The Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) has shared a new report that reveals that 22,305 LPG-powered passenger cars were registered between January and October 2023, this is 75% more than the figure for the same period in 2022, when 12,713 cars were sold.

In addition, Anfac predicts the figure will reach between 25,000 and 26,000 vehicles at the end of the year, according to statements to EFE agency.

The association estimates that there are currently 97,594 passenger cars with an LPG tank in circulation, an amount that only includes those that have been registered directly as LPG and without accounting for cars with gasoline or diesel engines that have been converted to be able to use said fuel.

According to the organization’s data, this type of vehicles represents 2.5% of the Spanish vehicle fleet, in which the presence of the Dacia Sandero stands out, the most successful Autogas car of the year.

This model is also the best-selling passenger car in 2023 in general terms, with 22,714 cars distributed until October, of which more than 12,000 units correspond to the version that runs on Autogas. According to Dacia, “they have marketed more than 50,000 LPG cars,” since the brand was established in Spain, while worldwide it exceeds 500,000 units.

The interest in LPG is produced by the lower price of this fuel, which is around EUR 0.95 per litre, compared to the average cost of EUR 1.57 for gasoline and 1.54 for diesel, according to the latest Bulletin European Union tanker.

Moreover, it is more environmentally friendly and allows vehicles to obtain the DGT ECO label. This badge authorises LPG cars to circulate through Low Emission Zones, mandatory in Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants that exceed certain values of harmful gases, as determined by the Climate Change Law.

These reasons, together with the high price of electric cars, mean that some users, rather than changing their car, choose to install an LPG tank in the spare wheel space. “The conversion allows gasoline vehicles up to 17 years old to pass the Euro 4 standard and diesel vehicles up to 7 years old to pass Euro 6 and thus obtain an ECO label,” told the Association of Vehicle Transformers (Astrave) to EFE.

The entity shared that some 3,200 transformations have been carried out until October and they expect to close with a volume similar to 2022, a year in which they increased by 36.5%.

Source: Infobae/EFE

20 December 2023