Driving in Spain

When you are thinking About Moving To Spain you need to consider how you will get around, either when you visit Spain to view property, or when you finally make your Spanish move. This is why this post on Driving in Spain will try to give you as many details as possible.

Spain is a very large country and, although Spanish transport is good considering the area it has to cover, it is often infrequent and it will severely limit your ability to travel around Spain, or even get to the shops in the next village, if you do not have use of a car.

Spanish Car Hire Companies:

When you visit Spain to view Spanish property, you will probably wish to opt for a hire car. Prices on these vary, but you can usually pick up some good deals, either when you book your flight to Spain, or separately, via the internet. Some Spanish car hire companies expect you to pay for a full tank of petrol or diesel as well as the hire fee before you can take the car, others will charge you only the hire fee, but will expect you to return your Spanish hire car with a full tank of gas.

If you are not sure about where to find a Spanish hire car at a reasonable cost, you can always look at Spanish expat forums; the members on these often post the latest details on car hire companies.

Driving in Spain:

If you are flying to Spain from the UK, then you will need to get used to driving on the right. Once you have driven a few miles, this will be ok, but take it easy when you first embark with your Spanish hire car, until you get used to this.

If you are moving to Spain or driving over to Spain and travelling by ferry, you can bring your own car. However, there are some rules you must follow:

All EU citizens and all tourists in Spain who are driving foreign registered vehicles, must carry with them at all times:

• Your passport (others travelling in Spain with you must also carry theirs). If you are driving in Spain as a tourist, your passport must be current until after your return home.

• Your current driving licence. It appears that the EU type licence is accepted easier if you are stopped by the Spanish ‘trafficos’ (traffic police) (and drivers of foreign registered vehicles in Spain are often stopped...).

• Two EU approved red warning triangles. If your vehicle breaks down while you are driving in Spain, you will have to place one of the warning triangles 100 metres behind your car and one 100 metres in front.

• Reflective ‘High Visibility’ Jackets or vests. At least 2, and if you intend to carry more passengers with you while you are driving in Spain, you will need to carry one for each passenger. If you have a breakdown, or have to leave your vehicle at any time while you are driving in Spain, all those who step outside the car, at any time of day, Must Be Wearing Their Reflective Vest. The vests must also be visible to any Spanish traffico who inspects your car from the outside, so make sure they are in the glove compartment or the back seat pocket. These jackets to carry while you are driving in spain are inexpensive and can be bought at most supermarkets. (If you hire a Spanish rental car, this will be fitted with two reflective jackets as standard).

• You will need to carry a set of spare lamps or bulbs for your car and the tools to change them if necessary.

• If you wear corrective glasses for driving, the law in Spain says you must also carry a spare pair.

• The number plate of your foreign registered car should be an EU one with the ring of stars containing your country code. If not, a small plate or sticker with your country code (GB, for example) should be secured to the rear of your car.

• When driving in Spain (and anywhere else in the EU for that matter) you will need to carry valid insurance documents with you.

• In fact, while driving in Spain, all vehicle documents relating to your car must be carried with you at all times.

• Although it is not always considered mandatory, you should carry a First Aid Kit and a Fire Extinguisher with you, for travel in Spain or anywhere else.
  

• If you do not live in the EU, but wish to drive in Spain, you will need an International Driving Licence issued by the correct authority in your home country. For using this licence in Spain, at least one page of information must be in Spanish.

However, although you can drive in Spain as a ‘tourist’, this is only for a three month period as far as driving insurance is concerned. So you will need to sort out insurance cover if you intend to use your foreign car for driving in Spain for any length of time. This may involve Spanish import duties, so you will need to discuss this with an insurance broker. I would also recommend checking out details on Spanish expat forums to check the latest regulations on this as they do change from time to time and from vehicle to vehicle.

