What is more expensive, a gasoline, diesel, or electrified car?

The average price for combustion models is 23,216 euros for gasoline cars, which represents a 9.5% increase in the last two years; and 24,046 euros for diesel cars (6% more). The automotive sector's inflation coexists with the industry's effort to make electrified vehicles more accessible, as the price is often one of the main barriers to their acquisition.

This is due to a 12% drop in prices for electrified models and the high demand for hybrid technology in particular, according to AutoScout24, the specialist second-hand vehicle portal from Sumauto based on data from the Tax Agency.

This normalization of prices for cars with ECO and ZERO environmental labels purchased in Spain is due to several factors. The main one is the presence of various models with some type of hybrid technology (gasoline-electric, plug-in hybrid, and mild hybrids) in the list of best-selling cars in our country, such as the Renault Clio (from around 23,400 euros), the Fiat 500 Hybrid (from around 17,000 euros), the Toyota Yaris (from 21,000), and the Fiat Panda Hybrid (from 16,000) among others, according to the new vehicle registration report for the period January-August 2024 from the manufacturers' association Anfac.

Another factor that has driven down the average price is the arrival of new competitors, specifically Chinese brands, with vehicles that are cheaper than their European, Japanese, and South Korean counterparts. This is exemplified by the new MG3 Hybrid, a model that is on sale for under 20,000 euros, a price that virtually has no rival among vehicles with similar characteristics.

Given this scenario and the growing demand for hybrid vehicles, including them in future MOVES IV would indeed be an intelligent and effective measure to move towards a more sustainable and efficient fleet. Starting from the premise that electrification would be more feasible if done in stages rather than directly and imposingly, something that clearly is not working.

According to Ignacio García Rojí, spokesperson for AutoScout24: "MOVES IV should evolve into an aid plan that incentivizes direct aid in order to accelerate the decarbonization of the fleet. Considering that 3 out of every 10 registrations have some type of hybridization, incentivizing these types of automobiles would facilitate the transition towards full electrification."