Which are the provinces where more cars are sold in relation to their population?


In order to solve this curiosity, we have spent some time compiling data in a table and making mathematical combinations to meet two criteria before drawing conclusions (some of them obvious, others not so intuitive at first).

The first table I want to show you is the number of cars sold per capita, ordering the Spanish provinces according to that parameter. Here we go:

Name Inhabitants Cars sold from January to August cars sold per inhabitant
Madrid, Community of 6.489.690 239.693 0,0369
Alicante 1.934.197 41.941 0,0217
Balearic Islands 1.113.114 22.733 0,0204
Castellón 604.344 11.355 0,0188
Palmas, Las 1.096.980 17.807 0,0162
Spain 46.771.341 718.629 0,0154
Barcelona 5.529.099 83.540 0,0151
Toledo 707.242 10.482 0,0148
Álava 321.932 4.522 0,0140
Gerona 756.810 10.011 0,0132
Huesca 228.361 2.742 0,0120
Tarragona 811.401 9.323 0,0115
Zaragoza 973.325 11.058 0,0114
Valencia 2.578.719 29.104 0,0113
Malaga 1.625.827 18.282 0,0112
Navarra, Comunidad Foral de 640.790 7.102 0,0111
Guipúzcoa 709.607 7.783 0,0110
Vizcaya 1.155.772 12.608 0,0109
Guadalajara 256.461 2.789 0,0109
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1.029.789 11.106 0,0108
Cantabria 593.121 6.362 0,0107
Valladolid 534.874 5.562 0,0104
Lérida 442.308 4.422 0,0100
Rioja, La 322.955 3.191 0,0099
Burgos 365.357 3.607 0,0099
Murcia, Region of 1.470.069 14.451 0,0098
Asturias, Principality of 1.081.487 10.528 0,0097
Coruña, La 1.147.124 11.146 0,0097
Lugo 351.350 3.385 0,0096
Almeria 702.819 6.442 0,0092
Teruel 141.607 1.268 0,0090
Soria 95.223 846 0,0089
Palencia 171.688 1.499 0,0087
Pontevedra 963.511 8.331 0,0086
Seville 1.928.962 16.660 0,0086
Cadiz 1.243.519 10.608 0,0085
Melilla 84.509 708 0,0084
Grenada 924.550 7.729 0,0084
Orense 333.257 2.781 0,0083
Ceuta 84.963 687 0,0081
Segovia 164.169 1.319 0,0080
Ávila 172.704 1.349 0,0078
Huelva 521.968 4.048 0,0078
Badajoz 693.921 5.183 0,0075
Córdoba 805.857 5.885 0,0073
Salamanca 352.986 2.576 0,0073
Ciudad Real 530.175 3.707 0,0070
Albacete 402.318 2.802 0,0070
Zamora 191.612 1.322 0,0069
León 529.799 3.599 0,0068
Cáceres 415.446 2.822 0,0068
Jaén 670.600 4.050 0,0060
Cuenca 219.318 1.206 0,0055



If we pay attention to the table, we see that Madrid leads, but with a solid reason for this: The fact that the company car registrations of many companies that are based in Madrid, as well as official and other cars take place in the capital, has an impact on the number of cars that are registered per inhabitant, to the point of having more than twice as many registrations per inhabitant as the average for Spain.

Alicante, Castellón, the Balearic Islands and Las Palmas are at the top of the list, mainly benefiting from sales to rental companies, as they are tourist hotspots.

The rest of the list is fairly balanced position to position, although the distance between the first and the last is very pronounced. Cuenca has only registered 0.0055 cars per inhabitant so far this year, while Toledo, Álava or Gerona have 0.0148, which is more than double. It should be noted, once again, how the capital of the Autonomous Community of Toledo, Alava or Barcelona affects this extra rate of sales per inhabitant. Gerona, with important traction of tourism is also in the top positions, being Huesca the first province that not being the capital of an Autonomous Community and not having a strong dependence on tourism, stands out for the amount of registrations per inhabitant.

Another important factor, which we are going to analyse in the following table, is the economic power of each province, which has a decisive influence: The less gross domestic product there is, the fewer cars are sold. This is to be expected.


