According to the ACP Observatory - Electric Mobility in Portugal 2026, 38% of cars are more than 15 years old, a drop of five percentage points (p.p.) compared to last year.

"The highest proportion of vehicles less than four years old is observed in the Greater Lisbon region, among owners of electrified cars and in the higher social classes (A and B)," the analysis detailed.

Choosing electric

Electric vehicles now represent 9% of drivers, up 5.5 p.p. from 2025.

In turn, gasoline cars improved by 11 p.p., while diesel cars fell by 18 p.p.

The French brands Peugeot and Renault (each with 10%) continue to lead the Portuguese car fleet. Next come Volkswagen (7%), BMW (6%) and Opel (6%).

More than 80% of respondents drive their own car, which is 10 p.p. higher than the previous year.

Regarding kilometres driven per month, 79% drive up to 1,000, an increase of 20 p.p.

About 57% of drivers bought their cars promptly, and 22% took out a car loan.

Among those who bought in cash, drivers over 65 years old from the Lisbon, West and Tagus Valley region, without an electric car and from social class A (high) stand out.

Changing cars

Almost half of Portuguese are considering changing their car within 1 to 5 years, up 25 percentage points.

Regarding the purchase of a new car, 21% of drivers would opt for an electric vehicle, 20% for a plug-in hybrid, 19% for a diesel, another 19% for a gasoline vehicle, and 10% for a simple hybrid.

On average, there are 1.8 cars per household, down 0.2 percentage points from 2025.

Younger households, aged 18 to 34, from the West and Tagus Valley regions, and the higher class, stand out as having the most vehicles.

Charging the cars

Among owners of electrified vehicles, 82% have owned their cars for less than 5 years, and Tesla and BMW maintain their leadership.

Regarding costs, drivers spend up to 7 euros per home charging session and 50 euros per month on public charging.

The study also revealed that 86% (up 3 percentage points) charge their cars at home and 91% use public charging stations (also up 3 percentage points).

Galp Electric and EDP are considered the most relevant retailers.

For this study, 1,608 people were interviewed. This included a sample of 1,200 individuals with driver's licenses and an additional 408 electric vehicle drivers.