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Over the last few years, low-cost petrol stations have exploded in popularity across Spain, drawing more and more customers with their cheap fuel in a time when other costs are continuously rising. Nowhere is this more unstoppable growth more apparent than in the Region of Murcia, where low-cost options now account for three out of every ten service stations.

 

Today, there are 139 budget filling stations in Murcia, a huge upswing compared to the 63 that serviced the Region back in 2013. That’s a staggering 120.63% increase in just two years and means that Murcia ranks sixth in Spain for the most low-cost gas stations.

 

According to the latest data from the Spanish Association of Automatic Service Stations (Aesae), automatic filling stations (ESA) now represent 29% of the national market, or 3,477 facilities to be exact.

In just six years, since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, these types of petrol stations have gone from being an emerging alternative to becoming a structural pillar of the sector itself.

 

It’s hard to believe now, but as recently as 2019 there were only 15 low-cost, self-service filling stations in the Region of Murcia out of a total of 384. This translated into a meagre 4%, a figure well below the national average of 8.5% at the time.

 

For Aesas, the fact that automated filling stations are a "proven, safe and successful model, as seen in the evolution curve" points to not only more service stations opening without staff in the coming years, but also the conversion of some traditional ones.

 

In this regard, major fuel distribution companies have already taken firm steps to integrate automatic stations into their networks. For example, Cepsa acquired the Ballenoil stations, one of the pioneering firms in the low-cost gas station sector. Similarly, the giant Repsol, with its Campsa Express brand, has exploited this avenue over the last decade. Even large investment funds such as Portobello Capital and Tensile Capital Management have entered this sector with their takeover of Plenoil.

 

Even public doubts about the fuel quality at these stations haven’t slowed their growth. The sector insists that all the minimum standards set by national regulations are met, even though traditional petrol stations still stand out only because of the special additives they use in their. As a result, the industry believes the quality debate is over.

 

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Image: Plenoil