Spain Driving Rules Cheat Sheet 2026: Every DGT Exam Number on One Page

General rules like "give way to the right" are the same everywhere. What fails people in the DGT theory test are numbers, exceptions and recent changes. They are all here, by topic, ready for a 15-minute review before the exam.

Checked against the Reglamento General de Circulación and the Ley sobre Tráfico in force in October 2026, including the RGC reform of 1 October 2026 and the mandatory V-16 beacon.

The 15 numbers you will almost certainly be asked

What	Number
Car: conventional road / autovía and autopista	90 / 120 km/h
Towns: one lane each way / two or more	30 / 50 km/h
Single-level street (road and pavement flush)	20 km/h
Alcohol: general / novices (under 2 years) and professionals	0.5 / 0.3 g/l blood
Same in exhaled air	0.25 / 0.15 mg/l
Under-18s riding or driving anything	0.0
Points: novice / experienced / maximum	8 / 12 / 15
Overtaking a cyclist on interurban roads	1.5 m and 20 km/h under the limit
Tunnel distance: light / heavy vehicles	100 m or 4 s / 150 m or 6 s
Reversing, maximum	15 m
Stop (parada), maximum	2 minutes
Child in the front seat	from 135 cm
Motorcycle passenger	from 12, from 7 with a parent
Rest	every 2 hours or 200 km
First ITV for a car	after 4 years

Licence categories

Category	What it allows
B (18)	Up to 3,500 kg and 9 seats including the driver. Trailer up to 750 kg always; heavier if the combination stays within 3,500 kg
B96	Combination up to 4,250 kg
B + E	Trailer over 750 kg without the 3,500 kg combination limit
B held 3 years	Motorcycles up to 125 cc and 11 kW, in Spain only
B held 2 years	Alternative-fuel vans up to 4,250 kg
AM (15)	Mopeds up to 50 cc and 45 km/h, light quadricycles
A1 (16)	Up to 125 cc and 11 kW
A2 (18)	Up to 35 kW and 0.2 kW/kg. No engine-size limit
A	After 2 years on A2

Validity: 10 years; from 65, 5 years. Report a change of address within 15 days.

Speed limits

Outside towns

Vehicle	Conventional road	Autovía / autopista
Cars, motorcycles, motorhomes ≤ 3,500 kg	90	120
Buses, car-derived vans, mixed-use vehicles	90	100
Lorries, vans, motorhomes > 3,500 kg, any vehicle towing a trailer	80	90

• Autovía and autopista share the same limit. The old 100 km/h on conventional roads with a wide hard shoulder was scrapped in 2019.
• Minimum speed: half the road's maximum. A car on an autopista: 60 km/h.
• Mopeds and light quadricycles: 45 km/h.
• You can no longer exceed the limit by 20 km/h to overtake (removed in 2022).

In towns

Street	Limit
Single-level platform	20
One lane each way	30
Two or more lanes each way	50

Distances

• Cyclist on interurban roads: 1.5 m to the side, at least 20 km/h below the limit, and a full lane change if there is more than one lane your way. Same when passing a vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder.
• Behind a cyclist in town: at least 5 m.
• Vehicles over 3,500 kg or 10 m outside towns: 50 m behind the vehicle ahead unless overtaking.
• Tunnels: light vehicles 100 m or 4 s; heavy 150 m or 6 s.
• Braking distance roughly doubles in rain, up to ×5 on snow and ×10 on ice.

Alcohol

Who	Blood	Exhaled air
General (cyclists too)	0.5 g/l	0.25 mg/l
Novices (under 2 years) and professionals	0.3 g/l	0.15 mg/l
Under 18	0.0	0.0
Criminal offence	1.2 g/l	0.60 mg/l

• Fine: €500 and 4 points; double the limit or a repeat offence, €1,000 and 6 points. Refusing the test is a crime.
• Peak 30–90 minutes after the last drink; elimination about 0.10–0.15 g/l per hour.
• On 29 September 2026 Congress started processing a cut to 0.2 g/l. It is not law yet.

Points

Situation	Points
Novice	8
2 years without losing points	12
3 more clean years	+2 (14)
3 more	+1 (15)
Safe-driving course	+2, max 15

• Lost points come back after 2 years without offences.
• Partial recovery course (12 h): up to 6 points, once every 2 years.
• Maximum 8 points in one day unless an offence is very serious.
• No points left: 6 months without a licence, a 24-hour course and the theory test. Again within 3 years: 12 months.

Phone in hand: 6. Seat belt, helmet or child seat: 4. Red light: 4. Alcohol: 4 or 6. Full table: DGT Traffic Fines.

