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Drivers in the Region of Murcia are increasingly turning to hybrid and electric cars, with the growing popularity of alternative-energy vehicles helping push new car sales up by 16.5% so far this year.

 

A total of 14,245 passenger cars were registered across the Region between January and August, compared with 12,229 during the same period in 2025. That represents an increase of just over 2,000 vehicles in the space of a year.

 

The figures, released by the automotive industry associations Anfac, Faconauto and Ganvam, show that the biggest change is happening in the type of cars people are choosing to buy.

 

Vehicles powered by alternative energy accounted for 10,932 registrations during the first eight months of 2026, up 32.99% from the 8,220 recorded during the same period last year.

 

This category includes fully electric cars, hybrids, plug-in hybrids as well as vehicles powered by gas and hydrogen. Together, they now make up the majority of new passenger car registrations in the Region.

 

At the same time, sales of traditional combustion-engine vehicles have been heading in the opposite direction, with both petrol and diesel recording significant falls compared with last year.

 

Diesel has seen the sharpest decline, with just 457 new diesel passenger cars registered between January and August. That’s 38.58% fewer than the 744 registered during the same period in 2025.

 

Petrol has also suffered a sizeable drop, although not quite as dramatic. Registrations fell by 12.53%, from 3,265 last year to 2,856 so far in 2026.

 

The figures suggest the changing preferences of Murcia motorists are becoming increasingly clear, with alternative-energy vehicles continuing to gain ground while conventional fuel types lose their share of the new car market.

 

August provided another example of the trend. A total of 1,546 passenger cars were registered in the Region during the month, representing an 18.38% increase compared with August 2025.

 

Once again, alternative-energy vehicles were responsible for much of that growth. Registrations in the category rose by 31.75% year-on-year, reaching 1,195 vehicles during August alone.

 

Petrol and diesel registrations, meanwhile, both fell. Petrol was down 10.15% compared with August last year, while diesel registrations dropped by 21.88%.

 

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