DGT Theory Topic 2, Manoeuvres: a Visual Summary

Topic 2 of the Spanish DGT syllabus covers everything you do at the wheel once you stop going straight: joining traffic, changing lanes, overtaking, turning, turning round, reversing, stopping and parking. The exam rarely asks whether a manoeuvre is a good idea. It asks when it is allowed, how you signal it and who has priority while you do it.

Here is the topic summarised with a diagram of each manoeuvre, the numbers that come up explained, the trick answers that keep appearing and a short quiz with real DGT questions. Spanish terms are shown in grey on the cards.

What topic 2 covers

Before any manoeuvre: look, signal, act

Every manoeuvre follows the same method: observe (mirrors and blind spot), signal in good time, and act only if you put nobody at risk. To move into the left lane you check the interior and left mirrors, turn your head to cover the blind spot, indicate, check again, and then move over.

The left exterior mirror is always compulsory. If the rear window is blocked, the interior mirror is useless however panoramic it is: you need both exterior mirrors. For motorcycles, what counts is speed: above 100 km/h, two mirrors.

The indicator goes on before you start, stays on during the manoeuvre and goes off as soon as the car has finished moving across. It warns others but gives you no priority: if the lane you want is occupied, priority belongs to whoever is in it. If your indicators fail, you signal with your left arm:

The horn and headlight flashes are only for avoiding an accident, warning others on narrow, winding roads, during an emergency journey, or to warn that you are overtaking. Outside towns you may warn of an overtake with the horn or with flashes; in towns, only with flashes. Never to hurry someone at a green light, to greet someone, to complain or to warn of a police check.

Joining traffic and changing lanes

Whoever joins gives way to traffic already on the road. Coming out of a property, garage or petrol station, you edge out slowly and give way to everyone. On a slip road you look at its start, build up speed along it and join at a speed that suits the traffic; if there is no gap, you stop at the start of the slip road, not at the end, so you have its full length when a gap appears.

Other drivers should make it easier for you to join when they safely can. In towns, when a bus pulls out of a marked stop, you must let it out, stopping if necessary. It does not have "absolute priority", but you cannot carry on as if it were not there either.

When changing lanes, priority belongs to whoever is already in the lane you want. In heavy traffic, signal even earlier.

Overtaking: checks and side clearance

Before overtaking, check that the road is clear and you can see well, that nothing is coming the other way, that you have room to overtake and pull back in, and that nobody is overtaking you. If two drivers want to overtake the same vehicle, whoever signalled first goes first. You overtake on the left. On the right only when the vehicle ahead has signalled a left turn and moved to the centre, in towns on roads with several marked lanes in each direction, and when passing a tram running down the middle of a two-way street. On motorways and dual carriageways, always on the left.

While overtaking you may not exceed the speed limit. Once past, move back right as soon as you can without cutting in; "nobody is behind me, so I'll stay left" is the wrong answer. If someone is overtaking you: keep right and do not speed up; if the overtake turns dangerous, slow down to help them finish.

Vulnerable users (cyclists, mopeds, e-scooters, pedestrians, animals and carts) get at least 1.5 m of side clearance on any road. Outside towns you must also slow down to at least 20 km/h below the limit. If your direction has two or more lanes, you move completely into the left lane. A group of cyclists counts as one vehicle: overtake the whole group, never cut into it. In town, behind a cyclist riding in the middle of your lane, stay 5 metres back.

Solid lines and where overtaking is banned

With a solid line you may not overtake by crossing into the opposite lane. The exception is slow, vulnerable users: bicycles (groups too), mopeds, pedestrians, animals, carts, e-scooters and farm vehicles slow enough to pass without risk, provided you can see well and nothing is coming. Motorcycles, buses and lorries are not on the list, however slowly they go.

A vehicle stopped by a breakdown or accident is not overtaken but passed: you may cross the solid line if it is safe. Since RD 518/2026 you leave 1.5 m and go at least 20 km/h under the limit while passing it. Cars stopped in a queue or at traffic lights do not count.

Overtaking is banned:

• On bends and hill crests with poor visibility, and wherever you cannot see well, sign or no sign. A broken line is not permission if you cannot see.
• On and near pedestrian crossings and level crossings: since October 2026, with no exceptions at all.
• In tunnels with one lane in each direction.
• At junctions, unless you are on the road with signed priority, you are overtaking a two-wheeler, you are on a roundabout or overtaking on the right is allowed.
• Where a road crosses a cycle lane, always.

The ban exists to prevent head-on crashes. So if you overtake without entering the opposite lane, it is allowed: on a dual carriageway with two lanes, or a motorcycle overtaking another within the same lane with the required clearance, even on a blind bend.

Turning, turning round and reversing

To turn right, keep close to the right-hand edge and turn in a tight arc. To turn left on a two-way road, position yourself next to the centre line without crossing it and turn keeping the centre of the junction on your left. On a one-way street you move to the left-hand edge. Where there is no turning lane, a cyclist turning left waits on the right, off the carriageway if possible, and crosses when it is clear.

"Pass this side", "roundabout" and "one way" signs do not ban turning at the next junction: they only tell you which side to pass an obstacle, that you must go round the roundabout, or which way the street runs.

