France → Spain

Driving in Spain when you know France

Differences first, worst-to-get-wrong first. Rules that match are folded away at the bottom.

Driving to Spain from France: what to check before you go

These are the key destination rules to check first. The comparison below shows every verified difference. Follow local signs and instructions on the road.

Which side of the road do you drive on in Spain?: In Spain you drive on the right.
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.
What do you have to carry in your car in Spain?: You must carry a reflective warning light and a high-visibility vest.

Read the full driving rules in Spain and the required car equipment in Spain .

Looking to rent a car? Rental agencies often have their own rules on driving ages and equipment, make sure you check with them before you travel.
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What's different (9)

Speed limit on the motorway

Critical

France · home130 km/h110 in rain. Lower limits are signed in tunnels and roadworks.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destination120 km/hAutopistas and autovías.Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit on country roads

Critical

France · home80 km/hDepartments may sign 90 on some roads. Sections with two lanes in the same direction are 90 on those lanes.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destination90 km/hConventional roads outside towns.Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

What you must carry in the car

Critical

France · home

Warning triangle
High-visibility vest

The vest must be within reach and worn if you leave a broken-down car on the road. Missing either is a 135 euro fine.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destination

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beacon — since 1 January 2026 it is the only legal way to signal a broken-down vehicle, and warning triangles are no longer valid.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

Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently

Important

France · home0.2 g/lFor the whole probationary period. In practice this means do not drink at all.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destination0.3 g/lFor the first two years of holding a licence. Zero for drivers under 18.Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

Youngest age you may drive

Important

France · home17 yearsLowered from 18 in January 2024. Under-18s may not drive outside France.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destination18 yearsChecked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Largest motorbike or scooter you may ride on a car licence

Important

France · home

Engine up to 50 cc
Power up to 4 kW
Top speed up to 45 km/h

Permis B covers a moped (cyclomoteur) with no extra step; the AM category is not needed if you hold another category such as B. The source defines the class as two or three wheels, 45 km/h maximum, 50 cc maximum if it has a petrol engine, and 4 kW maximum motor power, so the engine cap is for petrol machines and the power cap applies to all. Riding a light motorbike or scooter up to 125 cc and 11 kW on permis B needs the licence held for at least 2 years and a 7 hour practical course, which gives a certificate. Holders of a European B licence must also do the course. The source does not say whether a non-European car licence gets the moped allowance.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Spain · destination

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

What a rider must wear or carry

Important

France · home

Gloves
High-visibility vest
Reflective stickers on the helmet

Rider and passenger must wear CE marked gloves. A hi-vis vest must be carried on the rider or the bike and worn if you stop on the road after a breakdown. The helmet must carry four reflective elements: front, back and both sides.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Spain · destination

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

Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter

Good to know

France · home14 yearsThe BSR (category AM) can be taken from age 14 and covers mopeds under 50 cc limited to 45 km/h. People born before 1988 need no licence for a moped.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Spain · destination15 yearsLicence AM. Mopeds up to 50 cc and light quadricycles.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Typical fines

Minor

France · home

Holding a phone — fine from 135 EUR, 3 points

Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destination

Holding a phone — fine from 200 EUR, 6 points

Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

Known on one side only (22)

Which side you overtake on

France · homeLeftOvertaking on the right is only for passing a vehicle turning left, or trams.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Speed limit on a dual carriageway

France · home110 km/h100 in rain.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Speed limit in living and residential zones

France · homeNot yet verified

Spain · destination20 km/hStreets where the road and pavement share one level.Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit in rain or snow

France · home

Motorway — 110 km/h
Dual carriageway — 100 km/h

Applies when rain or other precipitation is falling.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Speed limit for drivers who passed their test recently

France · home

Motorway — 110 km/h
Dual carriageway — 100 km/h
Country roads — 80 km/h

For the probationary period: 3 years after the test, or 2 with accompanied driving. Applies whatever the weather.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Turning at a red light

France · homeNot allowedA complete stop is required at every red light. Cyclist exceptions are signed.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Priority to traffic coming from the right

France · homeYes — traffic from the right goes first at unmarked junctionsAt an unmarked intersection, traffic from the right has priority. This catches out visitors — a car pulling out from a small road on the right may have the right of way.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Who must wear a seatbelt

France · homeEveryone, in every seatChecked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Age below which a child needs a child seat

France · home10 yearsA child under 10 must use a restraint suited to their size and weight.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Height below which a child needs a child seat

France · homeNot yet verified

Spain · destination135 cmA 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

Youngest age a child may sit in the front

France · home10 yearsExceptions: a rear-facing baby seat with the airbag off, no back seats, no rear seatbelts, or the back full of other under-10s.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Winter tyres

France · homeRequired where signs say soIn 34 mountain departments from 1 November to 31 March, marked zones require either four winter tyres (3PMSF marking) or snow chains on board. Zones are signed at their entrance.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

How you pay for motorways

France · home

Toll booths
Electronic tolls with no barriers

Most motorways are tolled. Newer free-flow sections (A13, A14, A79) have no barriers — pay online or at a tobacconist within 72 hours, or fines follow the number plate.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Alcohol limit for professional drivers

France · homeNot yet verified

Spain · destination0.3 g/lChecked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

How long you may drive on your own licence

France · homeNot yet verified

Spain · destination3 monthsFor non-EU tourist licences, counted from entry into Spain.Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source

Hands-free phone calls

France · homeAllowed, with restrictionsEarpieces, earphones and headsets are all banned while driving. Only systems built into the car are allowed.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Who has priority at a roundabout

France · homeDepends on the signsAlmost all roundabouts have give-way signs, so traffic already on the circle has priority. On the rare unsigned ones, entering traffic from the right has priority instead — Place de l'Étoile in Paris works this way.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

What happens if you park wrongly

France · home

A fine
Towing

Obstructive parking can mean immobilisation and the pound, not just a fine.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

When winter tyre rules apply

France · home1 November to 31 MarchChecked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Snow chains

France · homeRequired where signs say soChains on the drive wheels satisfy the mountain-zone rule if you do not have winter tyres. A specific sign can make chains compulsory on a given road.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Low-emission zones

France · homeNot yet verified

Spain · destinationIn many citiesEvery 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

Whether police can fine you on the spot

France · homeYes — visitors must pay at the roadsideA driver who does not live in France must generally pay the fixed fine or a deposit immediately, and the car can be held until it is paid.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Spain · destinationNot yet verified

Same in both (10)

Which side of the road you drive on — Right official source
Speed limit in towns and cities — 50 km/h official source
How much alcohol you may have in your blood — 0.5 g/l official source
Whether you need an International Driving Permit — Depends on where your licence is from official source
Holding a phone while driving — Not allowed official source
Helmets on a motorbike or scooter — Required for rider and passenger official source
Riding between lanes of slow traffic — Allowed, with restrictions 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 official source
Headlights on a motorbike in daytime — Required at all times official source
Emergency number — 112 official source