Rules of the road
Driving in Spain
Every value below links to the official source it was checked against, with the date it was checked. What is not verified yet says so.
Quick answers about driving in Spain
- Which side of the road do you drive on in Spain?
- In Spain you drive on the right.
- How old do you have to be to drive in Spain?
- You must be at least 18 years old to drive in Spain.
- What is the speed limit in Spain?
- 120 km/h on motorways, 90 km/h on country roads, 50 km/h in towns and cities and 20 km/h in residential and living zones. Those are the national default limits, which apply where no sign says otherwise.
- What is the drink driving limit in Spain?
- The legal limit in Spain is 0.5 g/l. Drivers who passed their test recently are held to 0.3 g/l.
Which side of the road
Speed limits
Speed limit on country roads
90 km/h
Conventional roads outside towns.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit in towns and cities
50 km/h
Only on streets with two or more lanes in each direction. Streets with one lane each way are 30 — which is most city streets — and single-platform streets where the pavement and road share a level are 20.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit in living and residential zones
20 km/h
Streets where the road and pavement share one level.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Alcohol
Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently
0.3 g/l
For the first two years of holding a licence. Zero for drivers under 18.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Your licence and age
Looking to rent a car? The minimum age to drive is 18, but most car rental agencies have their own minimum rental age. Remember to check with your car rental agency before you book. We earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
Whether you need an International Driving Permit
Depends on where your licence is from
EU and EEA licences are accepted as they are. Tourists from elsewhere may drive for up to 3 months but must carry an International Driving Permit, issued at home before the trip, alongside their national licence.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
How long you may drive on your own licence
3 months
For non-EU tourist licences, counted from entry into Spain.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
What you must carry in the car
What you must carry in the car
- Reflective warning light
- High-visibility vest
The warning light is the V-16 connected beacon — since 1 January 2026 it is the only legal way to signal a broken-down vehicle, and warning triangles are no longer valid. Rental cars should have one; check before driving off. The vest must be worn by anyone stepping onto the road or shoulder outside towns.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Phones at the wheel
Holding a phone while driving
Not allowed
Holding the phone at all is the offence — including at red lights and in jams. 200 euro fine and 6 licence points, enforced by camera.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Seatbelts and children
Height below which a child needs a child seat
135 cm
A child 135 cm or shorter needs an approved seat for their size, and must ride in the back. The front is allowed only if the car has no back seats or they are full of other children in seats.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Motorbikes and scooters
Helmets on a motorbike or scooter
Required for rider and passenger
Rider and passenger. A passenger must be over 12, sit astride behind the rider with feet on the footrests, and wear a helmet too.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Largest motorbike or scooter you may ride on a car licence
- Engine up to 125 cc
- Power up to 11 kW
A Spanish B licence covers mopeds (class AM) at once. Once the B licence is more than three years old it also covers A1 motorbikes — the thresholds here, which the law states together with a third limit of 0.1 kW per kg that has no slot in this record — but only inside Spain. The source does not say whether foreign B licences get the same allowance. A training course for this has been announced but is not yet law.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter
15 years
Licence AM. Mopeds up to 50 cc and light quadricycles.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
What a rider must wear or carry
- Gloves
This rule starts on 1 October 2026. From that date rider and passenger must wear protective gloves on roads outside towns, and closed shoes that cover the whole foot on every road. Before that date only the helmet is required by law. Fine 200 euro.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Riding between lanes of slow traffic
Allowed, with restrictions
No rule allows or bans riding between two lines of stopped cars. It is legal only if you commit no other offence while doing it, such as crossing a solid line, overtaking at a crossing, or using the shoulder (200 euro fine). From 1 October 2026 motorbikes may use the right shoulder in a jam on signed stretches, in single file, at up to 30 km/h.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Smallest motorbike allowed on the motorway
- Engine at least 50 cc
- Power at least 4 kW
- Top speed at least 45 km/h
Ciclomotores are banned by vehicle class on autopistas and autovias, together with bicycles, personal mobility vehicles and animal-drawn vehicles. The law defines a ciclomotor as a machine whose design speed is 45 km/h or less and whose engine is 50 cc or less if petrol, or 4 kW or less if electric — so a machine at exactly these figures is still banned; it must exceed them to enter. The same ban is in the Reglamento General de Circulacion, art. 38.1.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Headlights on a motorbike in daytime
Required at all times
Dipped headlights on at all times, day and night.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Tolls and city charges
Low-emission zones
In many cities
Every municipality over 50,000 people must run a low-emission zone — about 150 cities including Madrid and Barcelona. Access depends on the vehicle's emissions label; foreign-plated cars may need to register with the city before entering. Check the destination city's scheme before driving in.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
If something goes wrong
Fines
More questions about driving in Spain
- What do you have to carry in your car in Spain?
- You must carry a reflective warning light and a high-visibility vest.
- Do you need an International Driving Permit for Spain?
- Depends on where your licence is from.
- Can you use your phone while driving in Spain?
- No. Holding a phone while driving is against the law in Spain. Holding the phone at all is the offence — including at red lights and in jams. 200 euro fine and 6 licence points, enforced by camera.
- Can you ride a scooter or small motorbike on a car licence in Spain?
- Yes, engine up to 125 cc and power up to 11 kW.
Each answer comes from the rules above, where you can also see the official source and the date it was checked.
27 rules not yet verified for Spain
These rules exist, but no value has been checked against an official source yet. Missing beats wrong.
- Which side you overtake on
- Speed limit on a dual carriageway
- Speed limit in rain or snow
- Speed limit for drivers who passed their test recently
- Speed limit when towing a trailer or caravan
- What you should carry, but do not have to
- When you must switch your headlights on
- Headlights in tunnels
- Hands-free phone calls
- Turning at a red light
- Who has priority at a roundabout
- Priority to traffic coming from the right
- Who must wear a seatbelt
- Age below which a child needs a child seat
- Youngest age a child may sit in the front
- What the lines and painted kerbs mean
- How you pay to park
- Parking on the pavement
- Parking facing against the traffic
- How far you must park from a junction or crossing
- What happens if you park wrongly
- Winter tyres
- When winter tyre rules apply
- Snow chains
- How you pay for motorways
- Congestion charges
- Whether police can fine you on the spot