Electric car drivers cut running costs by up to 80% as Spain’s biggest EV charging network hits a new high

Electric car owners across Spain are on track for a record year, with Iberdrola’s charging network aiming to deliver enough power for vehicles to travel 500 million kilometres in 2026, offering huge savings for anyone thinking about making the switch.

Figures released by the energy giant show its network, run jointly with bp pulse, now counts 12,000 operational charging points nationwide, after adding 2,000 new points over the past twelve months and more than 4,300 in the last two years. Drivers are responding in kind: 4.1 million charging sessions are forecast for this year, up from 2.6 million in 2025 and 1.7 million in 2024, a jump of roughly 60% year-on-year.

Real money back in drivers’ pockets

Fuel costs are one of the biggest reasons households consider going electric. Charging at home with Iberdrola’s tariffs allows drivers to cover 100 kilometres for around one euro, compared with more than 12 euros for the same trip in a petrol car, cutting energy costs by over 90%. Even without home charging, public network users can still save more than 50% on low-power points and over 20% on high-power ones.

Long journeys benefit too. A 400-kilometre trip starting with a full battery charged at home costs around 11 euros in an electric vehicle, against 51 euros for a petrol equivalent, a saving close to 80%. Motorists without home charging access can still expect savings above 30% on the same route, and that figure really adds up, based on average petrol consumption, the 500 million kilometres expected this year would avoid around 69,300 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Faster stops mean less time off the road

Nearly 950,000 electric vehicles are currently on Spanish roads, with plug-in models making up 21.1% of new light vehicle registrations this year, and almost one in three cars bought privately in August were electric. With 600,000 registered app users and an estimated 350,000 people charging regularly, roughly two in three electric vehicle drivers in Spain already rely on this network, making the switch easier and cheaper than ever for those still weighing up their options.