Clean vehicle ownership: Implications for effective policy interventions

The transport sector's increasing greenhouse gas emissions pose a critical challenge to efforts to mitigate climate change. This paper examines the factors influencing electric and hybrid vehicle ownership in Spain, while assessing the effectiveness of the MOVES Plan, the primary policy designed to encourage their adoption. Using seldom available revealed preferences data from the 2021 Survey of Essential Characteristics of the Population and Housing (ECEPOV-21) and a mixed logit model, key determinants of clean vehicle ownership are identified, highlighting an access gap driven by factors such as income, education level, or urban residence. The joint analysis of these results and the MOVES Plan shows that the current structure of the subsidies disproportionately benefits wealthier, urban, and highly educated households. Policy implications are discussed, providing recommendations for refining the design of the subsidy to support a more equitable and widespread adoption of clean vehicles. • Slow adoption rates raise concerns about achieving Spain's electromobility targets. • Data about revealed preferences is analysed to understand clean vehicle ownership in Spain. • An error-component mixed logit model identifies factors maximizing clean vehicle ownership. • The results reveal an access gap shaped by geography, income, and education. • An analysis of Spain's main subsidy policy shows its regressive nature.