Spanish Roads:

Many of the roads in Spain are excellent. Over recent years, new motorways have been built in many Spanish regions and Spanish ‘A roads’ are often of good quality too. However these can vary. As to other roads in Spain, some are very poor (and sometimes dangerous). Spain is a large country and maintenance of local roads, although an important part of Spanish Local Government work, is a massive and ongoing task. So please take care when driving in Spain, looking out particularly for signs which say “Peligroso! Carretera Muy Estrecha” (danger! very narrow road ahead), or any Spanish road sign which has “Peligroso!” or “Peligro!” in the wording. Sometimes it is fine, but at other times these Spanish local roads can be dangerous for the unwary visitor.

Roads in Spain are classified as follows:

Autopista (motorway) - A or E - prefix to road number: these can be toll roads Maximum speed 120 kph (73 mph).
Autovia - dual carriageway, not necessarily with a central reservation. Speed limits vary from 80 to 110 kph.
Carretera Nacional - N or CN - prefix to road number, main roads. Speed limits 100 to 60 kph
Carretera Local (highway). Speeds vary considerably, from 20 kph or less through Spanish villages, to up to 100 kph on better, straight roads (there are not many of these though).
As in many parts of Europe, speed restrictions in Spain also vary according to the type of vehicle driven, so watch out for this too, especially if you are driving a motor home or a large van in Spain.

Other things about Driving in Spain:

Spanish Traffic lights (semaforas): In Spain these are often situated only at the stop line of a junction for the driver in front to see only. Traffic lights warning of a junction are usually placed overhead.

When you are driving in Spain, watch out for Spanish pedestrians. Many will hold up their hand and step out in front of you, expecting you to stop.

Also watch out for Spanish scooter drivers. Although they are expected to obey Spanish driving laws and remain in the slow lane unless overtaking, Spanish scooter drivers take many risks. You could be in a traffic queue and a scooter driver will come up on your blind side to ‘squeeze in’ the queue. Always watch out for Spanish scooter drivers when you move off or pull out to overtake.

Watch out for ‘no overtaking’ signs when driving in Spain. As everywhere else, they are there for a reason. In Spain you will find many of these because of the winding roads. Do not ignore them. The outcome of doing so on a high Spanish mountain road is not worth the risk.

When you are driving in Spain, all people in the car must wear seatbelts if fitted, and children must be in specially approved (EU) seats situated only in the rear. If you are driving in Spain with dogs in your car, they must be in the back of the vehicle, with a barrier between them and the driver.

Using a mobile phone while you are driving in Spain is now illegal. You can be fined by a Spanish traffico even for using your phone when you are parked at the side of the road. So please do not do this.

The use of Navigation aids (GPS) are still a ‘grey area’ in Spain as I write this. A Spanish traffico can stop you if he thinks your use of a GPS is making your driving dangerous. Best to pull over or ask your passenger to check instead.

Do not break any traffic laws when driving in Spain. For most Spanish traffic offences there are on the spot fines and you will not be able to leave Spain until you have paid them.

Moving to Spain with your foreign registered car:

If you intend to use your foreign registered car to drive in Spain, you must remember that you are only allowed to do this for six months out of any year. Your car must be road worthy, insured and taxed. However, you cannot renew your Tax or MOT on a foreign registered car in Spain. You must do this in the country in which it is registered.

If you are considering bringing your foreign registered, right hand drive car when you move to Spain and register it under Spanish plates, the general consensus seems to be, it really isn’t worth it. It is very difficult and expensive to get a right hand drive car registered with Spanish number plates. Most drivers moving to Spain permanently prefer to sell their old car before they move to Spain and purchase a Spanish registered car on arrival.

When moving to Spain and purchasing a Spanish registered car, you will need the following:

Passport.
NIE Number.
Drivers Licence from your home country.
Official proof of your address in Spain. This could be the Escritura on your Spanish property, your rental agreement, or Certificado de Empadronimiento (registration with your local Spanish authority).

There are many more details about Driving in Spain you may wish to know. You can find these out by looking at the website for the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT.es). Spanish expat forums are often helpful too, as are magazines you can buy at your local bookstore and books published by the RAC and AA which you may be able to find at your local library.

But I hope the above details about driving in Spain will help you with moving to Spain and living here some time soon.