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Buying a new car in Spain is not getting any easier on the wallet and for many drivers, the price tag alone is enough to make them think twice. With new vehicle prices rising year after year and the second hand market also hitting record highs, Spain now has one of the oldest vehicle fleets in Europe.

 

Against that backdrop, plenty of drivers are doing their homework before stepping into a showroom.

 

They want to know the absolute minimum they can expect to pay depending on the type of engine they choose. That is where the latest 2025 report from the OCU comes in. The Spanish consumer organisation has analysed the most competitive prices currently available and broken them down by engine technology.

 

Two brands dominate the budget end of the market. Dacia and Fiat appear again and again across different categories, each leading three segments when it comes to affordability.

 

For petrol drivers, the clear winner is the Dacia Sandero, with a starting price of €13,940. It’s no surprise then that this model has been the best-selling car in Spain for three years in a row. For many buyers, it simply offers the lowest entry point into brand new car ownership.

 

Interestingly, the Sandero also tops the list for cars running on Liquefied Petroleum Gas, sometimes called autogas in Spain. The starting price remains the same at €13,940, but the difference in fuel type means it qualifies for the ECO environmental label. That can make a real difference in Spain’s Low Emission Zones, where petrol versions only receive the C label.

 

For drivers set on diesel, the most affordable option is the Fiat Tipo, priced from €18,185. It carries the same environmental label as the petrol Sandero and represents the lowest cost route into a new diesel car.

 

Fiat also comes out strongly in other ECO labelled categories. The Fiat Panda is the cheapest mild hybrid at €14,945, while the Fiat Grand Panda takes the title for the most affordable non-plug-in hybrid, starting at €18,200.

 

When it comes to vehicles classified as zero emissions by the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), the prices inevitably climb. The Mazda MX-30 is listed as the cheapest model in its category in the study, at €29,550 at the time the data was compiled.

 

For buyers who want to go fully electric without stretching into the €30,000 bracket, there is one clear standout. The Dacia Spring is currently the cheapest electric car on the Spanish market, available from €17,890.

 

With household budgets already under pressure from rising food prices and housing costs, it’s easy to see why affordability is driving so many purchasing decisions. For expats living in Spain and weighing up whether now is the right time to buy, these figures offer a useful snapshot of where the real entry level deals can still be found.

 

 

Image: Dacia