Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
The omnibus decrete was rejected by the congress, and the state assistance for electric vehicle purchases in Spain has been frozen in the last four month. Sara Aagesen launched the third application call under the Moves Plan on Tuesday, four months after the national ministry for ecological transition announced it would be bringing back the plan. The Moves plan budget includes 400 million euros in financial aid to purchase electric vehicles up until 31 December 2025.
The aid plan has also been backdated to the 1st of January. All electric vehicles (EVs), which were purchased in the first four month of 2025, are eligible for this if they apply. Due to uncertainty about when and how these subsidies will be approved, the industry has seen its sales drop in the first three months of the year. Minister Aagesen has announced that Moves 3 also includes a “simplification” in the processing of this aid. This was acknowledged as a “request by the sector and the consumers”, who can now obtain the aid faster.
The program provides up to 4,500 Euros per passenger vehicle. This amount can be increased to 7,000 Euros if another non-electric car has to be scrapped. The Spanish government decided in December of last year to extend the Moves III program until 30 June 2025. Now, the Minister is providing “certainty” for consumers by announcing that the plan will be extended until 31 December.
The Moves plan, in summary, has enabled vehicle owners to purchase “more than 113,000” charging points. The minister announced the formation of a group whose sole purpose is to improve the infrastructure for EV-recharging. They have been asked to attend a meeting Monday next week, to present “the latest developments.”
Automotive industry demands more
Anfac (the Spanish Association of Vehicle Manufacturers) reports that the automotive industry has been requesting aid for months in order to boost demand for EVs, which had a 8% market share last year. The sales of EVs grew significantly in the quarter. Close to 40,000 units were sold, which is 47% more than what was sold in the same period last year. However, Anfac’s communication and marketing director, Félix García, explained to SUR that this growth “is due to the arrival on the market of more affordable models together with the delivery of vehicles sold at the end of 2024.” García pointed out that there are many models that are not delivered on the spot, rather there is a “time lag between placing an order, manufacture and delivery.” Anfac spokesperson believes that the announcement of Moves III Plan is going to boost sales for electrified vehicles. “We will get closer towards the target of 100,000 sales of electric vehicles by 2025.”
From the vehicle vendors’ association (Ganvam), the reactivation of Moves with the backdating to 1 January is regarded as a “positive” step as it “instils immediate confidence in buyers”, although Gancam’s president, Gerardo Cabañas, urges the government leaders to continue reviewing the approach of the aid programmes to ensure their effectiveness.
Ganvam deems this a good transitional solution because “not only is the electrification rate insufficient to achieve the targets, but the fleet also is ageing”. This association supports a “centralised management” of incentives for demand that will, in conjunction with direct tax-free assistance and respecting the principle technological neutrality, help remove the oldest, most polluting vehicles from circulation.
