Almost half of Spain's passenger cars are now more than 15 years old, according to the latest industry data, highlighting the continuing challenge of renewing the country's ageing vehicle fleet.

ANFAC's 2025 figures, published in August 2026, show that Spain had around 26.7 million passenger cars in circulation, of which approximately 12.9 million were more than 15 years old. The average age of a passenger car reached 14.6 years.

The figures are significant because older vehicles generally use older emissions technology and safety systems, although the precise contribution of older cars to total emissions varies according to vehicle type, fuel, mileage and driving conditions.

Spain's Fleet Continues to Age

The latest figures show that almost two out of every three passenger cars in Spain are more than 10 years old.

ANFAC says the ageing fleet is one of the country's main challenges for improving road safety, reducing emissions and accelerating the transition towards lower- and zero-emission mobility.

The DGT has similarly described Spain's vehicle fleet as highly aged. Its latest information puts the average age of vehicles at 14.6 years and notes that around 29 million of the more than 37 million vehicles registered in 2025 were more than nine years old.

What About the 50% Emissions Claim?

A widely circulated statistic says that older cars are responsible for around half of vehicle emissions in Spain.

The statistic comes from a 2019 study by the consumer organisation OCU. The research analysed more than 376,000 measurements from 280,000 vehicles under real-world driving conditions at access points to Madrid's M-30.

OCU found that the 15% of vehicles without a DGT environmental label accounted for more than 50% of measured nitrogen oxide emissions and 68% of particulate emissions from road traffic in the study.

The study involved vehicles circulating in Madrid and should not be presented as a current nationwide measurement of all vehicle emissions in Spain.

Older Cars Can Produce Significantly More Pollution

OCU's research nevertheless showed a substantial difference between some older and newer vehicles.

According to its measurements, an unlabelled diesel passenger car could emit up to ten times more nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than a newer diesel car carrying a C label. For unlabelled petrol cars, the study found pollution levels could be up to five times higher.

The results illustrate why replacing the oldest vehicles can have a disproportionate effect on certain pollutants, particularly in urban areas.

Spain Has Fewer Newer Cars in Circulation

The size of the older fleet has continued to increase in recent years.

ANFAC's latest figures show that 12.9 million passenger cars were already more than 15 years old in 2025, compared with 26.7 million passenger cars in total. Almost 16.7 million were more than 10 years old.

ANFAC has also highlighted that more than 9.2 million vehicles were over 20 years old in 2025, meaning almost a third of the wider vehicle fleet had reached that age.

Newer Vehicles Produce Lower Emissions

The difference between older and newer vehicles is also reflected in more recent comparisons.

ANFAC says a passenger car meeting the Euro 6d standard can emit 55% less NOx and 38% less CO2 than a passenger car that is 14 years old. The association uses the comparison to highlight the environmental benefit of replacing older vehicles with newer models.

These figures are comparisons between specific vehicle categories and should not be interpreted as meaning every 14-year-old car emits the same amount.

Balearic Islands Also Have an Ageing Fleet

The problem is not limited to mainland Spain.

The Balearic Islands had an average passenger-car age of 14.3 years in 2025, according to ANFAC. Around 45.1% of passenger cars circulating in the islands were more than 15 years old.

The Balearics nevertheless remain among the regions with a relatively younger fleet compared with much of Spain.

The latest data also show growth in electrification. Pure electric cars represented around 0.7% of the vehicle fleet in the Balearics in 2025, while plug-in hybrids accounted for a further 0.8%.

What This Means for Ibiza

For Ibiza, the ageing-fleet figures are relevant because vehicle emissions are an urban air-quality issue as well as a broader climate concern.

Older vehicles without modern emissions-control technology can produce substantially higher levels of certain pollutants than newer models. At the same time, the total impact of road transport depends on how many vehicles are driven, how far they travel, their fuel and engine type and their individual emissions performance.

The island's vehicle fleet therefore cannot be assessed simply by age alone.

Environmental Labels Matter

Spain's DGT environmental-label system distinguishes vehicles according to their emissions characteristics and is used by local authorities when implementing restrictions such as low-emission zones.

Vehicles without a label generally correspond to older petrol and diesel models and are subject to greater restrictions in many urban areas.

The DGT's system is intended to identify vehicles according to their environmental characteristics, although research by OCU has also argued that real-world emissions do not always correspond perfectly to the label assigned to a vehicle.

The Challenge of Renewing the Fleet

Renewing Spain's vehicle fleet is complicated by the cost of newer cars and the importance of used vehicles to household budgets.

The DGT has warned that importing older used vehicles can further slow fleet renewal. In the first quarter of 2026, around 21.3% of used vehicles imported into Spain were more than 15 years old.

That means simply increasing the number of vehicle transactions does not necessarily result in a younger or cleaner fleet.

Older Does Not Automatically Mean Highly Polluting

Age is an important indicator, but it is not the only factor determining emissions.

A well-maintained newer combustion vehicle may have lower emissions than an older vehicle, while some relatively modern high-powered vehicles can still produce significant pollution.

OCU's research also found that some newer vehicles with environmental labels had real-world emissions comparable to certain other labelled vehicles.

Actual emissions therefore depend on the vehicle's technology, fuel, condition and use.

A Long-Term Fleet Problem

Spain's current figures demonstrate that fleet renewal remains a substantial challenge.

With nearly half of passenger cars more than 15 years old and an average age of 14.6 years, replacing the oldest vehicles could have implications for both road safety and air pollution.

However, the frequently repeated claim that old cars account for half of Spain's vehicle emissions should be treated carefully. The underlying 50% figure comes from a 2019 real-world study in Madrid and refers specifically to pollutants such as NOx, not to all vehicle emissions nationwide.

The newer national data show the scale of the ageing fleet, while the older emissions research helps explain why replacing the most polluting vehicles remains an environmental concern.