In Spain, more electric car drivers are being refused entry to public and private parking garages amid fears about battery fires that do not hold up to scrutiny. The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) says no Spanish regulation justifies these bans, and the available data supports its position.
The issue has grown as some parking companies and homeowners’ associations have started barring electric vehicles, citing fire risk. One Madrid garage, Garaje Centro, put up a sign at its entrance banning all zero-emission vehicles: “Due to the possible fire risks posed by 100% electric cars, access is prohibited.” The OCU says Spanish law offers no support for these restrictions and instead encourages electric mobility by requiring charging infrastructure in new buildings and parking lots. The Spanish government says current fire safety rules make no distinction between electric and combustion vehicles, while recent laws focus on expanding charging points, not limiting access for electric cars.
In Spain, the right to install a personal charging point in a shared residential garage is protected by law. Owners can proceed after notifying the homeowners' association, provided they cause no disproportionate harm to other residents.
Fire safety regulations such as the Reglamento de Instalaciones de Protección Contra Incendios and the Código Técnico de la Edificación do not treat electric and combustion vehicles differently. Laws such as Real Decreto 450/2022 and the Ley de Cambio Climático y Transición Energética aim to increase the number of charging points, not restrict electric cars. The OCU’s position is clear: these bans have no legal basis and go against national policy. Noticias de Álava has also reported that the OCU confirms there is no regulation in Spain allowing parking facilities to ban electric vehicles over fire risk.
This trend extends beyond Spain. In Belgium, Carrefour announced in August that it would stop electric cars from parking on the upper levels of about 40 supermarkets, citing concerns about vehicle weight on older structures and the difficulty of putting out a battery fire on a rooftop. Its spokesperson, Damien Bytebier, said emergency services would have trouble intervening at those locations. Carrefour later clarified that the measure is not a blanket ban on electric vehicles. It targets certain older rooftop parking structures where engineering and firefighting access are specific concerns.
The statistics tell a different story. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency reports that electric vehicles are twenty times less likely to catch fire than petrol or diesel cars. American insurer AutoinsuranceEZ found just 25 fires per 100,000 electric vehicles sold, compared with 1,530 for combustion models and 3,475 for hybrids. The European Commission has also stated that battery electric vehicle fires are no more frequent than those involving internal combustion engines.
The Spanish government continues to expand the national charging network. A 2026 structure requires charging points at gas stations and non-residential parking lots, linking infrastructure growth to low-emission zones.
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Firefighters acknowledge that battery fires can be harder to put out, especially in underground garages. After a 2025 incident, Madrid’s fire service said extinguishing these fires requires special equipment to keep the damage from spreading. The OCU argues that these operational challenges do not justify blanket bans, particularly when the overall risk is lower than with traditional vehicles.
If electric car owners are denied entry to a public parking facility, the OCU recommends asking for a written explanation. It also advises filing a complaint with consumer authorities and notifying the relevant government bodies. The organization says restricting access based on unfounded fears has no legal support and undermines the shift to cleaner transport.
Spain’s rollout of electric vehicles has already faced pushback in shared residential garages, as seen in a recent report about disputes over charging infrastructure. Public parking bans are adding to the barriers to wider EV adoption, driven by outdated perceptions and slow-moving institutions rather than real dangers.
