SpainSpain

Drive on the right-hand side of the road and normally overtake on the left.

Call 112 for emergency assistance, including police, ambulance and fire and rescue services.

The general maximum is 0.5 g/l in blood or 0.25 mg/l in breath. The DGT stresses that the only completely safe alcohol level for driving is zero.

Yes. Novice and specified professional drivers are limited to 0.3 g/l in blood or 0.15 mg/l in breath. Drivers who are minors are subject to zero alcohol.

Spain uses different general urban limits according to the street layout: 20 km/h on streets where the carriageway and pavement form a single level, 30 km/h on streets with one traffic lane in each direction, and 50 km/h on streets with two or more lanes in each direction, unless signs establish another limit.

For ordinary passenger cars and motorcycles, the general maximum on conventional roads outside built-up areas is 90 km/h, unless signs establish another limit.

For ordinary passenger cars and motorcycles, the general maximum on autopistas and autovías is 120 km/h, unless a lower limit is signed.

Drivers should normally not travel below 60 km/h on an autopista or autovía without justified reason. If an emergency forces a vehicle to travel below this speed, it should leave the road at the first suitable exit.

Pedestrians, mopeds, animal-drawn vehicles and several other slow road users are prohibited. Bicycles are prohibited on autopistas, although cyclists over 14 may use the shoulder of an autovía unless signs specifically prohibit it.

No. Spain does not use a nationwide motorway vignette for passenger cars.

Yes. Although much of Spain's motorway network is free to use, some motorway sections remain tolled. Drivers should check their planned route because the toll network has changed considerably over time.

There is no general requirement for ordinary cars to use dipped headlights during every daytime journey. The appropriate lights are compulsory at night, in tunnels and when visibility is significantly reduced, as well as in certain specially regulated lanes.

Yes. Motorcycles must use their dipped headlights at all times, including during daylight.

There is no general nationwide seasonal requirement for passenger cars to use winter tyres. During snow conditions, however, authorities may require snow chains or suitable winter or all-season tyres before allowing vehicles to continue.

Snow chains or qualifying winter tyres become mandatory when traffic signs or road authorities require them because of snow conditions. Drivers travelling in mountain areas during winter should carry suitable equipment.

Yes. Seat belts are compulsory for drivers and passengers in seats equipped with them, subject to limited legal exemptions.

Children with a height of 135 cm or less must use an approved child-restraint system suitable for their size. The DGT recommends continuing to use an appropriate restraint until the child exceeds 150 cm.

Children who are 135 cm or shorter must normally travel in the rear seats. Exceptions apply when the vehicle has no rear seats, the rear seats are already occupied by children using restraints, or it is impossible to install all required restraints there.

Yes. Riders and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds must wear an approved protective helmet on both urban and interurban roads, subject to limited statutory exceptions.

Using a mobile phone or other communication device while driving is prohibited unless communication takes place hands-free and without headphones or similar devices. Holding a mobile phone while driving is prohibited.

Yes. At an intersection where priority is not otherwise regulated, drivers must normally give way to traffic approaching from the right.

Vehicles already circulating on the roundabout have priority over vehicles entering it, unless traffic lights or signs establish a different arrangement. Drivers should normally move to the outer lane before taking their exit rather than cutting across lanes directly from the inside.

Yes. Drivers must give way to pedestrians at properly marked pedestrian crossings and must approach them at a speed that allows them to stop safely.

A driver must leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking a cyclist. Where there are two or more lanes in the same direction, the overtaking vehicle must change completely into the adjacent lane.

Yes. Low-emission zones (ZBE) are required in municipalities with more than 50 000 inhabitants, island territories and certain smaller municipalities affected by air-quality limits. The actual access and vehicle restrictions are established locally.

No. There is no single nationwide rule requiring every vehicle to display an environmental sticker everywhere. Low-emission-zone access and whether a physical sticker is required depend on the rules adopted by the municipality, so drivers should check each city's requirements.

Since 1 January 2026, the certified connected V16 beacon is the Spanish legal device for signalling an immobilised vehicle. It replaces the traditional warning triangles for vehicles subject to Spanish equipment rules and transmits the incident location to the connected traffic platform when activated.

Not necessarily. A vehicle registered abroad and travelling in Spain in international circulation may use warning triangles or an equivalent emergency device required by its country of registration. The Spanish connected V16 requirement primarily applies to vehicles subject to Spanish equipment rules.

Passenger cars subject to Spanish equipment rules must carry a certified connected V16 beacon and a high-visibility reflective vest. They must also have a spare wheel or another legally acceptable puncture-repair or mobility solution.

Written traffic-sign information appears in Spanish. In autonomous communities with another official language, signs also use that co-official language, so drivers may encounter bilingual signage in regions such as Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Valencian Community.