ELECTRIC CAR SPAIN
Once 2023 is over, it has once again not been the year of electric cars. Its implementation is being slow and it has not just taken off, although it is true that its offer is increasingly broader. Despite this, most have very limited success and these are the only electric cars that are actually sold in Spain.
It must be taken into account that in general the weight of zero emissions in the global sales calculation is very limited. Last year they reached 54,421 units, which represented a notable increase of 73.4% compared to the previous year, but despite this it means that they are no more than 5.7% of the registrations that were registered in the country.
Furthermore, of all of them, the majority are concentrated in a few models and, above all, Tesla leads the way, which is an enormous distance from the numbers recorded by other alternatives on the market.
These were the five best-selling electric cars in Spain in 2023, the only ones that managed to exceed 2,000 units:
Tesla Model Y: 6,843 units Tesla Model 3: 6,123 units MG4: 3,096 units Dacia Spring: 2,031 units Fiat 500e: 2,022 units
It is not a list that brings with it many surprises, but it does show a clear difference compared to the purchase of “conventional” cars in Spain.
While cheap and affordable cars predominate in the general market, when it comes to getting an electric car, the Spanish driver has a different approach and, although low-cost models have a presence in the top 5, those that lead sales are more expensive vehicles.
This can be explained for several reasons. The first is that a buyer can see the electric car (probably the first one he has of this nature) as an investment and not as something to “get by”, that is, it is a wanted car and, therefore, he does not care spend more money on it.
The second thing is that, especially in the zero-emissions market, the price is closely related to both performance and, above all, the autonomy of the vehicle.
Thus, many buyers who want an electric car as a do-it-all car have no choice but to shell out a larger amount of money to get a model with a reasonable range. And the cheaper models, as a general rule, have more limited ranges of action that make them valid on a daily basis and in the city, but not much further.
Tesla Model Y
It has been the best-selling car in Europe in 2023, being the only zero-emission car capable of breaking into the top 10 in sales, and everything indicates that it will continue along the same paths, at least in Spain: it has just been reduced again its price up to 42,990 euros, so with the Moves Plan it remains at 35,990 euros.
In this way, it is positioned as a relatively affordable electric car with a really good relationship between price and autonomy: in its access version it already has a range of 455 km.
Tesla Model 3
The saloon is the cheapest model of all Tesla (from 39,990 euros), but the rise of the SUV format has made customers opt more for the Model Y, although in Spain it has been by a fairly slim margin.
It is another great example in relation to price/performance/autonomy. The rear-wheel drive has a range of 513 km, while the all-wheel drive reaches up to 629 km. Furthermore, the latter has remarkable performance, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds.
MG4
It does not enjoy the same popularity as the MG ZS (logical given its thermal nature), but it has still managed to arouse a lot of interest among Spanish buyers. Much of this is due to its price, since although it starts at 31,440 euros, with state aid and with promotions and financing, it is available from only 19,230 euros.
Furthermore, for that amount it puts an interesting configuration on the table: 125 kW of power and 350 km of autonomy. In addition, higher versions allow you to focus on range (up to over 500 kW) or performance (the XPower has 435 HP).
Dacia Spring
The Dacia is one of the cheapest electric cars on the market (from 19,990 euros), so it makes some sense that it appears on the list, despite being a model with obvious limitations that are in line with its rate.
This is especially noticeable in its entry-level variant, which has a 45 HP motor powered by a 26.8 kWh battery, a combination that achieves 230 km of autonomy. A somewhat livelier behavior is that of the higher version, with 65 HP, but equipped with the same battery it has a somewhat shorter range (220 km).
Fiat 500e
The Italian offers a pair of electric versions designed for those looking for a model focused on use in the city and for those who want to get out of it as well. The first has a 95 HP motor, a 23.8 kWh battery and has a range of 190 km. The second offers 118 HP, a 42 kWh battery and 330 km of range.