Cars & Motor vehicles in Spain

Things for consideration when driving cars or other motor vehicles in Spain.

Officially you can not drive a foreign plated car in Spain forever. The maximum time of use per annum is 6 months and the other 6 months you need to park the car in a garage.

This however is rather hard to check when you are an European tourist. When you are from the EU you can drive in Spain on your foreign driving license without an international driving license. Non-EU members are the only ones who have real advantageous points when they purchase a car on tourist plates and stay as a non-resident. You do not have to pay the 16% IVA (VAT) and neither do you have to pay the Spanish special vehicle registration tax of 12 %. Nice saving of 28%.

Europeans can avoid paying the 12% special vehicle registration tax as Spain is the only country in Europe that has this tax. When buying your car all you have to do is request this and the car will be fitted with a tourist plate, rather then a full Spanish plate. You will have to renew this plate every year, which will cost you approximately 150€. You can repeat this as many years as you want.

Buying a car on Spanish plates can save a lot of complications and has certain advantages, such as easy to resell and payment in Spanish currency. The rules are that you have to have a residency or own a property or be able to present a certificado de empadronamiento (certificate to show that you are a registered inhabitant of the community).

If you are a non-resident driving through Spain, you may find that the Spanish police are empowered to demand payment on the spot for any traffic violation you commit. They will impound your vehicle, if you are not able to pay up. This is all legal as their orders are to ensure that the fine will be paid.

Car parks and parking

No parking is allowed within 7 metres of a bus or tram stop. On a one way road you are allowed to park on the side with even house numbers on even numbers of the month and vice versa. When there are parking metres check the times you have to pay as it is often only needed between 9:30 and 14:00 and 16:30 to 20:00 o'clock. If you're unlucky enough to get a parking ticket, don't just throw it away as you can nulify the penalty by going to one of the little pay machines to find a little envelope in which you can place a small nominal fine (3 Euros the last time I got one of these - it may have gone up a bit) and then post it back into the machine.

When we lived in Menorca, the island was divided up into 2 political parties and each controlled approximately half each. This meant that when we got a ticket in Mao, the capital, (we lived in Ciutadella at the opposit end) you could pretty much ignore it as the 2 governing parties hardly talked to each other let alone colaborate. They get you in the end though. Before you are able to sell your car in Spain, you must clear any outstanding fines or taxes at the local adjuntamiento (council office). When we tried to sell our Volvo after arriving on the Costa del Sol we found around 1500 Euros owing in fines and back taxes - this was way more than the car was actually worth at that point.

Disabled parking

You can park with your Disabled Badge from back home on the designated diabled parking spots without a problem.

Warning Triangles

It is obligatory to have two triangles in your car. One to place in front and one to place at the back of your car in case of accident or breakdown. Important: On roads such as the N340 (A7) that runs South through the Costa del Sol, this is very advisable as in places, especially around Mijas Costa, this road gets very narrow and the traffic moves very fast. These triangles can be purchased in all garages for around 10 Euros.

Reflective vests

It is also obligatory to wear a reflective vest as soon as you step out of the car onto a main road after an accident or breakdown. These can also be purchased in garages for around 10 Euros.

Speed limits

Cars and bikes have to stick to the indicated maximums. In villages and urbanizations it can be as low as 40 km/h. Highways 120 km/h. Roads with 2 lanes or more 100km/h. All other roads 90 km/h.

Radar detection

Speed traps and radar equipment are in use on virtually all of the main roads. The motorways contain numerous speed traps hidden along the side of the road. You may notice these as they flash when you pass. Mobile speed traps are also present on the country roads (El campo)

Alcohol & drink driving

The maximum alcohol percentage in blood is 0,5%, (two 33 cl cans of beer for an average size adult), although it is recommended not to drink at all when driving.