The Spanish auto market closed September on a positive note, marking the second straight monthly gain and setting a hopeful tone for year-end results. Last year proved tougher, finishing with a 7.4% decline and a total of 600,281 registrations.
According to data from the Spanish Automobile and Truck Manufacturers Association (Anfac), 67,240 cars and sport utility vehicles were sold in Spain in September, up 12.7% from the same month a year earlier. Still, industry stakeholders remind that this September performance needs to be viewed in context, as activity remains below pre-pandemic levels by about 17% versus September 2019.
Anfac cites inflation, consumer uncertainty about the economy, and ongoing microchip shortages as key factors that have kept sales from rebounding to pre-pandemic levels.
load all channels
On the bright side, all sales channels improved in September. The strongest growth came from fleet and company registrations, which reached 30,599 units, a 19.2% rise. Leasing firms followed with a 17.8% increase to 6,327 units, and private buyers registered 30,314 vehicles, a sign that individual demand remained supportive.
Beyond passenger cars and SUVs, demand for light commercial vehicles and buses rose by 18.6%, totaling 2,351 units, with year-to-date sales of 18,170 across January to September, representing a 12% gain over the prior year. Meanwhile, light commercial vehicle records closed September at 86,756 units, down 27.7% from the first nine months of 2021.
Gas goes down, emissions go down
September proved to be the weakest month for gasoline among the year’s data. Overall, petrol-powered vehicles accounted for only 38% of total sales, slipping 5.1% from August. Diesel continued to dominate the market, representing 43.9% of registrations and 18.1% of overall sales, marking the second-best performance of the year for diesel vehicles.
This shift away from gasoline helped push the average emissions of registered cars lower in September, standing at 118.2 grams of CO2 per kilometer — down 3.8 grams from August and about 1% lower than September 2021.
Kia and Toyota lead brand rankings
Kia claimed the top spot in September with 5,735 registrations, followed closely by Toyota with 5,656 and Hyundai with 4,553. For the year-to-date, Toyota remains the leader with 54,229 units, while Kia holds second with 46,745 and Volkswagen is third with 45,179. Seat, despite strong seasonal performance, slipped from the top 10 by September, ending the month as the sixth most registered brand with 38,628 units for the year so far.
The September bestseller models included the Hyundai Tucson with 1,664 units, Renault Arkana with 1,626, and Kia Sportage with 1,545. In the year-to-date tally, the Tucson also leads in registrations with 17,119, followed by the Dacia Sandero with 14,793 and the Seat Arona with 13,792.
These trends reflect a market trying to stabilize amid high inflation, ongoing supply chain challenges, and evolving consumer preferences as shoppers weigh fuel efficiency and model variety. Analysts attribute the monthly improvements to a combination of incentives, scrappage activity, and a gradual easing of supply constraints, even as the broader European auto market continues to adapt to tightening supply and shifting demand patterns.
Overall, the September momentum provides a cautious sense of optimism for the remainder of the year, with manufacturers and dealers watching closely how factors like energy prices and policy developments influence consumer confidence and vehicle demand. Attribution: industry data compiled by Anfac, with market interpretation from sector analysts.