And if we change the valuation criteria? We have made another table according to the gross domestic product of each province, to correlate how many cars are sold according to the economic power of each province. The result is as follows:

Name GDP per capita (euros per inhabitant) Inhabitants Sales January-August cars sold per million euros of GDP
Madrid, Community of 29.576,00 € 6.489.690 239.693 1,249
Alicante 17.405,00 € 1.934.197 41.941 1,246
Balearic Islands 23.769,00 € 1.113.114 22.733 0,859
Toledo 17.450,00 € 707.242 10.482 0,849
Palmas, Las 19.438,00 € 1.096.980 17.807 0,835
Castellón 22.597,00 € 604.344 11.355 0,831
Spain 22.685,00 € 46.771.341 718.629 0,677
Malaga 17.267,00 € 1.625.827 18.282 0,651
Barcelona 26.531,00 € 5.529.099 83.540 0,569
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 19.205,00 € 1.029.789 11.106 0,562
Guadalajara 19.584,00 € 256.461 2.789 0,555
Almeria 16.855,00 € 702.819 6.442 0,544
Valencia 21.091,00 € 2.578.719 29.104 0,535
Murcia, Region of 18.470,00 € 1.470.069 14.451 0,532
Granada 16.133,00 € 924.550 7.729 0,518
Cadiz 16.916,00 € 1.243.519 10.608 0,504
Lugo 19.459,00 € 351.350 3.385 0,495
Gerona 26.722,00 € 756.810 10.011 0,495
Cantabria 22.055,00 € 593.121 6.362 0,486
Badajoz 15.617,00 € 693.921 5.183 0,478
Seville 18.223,00 € 1.928.962 16.660 0,474
Melilla 17.824,00 € 84.509 708 0,470
Huesca 26.258,00 € 228.361 2.742 0,457
Asturias, Principado de 21.310,00 € 1.081.487 10.528 0,457
Zaragoza 25.150,00 € 973.325 11.058 0,452
Córdoba 16.396,00 € 805.857 5.885 0,445
Coruña, La 21.898,00 € 1.147.124 11.146 0,444
Pontevedra 19.548,00 € 963.511 8.331 0,442
Orense 19.305,00 € 333.257 2.781 0,432
Cáceres 15.715,00 € 415.446 2.822 0,432
Huelva 17.959,00 € 521.968 4.048 0,432
Valladolid 24.176,00 € 534.874 5.562 0,430
Tarragona 26.792,00 € 811.401 9.323 0,429
Ceuta 19.555,00 € 84.963 687 0,413
Ávila 19.011,00 € 172.704 1.349 0,411
Álava 35.175,00 € 321.932 4.522 0,399
Rioja, La 25.537,00 € 322.955 3.191 0,387
Albacete 18.113,00 € 402.318 2.802 0,385
Ciudad Real 18.214,00 € 530.175 3.707 0,384
Vizcaya 28.618,00 € 1.155.772 12.608 0,381
Jaén 15.858,00 € 670.600 4.050 0,381
Navarra, Comunidad Foral de 29.134,00 € 640.790 7.102 0,380
Palencia 23.019,00 € 171.688 1.499 0,379
Salamanca 19.264,00 € 352.986 2.576 0,379
Soria 23.816,00 € 95.223 846 0,373
Lérida 26.943,00 € 442.308 4.422 0,371
Segovia 21.769,00 € 164.169 1.319 0,369
Burgos 27.128,00 € 365.357 3.607 0,364
Zamora 19.132,00 € 191.612 1.322 0,361
Teruel 24.996,00 € 141.607 1.268 0,358
Guipúzcoa 31.442,00 € 709.607 7.783 0,349
León 20.688,00 € 529.799 3.599 0,328
Cuenca 18.549,00 € 219.318 1.206 0,296


The table is once again dominated by Madrid for the same reason as in the previous table, but the rest of the data does represent rather more disparate changes. For example, in Guipuzcoa, with the second largest Gross Domestic Product in Spain, few cars are sold for the amount of money that moves, something that is logical on the other hand, since the average car sales per capita is close to the Spanish average, but this table does not consider the transaction price per car (less are sold, but more expensive).

If we discard the issue of Madrid and the issue of the provinces that receive the "traction" of leasing cars (archipelagos, Castellón, Alicante...) perhaps, again, the biggest surprise is Toledo, which not only has one of the highest rates of car sales per capita, but also buys cars above the average in relation to its gross domestic product. Again, the fact that it is the capital of an Autonomous Community has an influence, but it still surprises us if we compare it with other "capitals of Autonomous Communities".

Anyway, we leave you all these tabulated data, so you can draw your own conclusions. Toledo as the capital of love for cars? I would never have imagined it, to be honest...

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