Bankinter | Car sales rise 1.8% in 2025 to 10.6 million. Still far from pre-pandemic levels (13 million in 2019). Registrations gain momentum in December (5.8% year-on-year) and contribute to a slight increase in the annual total (1.8% to 10.6 million).
Combustion vehicles lead the decline (diesel down 24.2% and petrol down 18.7%), while electric vehicles accelerate (plug-in hybrids up 33.4%, electric vehicles up 29.9% and non-plug-in hybrids up 13.7%). Among the main markets, Spain closed the year with growth of 12.9% and Germany 1.4%, but France (down 5.0%) and Italy (down 2.1%) saw declines.
Bankinter analysis team’s view: Vehicle sales managed to advance slightly, marking three consecutive years of recovery. Despite this, they remain well below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, registrations exceeded 13 million after growing above 15 million in 2018 and 2017. Non-plug-in hybrids remain the favourite choice among consumers, with a market share of 34.5% compared to 35.5% for combustion engines (26.6% petrol and 8.9% diesel), 17.4% for pure electric vehicles, 9.4% for plug-in hybrids and 3.2% for other types. Particularly noteworthy is the sales growth of Chinese manufacturers (BYD up 228% year-on-year, SAIC up 34%), while German manufacturers are regaining traction (BMW up 6%, Volkswagen up 5%, Mercedes up 1%) and Tesla continues to lead the decline, down 38%.
