Private vehicles — ITV, insurance and licence (Spain)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For anyone owning a car or motorcycle registered in Spain for private use. Covers the periodic ITV roadworthiness test for cars and motorcycles, compulsory third-party insurance, driving licence renewal and manufacturer-scheduled servicing. Does not cover commercial vehicles, public transport vehicles, tachographs or the transport card: use the company vehicles kit for those.
Questions about this product?
Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 5 planned checks, the most frequent every 12 months since the last job
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 11/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Pass the car roadworthiness test
Take the car to an authorised ITV station before the deadline shown on the windscreen sticker and on the previous report; you may attend up to 30 days early without losing validity. A pass is evidenced by the inspection report and the sticker; after a fail the vehicle must be repaired and re-presented within two months. Applies to M1 cars in private use: exempt for the first 4 years from first registration, then every 2 years up to 10 years and every year beyond 10 years, so set 12 months once the vehicle is over 10 years old.
every 24 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationRD 920/2017 art. 6Spain onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 02
Keep the compulsory motor insurance in force
Every owner of a motor vehicle normally kept in Spain must take out and keep in force a third-party liability insurance contract. Check the policy expiry and its renewal, including for vehicles that are parked but not formally withdrawn from the register; the annual interval reflects standard contracts, not a statutory deadline, so adjust it to the policy's real expiry date. Proof: the policy and the premium payment receipt. Applies to all motor vehicles normally kept in Spain, even when they are not being driven, until they are deregistered (baja) in the Registro de Vehículos.
every 12 months since the last jobLegal obligationReal Decreto Legislativo 8/2004 art. 2Spain onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 03
Pass the motorcycle roadworthiness test
L1e mopeds are exempt from the ITV for the first 3 years and are then tested every 2 years; the other category L vehicles, that is motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles, are exempt for the first 4 years and are then tested every 2 years at an authorised station. Proof: a favourable ITV inspection report. Applies to category L vehicles in private use, with quads treated as the rest of category L; category L driving-school vehicles follow the special table of art. 6.1, exempt up to 2 years, annual from 2 to 5 years and every six months beyond 5.
every 24 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationRD 920/2017 art. 6Spain onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 04
Renew the driving licence
The driving licence must be renewed on expiry at the DGT, after passing the psychophysical examination at an authorised medical centre; renewal may be requested up to three months in advance. Proof: the licence with the new expiry date and the fitness report. Applies to classes AM, A1, A2, A and B with 10 years of validity until the age of 65 and 5 years thereafter, and to classes C and D with 5 years of validity until 65 and 3 years thereafter: set the interval accordingly.
every 120 months since the last jobLegal obligationRD 818/2009 (Reglamento General de Conductores) art. 12Spain onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 05
Service the vehicle per the manufacturer's schedule
Follow the manufacturer's service schedule, by mileage or by time depending on which falls due first, to preserve the warranty and pass the ITV without findings. No Spanish national rule requires periodic servicing: this is good practice. Proof: the stamped service book or the workshop invoices. Applies to all vehicles; the 15,000 km interval is indicative and should be replaced with the manufacturer's own, often 10,000-30,000 km or 12-24 months.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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