ROAD TAX IN SPAIN

ALL ABOUT SPANISH ROAD TAX REGULATIONS

In common with most European countries Spain also imposes a compulsory road tax on vehicles, for example cars, vans and motorbikes. Road tax in Spain is known as SUMA.

Clearly if you do not have your road tax you are driving illegally which in the most extreme example could result in your vehicle being impounded by the police.

HOW MUCH IS ROAD TAX IN SPAIN?

We get a lot of questions about Spanish road tax. Many people ask us how much is the compulsory road tax in Spain? Others ask us what are tax and insurance costs on a vehicle in Spain? or How much is car tax Spain? or Is car insurance valid if road tax not been paid in Spain?

In answering your questions about taxing and insuring your car in spain there is no one answer to this question because the road tax varies from region to region and is set by each municipal authority so it does vary.

What we can definitely tell you is that road tax in Spain is much lower than most northern European countries such as the United Kingdom. To give you an example most average cars in Spain will pay approximately €100 a year for road tax.

HOW DO I PAY ROAD TAX IN SPAIN?

Each local town hall office in Spain (the Ayuntamiento) will have a section where you can pay your road tax. It is a good idea to get a bank direct debit set up so that the road tax is taken automatically from your bank account saving you the time and hassle of going to the town hall each year. if you sell your vehicle don't forget to cancel the direct debit.

WHEN IS ROAD TAX IN SPAIN DUE?

your payment your road tax in Spain is due once a year and must be paid before the end of April. If you pay later than this date then you will probably incur a small fine.

Each year the town hall will send you a reminder notice although as we all know the postal system in Spain is not the most reliable, so if you have not received a renewal notice just go into the town hall they will have all your vehicle details on the computer.

The town hall will issue you a payment slip and you can take it to a number of local banks in order to pay your road tax.

Should your car, van or motorbike be off the road for a year you can apply for an exemption which is known in Spain as a baja temporal.

As well as road tax in Spain, in order to be legal on the roads your car will need the equivalent of the UK MOT in Spain which is called an ITV. This certifies your car or other vehicle is roadworthy. The other item in order to be legal on the roads in Spain is of course valid car insurance for Spanish cars.

If you are driving around in Spain on a UK registered car then technically you are not liable to Spanish road tax, instead you should really be paying road tax to the UK government. Remember that to be legal in Spain your car should be re-registered on to Spanish license plates, in other words imported into Spain once your car is in Spain for more than 60 days.

At this point your car (or other vehicle) will automatically be logged by the local municipality when you or your Gestor registers your vehicle ownership with the provincial traffic department. You will then need to pay the Spanish road tax due for the rest of the fiscal year.

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