Below you will find four reasons why owning a car in 2023 will be more expensive than last year. Bad news for motorists.
These are tough times for car owners. We are facing an unprecedented change in personal mobility, moving from a vehicle with a thermal engine to electric cars and other micromobility solutions that are gradually being installed in large cities. And all this has a cost that can be seen reflected directly in your pocket.
In this article we show you four reasons why owning a car in 2023 will be more expensive than before. Drivers are being watched with a magnifying glass and, at the same time that aid is running out, pressure is increasing with high fuel costs or taxes.
For this reason, regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, be it a passenger car, a van or an SUV, in 2023 it is very likely that you will have to pay more to own a car.
Tolls in Low Emission Zones (ZBE)
Throughout 2023, the Sustainable Mobility Law is expected to enter into force after its approval by the Council of Ministers. Among the different measures contemplated by this bill is the imposition of a fee that will allow entry to the center of large cities, where the Low Emission Zones (ZBE) are located with cars without an environmental label from the DGT.
At the moment, it is an optional fee that the Government offers to the Town Halls, although they are not obliged to collect it. In fact, many consistories prefer to apply other measures to control traffic in their domains. However, those cities that impose this fee will force many drivers to pay it if they want to drive on their streets.
toll roads
Another reason why you are going to pay more to have a car in 2023 will be due to the rise in toll road prices. This increase will not be in accordance with the evolution of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which stands at 8.4%, but will be limited to 4%.
This means that the prices of tolls on the AP-51, AP-61, AP-53, AP-66, AP-7 Alicante-Cartagena, AP-7 Málaga-Guadiaro, AP-68 and AP-71, AP -9, AP-6 and AP-46, in addition to those managed by the State, may raise their prices by up to four percentage points.
End to the discount of 20 cents on fuel
The most recent reason is that less than 48 hours have passed since the 20 cent fuel discount for all drivers ended. Now this aid will only be offered to professionals, so ordinary citizens will have to face the still high fuel prices.
Although many gas stations offer discounts to their customers, the prices are still higher than usual. In fact, the average price of gasoline in Spain today is 1,610 euros per liter refueled, while that of diesel stands at 1,682 euros/liter.
ITV for industrial vehicles
Although it does not affect all drivers and owners equally, those who have a commercial vehicle will have an additional indirect expense. This is an important change in the ITV, since these vehicles must pass it every six months, which translates into an increase in spending and, therefore, an increase in costs for the owners of this type of vehicle.