Importing a UK Car to Spain: Costs and Steps

Costa Bridge provides practical relocation preparation and signposting, not legal or tax advice. Rules change — always confirm current requirements with official sources or qualified professionals before acting.

Driving your own car down to the costas is tempting: you know it, it is paid for, and it carries a car-load of belongings. But once you live in Spain, a UK-registered car has to become a Spanish one, and since Brexit that means importing it from outside the EU. For many people the paperwork and tax make it worth doing. For others, especially with an older right-hand-drive car, it is cheaper to sell in the UK and buy in Spain.

This guide covers the time limits, the taxes, the technical checks and the steps to Spanish plates. For your driving licence, which has its own deadline, see driving in Spain after Brexit.

How long you can drive on UK plates

Visitors (not resident in Spain) can generally use a foreign-registered car in Spain for up to six months in a calendar year.
Residents cannot keep driving a foreign-registered car indefinitely. The limit usually quoted is 30 days from becoming resident to register it in Spain. The tax rules point the same way: if a car is used in Spain before it is registered, the registration tax form is due within 30 days of that use starting, or 60 days if you are claiming the exemption for moving your residence. Fines and immobilisation are possible if you are stopped on UK plates long after you became resident.

Those limits are short when customs, an ITV inspection and a DGT appointment are involved, so start before you move. Ask your gestor which date counts in your case and keep proof that the process has started.

Your UK insurance and MOT will not keep you legal for long either. Most UK policies only cover a limited number of days abroad, and a UK MOT means nothing once the car is registered in Spain.

The taxes

Customs duty and import IVA

A car brought from the UK is an import from a non-EU country. Without relief, you pay:

Customs duty of 10% of the car's value. This can be 0% if the car meets the rules of origin in the EU–UK trade agreement, but a UK registration or purchase invoice does not prove that by itself.
Import IVA of 21% on the value plus duty (mainland Spain and the Balearics; the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla have their own taxes).

As an illustration only: on a car valued at €15,000, 10% duty is €1,500 and IVA at 21% of €16,500 is €3,465, a total of €4,965 before any other cost.

Relief for moving your home to Spain

EU rules let you import personal belongings, including a car, free of duty and IVA when you transfer your normal residence from outside the EU. Broadly, you must:

have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months;
have owned and used the car for at least six months before the move;
import it within 12 months of establishing your residence in Spain; and
not sell, lend, hire out or give the car away for 12 months after import without telling customs.

You will need evidence: the V5C, insurance certificates, service records and anything showing your UK address and your move date. A customs agent can handle the import declaration (the DUA) and the relief claim.

Registration tax (IEDMT)

Registering a car in Spain for the first time triggers the special tax on certain means of transport (impuesto especial sobre determinados medios de transporte). On the mainland it depends on official CO2 emissions:

CO2 emissions	Rate
Up to 120 g/km	0%
Over 120 and under 160 g/km	4.75%
160 to under 200 g/km	9.75%
200 g/km or more, or no emissions figure	14.75%

The rate applies to the car's value in the tax agency's official price tables, reduced for age. People moving their residence to Spain can claim an exemption on similar conditions to customs relief (normally 12 months living abroad, six months' prior ownership and use, and no sale for 12 months). The exemption is claimed on modelo 05 and must be recognised by the tax agency before you register the car; otherwise the tax is paid on modelo 576.

Other costs

The DGT registration fee (tasa 1.1), €99.77 at the time of writing.
Municipal road tax (IVTM), paid to the town hall every year.
The ITV inspection, conversion work and any technical report.
Plates, made by an authorised supplier once the car is registered.
Spanish insurance, and fees for a gestor and customs agent.

Ask for itemised written quotes before you commit.

Technical approval and the ITV

Before Spanish registration the car needs an ITV inspection and a Spanish technical card (ficha técnica). To get one you usually need the manufacturer's certificate of conformity (CoC) for EU type approval. Many cars sold in the UK before 2021 have one. Some newer UK-market cars have only UK type approval, and then an individual approval through a technical laboratory can be slow and expensive. Check this first: it can decide the whole question.

Right-hand-drive cars normally need:

headlights adjusted or replaced for driving on the right;
a rear fog light on the left or in the centre;
a speedometer showing km/h (a dual mph/km/h dial is usually accepted).

The ITV station checks the car against its documents and issues the ficha técnica.

Step by step to Spanish plates

Check the car: does it have an EU certificate of conformity, and what will the conversion cost? Get a quote from a local workshop or gestor.
Gather proof of ownership, use and your move date for the reliefs.
Clear customs with a customs agent: the DUA, and the duty and IVA relief or payment.
Get a Spanish technical card: CoC or technical report, conversion work, then the ITV inspection.
Deal with registration tax: exemption on modelo 05, or payment on modelo 576.
Pay the IVTM at your town hall.
Apply to the DGT for registration with your identity and residence documents, the original UK vehicle documents, the import certificate from customs, the tax receipts, the ficha técnica and the fee.
Fit Spanish plates, insure the car in Spain, and tell the DVLA the car has been permanently exported using the V5C.

Is it worth it?

Bringing the car usually makes sense when it is fairly new, left-hand-drive or has an EU certificate of conformity, and you qualify for both reliefs. It often does not when the car is older, would need expensive approval, or you would pay full duty and IVA. Right-hand-drive cars also sell for less in Spain, and some drivers find overtaking on mountain roads awkward from the wrong side. Compare the total cost with selling in the UK and buying in Spain, where second-hand prices are often higher than in the UK.

Common mistakes

Driving on UK plates for months after becoming resident.
Selling the car within 12 months of using customs or tax relief, which can make the tax payable after all.
Not keeping the evidence of six months' ownership and use before the move.
Discovering after shipping that the car has no EU certificate of conformity.
Forgetting the driving licence: it has a separate six-month limit after you become resident.

When to get professional help

Most people use a gestor who specialises in vehicle registrations (matriculaciones) and a customs agent for the import. They know which ITV stations handle imports and which documents the local DGT office expects. For a classic, modified or high-value car, ask about the specific approval route before you ship it.

Key takeaways

A UK car is a non-EU import: 10% duty and 21% IVA unless you qualify for relief on moving your residence.
Registration tax runs from 0% to 14.75% on CO2 emissions, with an exemption for people moving to Spain.
Right-hand-drive cars need lights adapted and an ITV inspection; check for an EU certificate of conformity first.
Residents should register quickly: the usual limit quoted is 30 days.
Price up selling in the UK and buying in Spain before you decide.

Sources and review date

Reviewed on 11 October 2026.

Importing a UK Car to Spain: Costs, Paperwork and Whether It's Worth It