Spain plans to ban registration and sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2040

Green light-duty vehicles, such as electric and hydrogen cars, would be the only ones on the road from 2050 onward. Hybrids would also be banned.

The future Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition (Ley de Cambio Climático y Transición Energética), which is being drafted by the current Government of Spain, foresees that the registration and sale of “any light-duty vehicle” that emits carbon dioxide (CO2) will be banned as of 2040.

The prohibition will in practice not only affect gas and diesel vehicles but also hybrid and natural gas cars, as stated in the document that the Spanish government recently sent to the different political parties.

The policy would be aligned with the objectives highlighted in the European Commission’s Energy Roadmap 2050, which set itself a long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95%, when compared to 1990 levels. In this scenario, the Spanish fleet would be formed by electric and hydrogen vehicles. This would encourage a competitive low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable mobility across all EU member states, according to the Government.

The draft document also refers to high-powered charging stations for electric vehicles. Traditional petrol stations will have to offer such chargers in their facilities by 2050.

Regional and local governments would also have to play their part; in particular, areas with low-density population – above 50.000 inhabitants – would be marked as low-emission zones by 2023.

Finally, the Government of Spain is looking to introduce new taxes on heavy-duty vehicles to compensate for the damage they do to roads.