Sustainability in Spanish Fleets: An Imperative at a Crossroads

October 2025 finds the transport and logistics sector in Spain at a clear crossroads: the transition towards sustainability, which has gone from being a slogan to a market requirement, is advancing with determination but is bumping into technical and economic realities that are moderating its pace. Pressure from clients, administrations, and increasingly strict regulations has achieved what years of debate could not: installing the ecological urgency at the core of business strategy. However, the path towards total decarbonization is proving to be complex and multifaceted, with a fleet navigating between renewal, cautious electrification, and the search for alternative fuels.

The study Trends in Fleet Digitalization in Spain, cited by the magazine Transporte 3, accurately X-rays this transition. The most eloquent data is that 41% of companies are renewing their fleet with sustainability criteria. This is tangible evidence of a change in mindset. However, the detailed picture reveals a still timid adoption of clean technologies: only 14% have started electrification processes and 11% use alternative fuels. As Heike de la Horra, Marketing Director of Webfleet for the region, rightly points out, “Sustainability is no longer an option, it is a market demand… but infrastructure and costs remain barriers to mass electrification.”

This caution towards electrification is reflected in future bets. While 30% of companies still rely on diesel in the short term, the medium-term vision is fragmented: 25% believe hydrogen will be the dominant technology, slightly surpassing the 23% who bet on electric vehicles. This tug-of-war between hydrogen and electricity defines the current technological uncertainty. Biofuels (15%) maintain a relevant niche, while options like e-fuels (1%) seem, for now, marginal. Experts like María López, Professor of Sustainable Transport at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, warn: “There will be no single solution. The future will be a diversified ecosystem where the choice of fuel will depend on the type of route, the load, and the availability of infrastructure, which is the real bottleneck.”

While waiting for a definitive clean technology, companies are optimizing what is available. One in five (20%) monitors their employees’ driving style, a low-cost, high-impact measure. The study emphasizes that efficient driving can reduce consumption by up to 15%. For Javier Martínez, director of a national logistics association, “digitalization is the silent ally of sustainability. Monitoring and training not only reduces emissions and saves fuel, but also provides the necessary data to plan an energy transition with foundation, not on impulse.”

In this scenario, public support mechanisms are crucial. The Energy Saving Certificates (CAE) emerge as an agile and effective tool. Unlike traditional subsidies, they offer a direct and quick economic return for reducing consumption, being accessible to companies of all sizes. This instrument rewards immediate efficiency while infrastructure for the long-term transformation is developed, bridging the gap between ambition and economic feasibility.

In short, October 2025 paints a picture of a Spanish transport sector in full metamorphosis. The conviction about the need to be sustainable is absolute, but the transition is pragmatic and gradual. Progress is being made on multiple fronts: renewing fleets, testing technologies, optimizing current operations with digitalization, and taking advantage of incentives like CAEs. The consensus among experts is that, although the path is not linear, the direction is irreversible. The Spanish fleet has already set off, but the journey towards total decarbonization still requires more infrastructure, technological certainty, and continued public support to accelerate the pace.