Driving in Spain: licences, car rental and road rules

Use this table to decide whether a car earns its place in your trip. Costs are 2026 estimates for a compact car in high season; winter and off-season rates drop sharply outside ski and holiday weeks.

Check your licence first. Licences from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland are generally accepted for a short visit, but an International Driving Permit is widely recommended and some rental desks ask for it. Carry your passport, your licence and the IDP together. If you are staying long term, Spain does not simply swap most non-EU licences — check the current rules before you move.

Book the car before you book the flight if you need an automatic. Most Spanish rental fleets are manual, and automatics sell out first in July and August. Compare airport pickup against a city office: airport desks add a premium and a surcharge for out-of-hours collection, but they save a taxi. A one-way rental between cities usually carries a drop fee.

At pickup, walk the car and photograph every panel, the wheels and the windscreen. Confirm what the insurance covers: the basic excess can be €600–1,500, and the desk will offer a reduction policy. Check your own travel insurance and your credit card before paying twice for cover. Confirm the fuel policy — full-to-full is the fairest — and ask where the fuel cap release and the spare or repair kit are.

Before you leave the lot, set the mirrors, find the hazard lights and the handbrake, and note whether the car takes petrol or diesel. Misfuelling is a common and expensive mistake. Add a second driver at the desk if someone else will drive; an undeclared driver is not covered.

Spain drives on the right. Speed limits are 120 km/h on motorways, 90 km/h on ordinary roads and 30–50 km/h in towns, with lower limits signed. Limits are enforced by fixed and average-speed cameras, and fines are issued to the rental company, which then charges your card plus an admin fee.

The alcohol limit is 0.05% for most drivers and 0.03% for drivers with less than two years' experience. Police breath-test routinely, including at daytime checkpoints. Seat belts are compulsory front and back, children need an approved seat, and phones must be hands-free. Headlights are not required in daytime on the mainland, but dipped lights are compulsory in tunnels and in poor visibility.

Roundabouts are common and the rule is simple: traffic already on the roundabout has priority. On some junctions a sign gives way to traffic entering — read the signs. At zebra crossings, pedestrians have priority and police enforce it in cities. Do not park on a blue zone without paying, and never leave bags, cameras or jackets visible in a parked car; break-ins at motorway service areas and coastal car parks are a known problem.

Some AP motorways still charge a toll; many stretches have been de-tolled and are now free. Where a toll road runs beside a free A-road, the free road is slower but often only by 20–40 minutes. Tolls are paid by card or cash at the barrier. A transponder (Via-T) is useful only if you are driving a lot.

Fuel comes as gasolina 95/98 (petrol) and gasóleo A (diesel). Prices vary by 10–20 cents a litre between stations, and motorway stations are the most expensive. Many rural stations are unstaffed at night and take cards only. Fill up before long rural stretches in Extremadura, the Pyrenees and inland Andalusia.

Parking is the daily friction. Blue zones (zona azul) are paid and time-limited; white bays are usually free but hard to find. Underground car parks in city centres cost roughly €15–30 a day (2026 estimate). In Madrid and Barcelona, leave the car at a peripheral car park or a P+R and take the metro in — driving into the centre also risks a low-emission zone fine.

Madrid, Barcelona and a growing list of Spanish cities restrict vehicles in a defined low-emission zone. Rules are based on the vehicle's emissions sticker and on registration, so a foreign-plated rental car may not qualify even if it is new. Fines are issued by camera and reach the rental company, which passes them on with an admin charge.

The practical answer is to avoid driving into central Madrid or Barcelona at all. Park at a station or a peripheral lot and use the metro, or pick up the car as you leave the city. If you must enter, check the current zone map and registration rules for your specific car and dates before you travel — these rules change, so treat any summary as a starting point only.

Spanish cities are not car cities. Madrid and Barcelona have fast metros and the AVE network links the main cities centre to centre, so a car is dead weight for a first trip. Granada's Alhambra area, Seville's old town and Valencia's centre are all easier on foot.

Watch the clock on Sundays and public holidays: many fuel stations outside towns close, and small shops shut. In July and August, coastal roads and the approaches to beaches jam from mid-morning; drive early or late. In winter, mountain roads in the Pyrenees and the Picos need chains — rental companies may not supply them, so ask.

If you are travelling with children, book the child seat with the car rather than bringing your own, and confirm it is included in the price. For longer stays, check whether your licence can be exchanged before you rely on driving.