The Spanish automobile market is evolving towards a scenario in which the notion of ownership is diluted in favor of new access formulas. GANVAM data confirms a structural change: traditional purchases by individuals have lost almost nine percentage points over the last decade and now represent only 46.8% of registrations, far from the 55.6% they represented in 2015.
The trend is clear – and it was already anticipated for 2030 – but 2025 reveals a more complex picture, where current factors have camouflaged the true dimension of the decline of the private buyer, increasingly inclined to modalities such as rental, particularly among the self-employed and micro-enterprises.
A private clientele in decline… although masked by rental
Rental has gained ten share points since 2015, consolidating itself as the formula favored by a large proportion of users who previously opted for traditional purchase. In market terms, this transition makes the private customer seem to resist more than they actually do, since a growing number of independents channel their access to the vehicle through rental contracts which, statistically, dilute the decline of this channel.
Nevertheless, GANVAM forecasts that the market for new passenger cars will grow by 12.5% this year, to reach 1,145,000 units in 2025. As part of this advance, the private chain records a slight increase compared to 2024. But far from reversing the underlying trend, the data responds to two specific factors: the price effect generated by the emergence of Chinese brands and the extraordinary demand caused by the damage to DANA.
Chinese brands: technology, price and strong impact on the private channel
The Spanish market is today one of the most receptive in Europe to Chinese brands: its share reaches 9.5%, or double the community average. And unlike other countries, seven out of ten registrations of these companies take place through the private channel, a percentage much higher than the European 46.3%.
The reason is economic and technological. According to GANVAM, these manufacturers have managed to offer products with a high level of equipment and technology at very competitive prices, thus bringing new generation mobility closer to average incomes.
As the president of the association, Jaime Barea, pointed out during the Christmas meeting with the press:
“The entry of these new brands has facilitated a new generation approach to mobility towards middle incomes, preventing the vehicle from becoming a luxury item.”
This phenomenon modifies usual purchasing dynamics: models previously reserved for profiles with greater purchasing power have become accessible to the average consumer, temporarily boosting the private channel.
DANA footprint: 27,500 additional new passenger cars
The DANA recorded in 2024 had a direct impact on the 2025 figures. Flooding forced the replacement of thousands of damaged vehicles, generating additional demand estimated at 27,500 new cars.
Without this cyclical impulse, market growth would have slowed to 10.4%. The effect has also reached the second-hand market, where the Plan Restart Auto+ promoted some 30,000 additional purchases of used vehicles for up to three yearsplacing the VO market in 2.23 million units6% above pre-pandemic levels.
MOVES III and electrification: towards 20%
The year 2025 will end with an important milestone for electrification: electrified passenger cars – including pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids – will reach almost 20% of the market. The MOVES III program has proven to be a key tool in accelerating this change, and its budgetary expansion, aimed at covering the waiting list, will help maintain the pace of demand.
Added to this are the first details of the Auto+ packagewhich will replace MOVES from 2026 and will increase the electrified quota to almost 30%.
Law on sustainable mobility and the expected Renove plan
The last quarter of the year is marked by the approval of the Sustainable mobility lawwhich provides for the creation – within a maximum period of three months – of a new Renove Plan, with possible aid intended even for Euro 6d vehicles.
From GANVAM, they insist that it is time to move “from announcement to action”.
Barea was clear:
“The sector does not live only on announcements. To guarantee the credibility of the programs and dispel uncertainties, it is important to activate the measures and have the economic resources to make them a reality, especially now that the market is regaining its rhythm.”
A 2026 that points to the natural level of the market
GANVAM forecasts indicate that 2026 will exceed the mark of 1.2 million cars registered for the first time in five yearsbringing the Spanish market closer to its natural volume.
However, the underlying challenge remains: the gradual disappearance of the traditional buyer and the transition to usage, rental and subscription models will redefine the automotive map in Spain over the next decade. Private clients are not disappearing, but they are evolving. And it is in this change that the future of the sector is being written.
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