In 2025, Barcelona ranked first among Spanish cities for the highest parking fees for vehicles with ECO and CERO environmental badges. Drivers of such cars pay €2.25 per hour to park on the street. For comparison, in Madrid this fee is just €0.30, making the capital one of the most affordable cities for electric vehicle owners.
The difference in rates between the country’s two largest cities reaches 650%. This means that parking a hybrid car in Barcelona costs seven and a half times more than in Madrid. These figures come from a study conducted by Bipi, a company specializing in car subscription services.
Vitoria ranks second in terms of parking cost, where eco-friendly cars are charged €2.15 per hour. Third place goes to Palma de Mallorca, with a rate of €1.45. Unlike Barcelona, these cities do not offer discounts for fully electric vehicles, making them less appealing to electric car owners.
In Vitoria, parking for eco-friendly vehicles is 616% more expensive than in Madrid, and in Palma de Mallorca it is 383% higher. This highlights significant differences in approaches to promoting the use of environmentally friendly transport across Spain’s regions.
Among the cities where parking for electric and hybrid vehicles is most accessible, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat stands out. According to the latest municipal reform, starting in 2025, owners of vehicles with ECO and CERO labels will be fully exempt from paying for on-street parking in the city.
Madrid is also among the cities with the lowest rates: hybrid owners pay €0.30 per hour, while parking for fully electric vehicles is free and unlimited. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, hybrid owners pay €0.65 per hour, and electric vehicles can park for free.
However, such benefits are not available in all major cities. Of the twenty largest municipalities analyzed in the study, in most cases, electric vehicle owners are required to pay for parking on par with other drivers.
Among the cities offering free parking for electric vehicles in non-resident zones are Madrid, Valencia, Seville, and Malaga. These cities continue to support the transition to environmentally friendly transport by offering additional advantages to owners of modern vehicles.
The differences in parking rates and benefits reflect the inconsistent policies of city authorities regarding the support of environmentally friendly transport. While some cities focus on encouraging the switch to electric vehicles, others maintain high rates, which may hinder the development of this market segment.