Children, seat belts, helmets

• Up to 135 cm: child restraint and rear seat. Front only if there are no rear seats, they are taken by other children under 135 cm, or the restraints do not fit.
• Rear-facing mandatory up to 15 months (i-Size).
• 135–150 cm: restraint or seat belt. From 150 cm: seat belt.
• Seat belts always: since 1/10/2026 taxis, goods vehicles and driving-school cars are no longer exempt. You may unbuckle when reversing or parking.

Who	Rule
Motorcycle, moped	Helmet always; gloves on interurban roads and closed shoes everywhere (from 1/10/2026)
Bicycle, interurban	Helmet always, no heat or climb exemptions (from 1/10/2026)
Bicycle, town	Helmet under 16
E-scooter (VMP)	From 15, helmet mandatory, reflective element at night

More in New Traffic Rules from 1 October 2026.

What to carry

• V-16 beacon connected to DGT 3.0: since 1/1/2026 the only valid warning device; triangles no longer count. €200 without one. Place it on the roof without getting out.
• Reflective vest: put it on before leaving the car.
• Spare wheel or puncture kit, depending on the car.
• Driving licence, permiso de circulación and ITV card (originals, certified copies or the miDGT app). Proof of insurance is not required: police check the FIVA database.

ITV (MOT)

Vehicle	First	Then
Car	4 years	every 2 years to 10, then yearly
Motorcycle, quadricycle	4 years	every 2 years
Moped	3 years	every 2 years
Van ≤ 3,500 kg	2 years	every 2 to 6, yearly to 10, then every 6 months
Caravan > 750 kg	6 years	every 2 years
Trailer ≤ 750 kg	none	—

Selling a car: the seller notifies the DGT within 10 days; the buyer transfers it within 30 days.

Lights and signals

• Dipped beam by day: motorcycles always, reversible and additional lanes, tunnels.
• Main beam: mandatory at night outside towns on unlit roads above 40 km/h, unless it dazzles. Never in towns.
• Rear fog light: only in dense fog, heavy snow, very heavy rain, smoke or dust.
• Horn in towns only to avoid an accident.

Priority

Order: traffic officers > temporary signs > traffic lights > signs > road markings.

• Arm raised: everyone stops except vehicles already in the junction.
• Arms outstretched: traffic approaching from front and back stops.
• Police motorcyclist with a red flag: road closed; green: open; yellow: danger.
• Unmarked junction: priority to the right, except paved over unpaved roads, rail vehicles, and vehicles already on a roundabout.
• Narrow gradient of 7 % or more: the vehicle going uphill has priority, unless it can reach a passing place first itself.

Overtaking, U-turns, reversing

No overtaking:

• on pedestrian crossings and near them — no exceptions since 1/10/2026;
• at cycle-lane crossings and level crossings;
• at junctions, except on the priority road, on roundabouts or when passing two-wheelers;
• in tunnels with one lane your way;
• without enough visibility, even on a broken line.

On the right: a vehicle turning left, marked lanes in towns, trams in the middle of the street.

You may cross a solid line to pass cyclists, mopeds, pedestrians, animals or stopped vehicles if they are slow and it is safe.

Reversing: max 15 m, never into a junction, never on autovías or autopistas.

Stopping and parking

• Stop (parada): up to 2 minutes, the driver stays with the car.
• Leave at least 3 m to a solid line and for other traffic.
• Yellow zigzag: no parking, stopping allowed; with BUS written on it, neither.

Tunnels

• Queue: sidelights and hazards, keep your distance.
• Breakdown: hazards, V-16, walk to the SOS post or exit.
• Fire: engine off, key left in the ignition, doors unlocked, walk to the exit.

Load

Vehicle	Overhang
Car	Rear only: 10 % of length if divisible, 15 % if indivisible
Lorry ≤ 5 m	1/3 of length front and rear
Lorry > 5 m	2 m front, 3 m rear
Motorcycle, bicycle	0.25 m rear, 0.5 m each side of the axis

Pedestrians and health

• Outside towns pedestrians walk on the left, groups on the right, and at night must be visible from 150 m.
• Rest 20–30 minutes every 2 hours or 200 km.
• Holding a phone and wearing earphones are banned.
• Accident: PAS — Protect, Alert (112), Assist. Never remove an injured rider's helmet.

Traps: what changed recently

Before	Now
Two triangles 50 m away	V-16 beacon only (1/1/2026)
Taxi drivers without seat belts	Seat belts for everyone (1/10/2026)
Cyclists without a helmet in heat or on climbs	Helmet on interurban roads, no exceptions (1/10/2026)
Overtaking on a crossing at low speed	Always banned (1/10/2026)
E-scooters with no age limit	15+, helmet, registration and insurance (2026)
Recovery course: 4 points	Up to 6 points (2022)
Phone in hand: 3 points	6 points (2022)
100 km/h on roads with a wide hard shoulder	90 km/h (2019)

Test yourself

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For information only. The BOE text prevails: Reglamento General de Circulación (RD 1428/2003) and Ley sobre Tráfico (RDL 6/2015).