Driving in Spain

It is compulsory to keep in your vehicle when driving the following:

-         Current driving license

-         Certified copy of original passport or current residence card

-         Valid insurance

-         All vehicle documents relating to the car (legally certified copies are OK)

-         Current ITV (MOT) sticker

-         Recommended, but not mandatory is a First Aid kit and a fire extinguisher

-         2 red warning triangles

-         Approved license plates.  Your number plate should be an EU one with the ring of stars containing your country code, or a small plate/sticker with your country code (GB, etc) which should be secured to the rear of the car.

-         Approved reflective jackets must be worn by all outside the car at anytime, day or night, at the side of any highway. The jackets must be kept inside the car so they can be put on before getting out and also must be visible from outside the car. The pocket in the back of the front seat is a good place 

-         2 side mirrors (one on scooters and motorbikes).

-         Wipers and washers

-         Tyres with a minimum depth of 1.6mm without cuts or distortions

-         Safety belts for all seats

-         Horn

-         Special license plates (New Conductor, disabled conductor, trailer, driving school, foreign plates if from another country, Public Service (SP), tare load for commercial vehicles, mixed or industrial, maximum speed limit etc)

-         A set of bulbs and tools necessary for changing them

-         Spare wheel (except for scooters and motorbikes) and tools necessary for changing it (jack and wheel wench).

-         Drivers glasses and a spare pair (if wearing glasses appears on your driving license)

You drive on the right in Spain (opposite to the UK). Take care when driving in Spain as regulations and customs are different from those in the UK and the accident rate is higher.

Type of Roads

-        

Autopista (Motorway) - A or E - prefixed to road number. These can be toll roads (peajes). Maximum speed 120 kph (73 mph)

Autovia – (Dual carriageway with or without a central reservation).  Speed limits vary from 80 to 110 kph

Carretera Local – (Highway). Speeds are as signed, but usually not more than 100 kph

Carretera Nacional – (Main roads) N or CN - prefixed to road number, 100 to 60 kph

Please note that the speeds are somewhat less for various classes of vehicles including towed trailers/caravans.

Traffic Lights

More often than not these are situated at your stop line for the junction with a set of smaller lights on the support post.

Pedestrian Crossings

As a pedestrian remember to look LEFT and it is advisable to show your hand to any approaching vehicles although most of the Spanish never look! Since the new law regarding penalty points, drivers can be penalised for not stopping at pedestrian crossings.

Overtaking

You may NOT overtake on the right (inside lanes) on the highways unless there is a slip road or another road indicated and you are taking it. 

Basic rules

Give way to traffic from the right unless signs inform you otherwise.

On roundabouts you give way to the left unless signposted differently.

Do not pull into the middle of the road to turn left if there is a solid line in the road. There are often special lanes for this, signposted cambio de sentido (change of direction), especially on the autovias (dual carriageways).

Be especially careful when setting off from service stations or restaurants on the left side of the road.

All people in the car must wear seatbelts if fitted, and children must be in specially approved (EU) seats situated only in the rear (due to possible injury by front airbags in the event of a crash). 

Do not drink and drive - the limits are about half of those in the UK and the penalties very high including losing your licence on the spot, boosted by the new “rapid justice” Courts, as are heavy on-the-spot fines for traffic offences. You will not be allowed to leave the area until you have paid any fine or appeared in Court, including spending time in the cells if you cannot pay in cash. 

Parking

As a general rule you may not park in Spain where the pavement curb is painted yellow or where a no parking sign is displayed.

In major cities and now even in some towns, non-metered on-street parking is difficult to find but in some areas, there are parking spaces marked in blue for which you should purchase a ticket from a nearby machine on the pavement usually topped with a blue and white “P” sign, or from an attendant. These spaces are usually for about two hours maximum.

Fines for parking illegally vary from town to town and can be heavy.

If you park illegally, especially in a foreign car, you will almost certainly become a victim of the 'grua' - the local tow truck. If you get towed away there should be a sticker left on the curb with the phone number/address of your car’s new location. It can be a problem retrieving your car if you do not speak Spanish and there will no doubt be a fine and fee to pay. The cars are usually taken to a compound where you pay the recovery fee, from there you have to go to the Police Station and pay the fine and then you can go back and recover your car.

If in doubt, park in parking bays or in an underground car park where there is security attendance. It is worth noting that the Spanish park wherever they feel it is appropriate!

Fines

New fine rates have recently been published. You are not allowed to have a radar speed detector in your vehicle, let alone use one.  Speed traps are becoming quite frequent but not as bad as in the UK with cameras (however, things are changing so watch this space!). Fines for other offences are calculated on the severity of the offence and there is a table for the guidance of the police and Courts.

If you are a tourist without assets in Spain, all fines are payable in cash “on the spot”. The legal drink-drive limit is currently 0,5 grams per litre of air using a breathalyzer. The very high death rates in Spain means that if caught with excess alcohol or drugs in your body, you can expect to lose your licence (in a special Court, possibly that same day) or, if a resident, have to attend a special training school.

A common fine currently being issued is for not having lights on when it's raining. The fine is around 200€.

Seatbelts
It is compulsory for all in the car to wear seatbelts, both front and rear where fitted. The driver is responsible for any fines where passengers are not wearing an approved belt.  Children under 12 years of age are not allowed in the front seats. Also, if seated in the back, the belt must fit correctly, or a special “raising seat” must be fitted.

Road tax and vehicle inspectionsIf you are using your foreign registered car in Spain for a few months (no more than six months in any calendar year is allowed) then it must be legal as far as roadworthy, insurance and road taxes are concerned. You cannot get your car MOT-ed in Spain, or even in Gibraltar, and if the certificate runs out, you will be illegal in Spain as well as in the UK. 

Spanish registered vehicles have to conform to the ITV inspection

The Spanish police are now cracking down on all foreign vehicles driving around in Spain. If you are caught using a UK vehicle in Spain whilst living here for more than 6 months or without the correct paperwork, you will at least, have your vehicle impounded. Fines are being handed out in the region of 2,000 euros. Having no UK road tax on your vehicle invalidates your insurance.

Mobile telephones
The use of a mobile telephone whilst driving, other than a true hands-free, is now banned in Spain, even at the side of the road. You have to pull off the road completely away from any traffic. You must also not have any device in your ears to listen to music or your mobile phone etc., the only exception is a deaf-aid. 

To register a car on Spanish plates)
The general advice is, for right hand-drive cars, unless it is a classic car or is special to you for sentimental reasons, DO NOT BOTHER. It is better to sell it in the country of origin, or arrange to swap it with someone returning there.

Motor-homes or medium to large right-hand drive commercial vehicles can not be changed for safety reasons.

If you are coming from a left-hand drive EU country, then it is not so difficult, but unless you speak Spanish, use the services of a gestor or a registered business advisor.