Turning round (U-turn) is banned wherever overtaking is banned, unless specifically allowed; also on blind bends and crests, in tunnels, on pedestrian and level crossings and, as a rule, at junctions. On motorways and dual carriageways, only at purpose-built points and never through gaps in the central reservation. If you miss an exit, carry on to the next one. Best of all, use a roundabout or a signed turning point. On a narrow road you pull onto the right shoulder with the indicator on and wait until it is clear; if it cannot be done in one go, carry on until you find a suitable place.

Reversing is banned except in two cases: as part of another manoeuvre (parking, stopping, joining traffic), for at most 15 metres and never into a junction; or when you can neither carry on, turn nor turn round, for the minimum distance needed. On motorways and dual carriageways, never. Signal it with the reversing light or, if that fails, with your arm.

Stopping, waiting and parking

Three words the exam keeps carefully apart:

• Detención (forced stop): you stop because traffic requires it (a jam, a red light, a STOP sign) or because of an emergency. You do not choose it.
• Parada (brief stop): under two minutes, with the driver staying with the vehicle, to drop someone off or pick up a load.
• Estacionamiento (parking): anything that is neither of the above. If you get out and walk away, it is parking, even for one minute.

If the car breaks down, get it off the carriageway if you can; otherwise onto the right-hand shoulder. Switch on the hazard lights (plus side lights at night or in poor visibility), place the V-16 on the roof and put on your hi-vis vest before you get out outside towns. On motorways and dual carriageways nobody walks on the carriageway, and a broken-down car may only be removed by a tow truck: towing it with another private car is banned.

In a tunnel, drive out if you can; if not, pull into a lay-by or against the right-hand edge, switch off the engine, leave side and hazard lights on and call for help from an SOS post. Stuck in a tunnel queue for more than 2 minutes, switch off the engine. If you get stuck on a level crossing, the first thing is to get everyone out of the car.

Where and how to park:

• In town, on two-way streets, only on the right-hand side; on one-way streets, on either side. Parallel to the kerb unless angled bays are marked.
• Outside towns, off the carriageway and on the right; if that is impossible, on the usable part of the shoulder. A broken edge line does not let you stay on the carriageway.
• Broken yellow kerb line: stopping allowed, parking not. Solid: neither.
• Double parking: banned, hazard lights or not.
• Never stop or park on blind bends and crests, in tunnels, on level crossings or tram tracks, on pedestrian crossings and pavements, in bus, taxi and cycle lanes, at bus stops, in disabled bays without a badge, across dropped kerbs, or leaving less than 3 metres to the opposite edge or to a solid line.
• On a slope: engine off, handbrake on and a gear engaged. Facing uphill, first gear; facing downhill, reverse.

Trick answers in topic 2

Mini quiz: 8 real exam questions

These are official DGT questions on topic 2, translated from the Spanish. Pick an answer to see whether you got it and why.

Question 1 / 8

A broken-down vehicle is partly blocking its lane on a road with a 90 km/h limit. How must you pass it?

AWith at least 1.5 m of clearance and at 70 km/h at most.BWith at least 1 m of clearance, at 90 km/h.CYou may not pass it if there is a solid line.

Question 2 / 8

When should a vehicle moving out to overtake switch off its indicator?

AOnce it has passed the vehicle and before moving back right.BOnce it has finished moving across.CWhen it gets back to the right-hand lane.

Question 3 / 8

If a vehicle is overtaking you and the manoeuvre is becoming dangerous, what should you generally do?

ASlow down to make the overtake easier.BSpeed up to stop the overtake.CKeep your speed: the problem only affects the overtaking vehicle.

Question 4 / 8

You park a car with a manual gearbox facing downhill. Which gear should you leave it in?

ANone; the parking brake is enough.BReverse.CFirst gear.

Question 5 / 8

May a motorcycle overtake another on this bend with reduced visibility?

ANo, overtaking on bends with reduced visibility is always banned.BNo, because overtaking always means entering the opposite lane.CYes, if it keeps the required side clearance and does not enter the opposite lane.

Question 6 / 8

What should you do when you see the bus wants to pull out into traffic?

ACarry on normally, because buses do not have priority.BTake precautions, because buses have absolute priority.CMake it easier for the bus to pull out, stopping if necessary.

Question 7 / 8

When reversing as part of parking, the distance travelled backwards may not...

Aexceed 15 metres.Bexceed 10 metres.Clast more than 15 seconds.

Question 8 / 8

When is overtaking banned in tunnels?

AWhen the tunnel is not lit.BWhen there is only one lane in each direction.CWhen there is more than one lane in each direction.

How to learn topic 2

Almost everything in this topic comes down to two questions: am I entering the opposite lane? and am I forcing someone to brake or swerve? If the answer is yes, the manoeuvre is banned or you must give way. After that there are only a few numbers: 1.5 m, −20 km/h, 15 m of reversing, 3 m when parking and 2 minutes for a brief stop.

Lanes, speeds and priority are covered in the topic 1 summary, and every number is collected in the DGT exam cheat sheet.