall with 5,306 cars, ahead of MG in 14th with 3,055. The BYD Atto 2 sold 1,911 units and overtook the MG ZS with 1,781, giving Chinese brands two models in the top five. Omoda reached 2,152 cars, Geely 1,777, Leapmotor 1,698 and Jaecoo 1,203. For the year to date, BYD leads MG with 39,690 registrations against 37,453.
What it means for buyers
Spanish buyers looking at an electric or plug-in car should act on the Plan Auto+ support while funds last, since the budget is close to running out and the 2027 rules are not settled. The growing Chinese line-up adds choice among compact SUVs, where the BYD Atto 2 and MG ZS now sell in large numbers. Light commercial vehicles fell 2.1% in October, so van buyers may find stock available.
See also the Sandero's generations and the BYD catalogue.
Sources
- Motor16: Las matriculaciones de turismos suben un 1,8% en octubre y ya superan el millon de unidades en 2026 (3 Nov 2026) (accessed 4 Nov 2026)
- China EV Home: Spain's NEV share reaches 31.5% in October as BYD rises to fifth (3 Nov 2026) (accessed 4 Nov 2026)
- Merca2: Las matriculaciones en octubre de 2026, BYD ya adelanta a MG (2 Nov 2026) (accessed 4 Nov 2026)
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