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Spain — driver's guide
Verified links and explanations for drivers: inspection, insurance, service, registration, motorway vignette, low-emission zone.
Motorway vignette
Spain has no motorway vignette — there is nothing to buy before your trip. Important: any website selling a "Spanish vignette" is selling something that does not exist — ignore it. Motorways (autopistas) that still charge do so per kilometre, paid at the toll barrier or with a Via-T device. Since 2021 many toll concessions have expired and the roads have become free, for example the AP-7 from the French border to Alicante and the AP-6; the AP-68 becomes free from 11 November 2026.
Low-emission zones (ZBE) & environmental badge
Important: the DGT environmental badge (Distintivo Ambiental) is issued only to Spanish-registered cars — a foreign-plated car cannot get it. With a foreign car (for example on Slovak plates) you must instead register directly with each city's low-emission-zone (ZBE) system: Madrid 360 / ZBEDEP in Madrid, ZBE Rondes in Barcelona — and Barcelona's foreign-vehicle registration can take up to 15 days, so arrange it well before your trip. Madrid and Barcelona are separate registrations; one does not cover the other. By law every Spanish city over 50,000 inhabitants has a ZBE, with Madrid and Barcelona the strictest. The zones are camera-enforced — without registration a fine of 100–200 EUR arrives by post.
Open the official source ↗Live traffic info
Spain's official traffic information is run by the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico), with live reports on incidents and road conditions. Check it at dgt.es before and during your journey.
Open the official source ↗Emergency numbers
112 is the single emergency number in Spain — police, ambulance and fire service. The Guardia Civil traffic police can also be reached on 062. In an accident with injuries, call 112 and stay at the scene.
Open the official source ↗Periodic technical inspection (ITV)
The ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos) inspection is mandatory for every car registered in Spain: a new car goes first after 4 years, then every 2 years, and annually once the car is over 10 years old. Inspections are managed by the autonomous communities under Royal Decree RD 920/2017.
Open the official source ↗Compulsory motor liability insurance
Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle registered in Spain. The Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (CCS) is the official guarantee fund — the insurer of last resort that compensates victims of accidents caused by uninsured, unknown or stolen vehicles. The Spanish green-card bureau is OFESAUTO.
Open the official source ↗Service / repair
Servicing and repairs in Spain are a commercial matter, not a state obligation — there is no government portal for finding or verifying a workshop (taller). Use your car brand's official dealer locator to find an authorised workshop.
Vehicle registration
Vehicle registration and ownership transfers in Spain are handled by the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) through its electronic office (sede electrónica) at sede.dgt.gob.es.
Open the official source ↗