Motorcycles are first tested after five years, after which the test is due every two years. If a vehicle is involved in a serious accident, it must usually undergo an ITV test after repair to establish whether the repair has been carried out correctly.
There are ITV test stations in most major towns (listed in yellow pages under Automóviles Inspección Técnica de Vehículos). Make an appointment to avoid a long wait or a wasted journey.
Most garages will get your car tested for you, although if you ask a garage to take your car in for a test, make sure that you don’t pay for unnecessary repairs, either before or after the test. The Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) will also take members’ cars for testing. If you don’t speak Spanish, you should get a garage to take your car in for a test or take a Spanish speaker with you so that you understand any instructions given at the test.
If a vehicle fails the test, you receive a blue form listing the faults and you’re given 15 days to have it repaired and re-tested. If possible, get the ITV examiner to write down the repairs necessary to pass the test, or you could receive a large bill for unnecessary repairs. Tests aren’t exhaustive or rigorous, and old wrecks that should have been consigned to the scrap heap decades ago flourish in Spain, particularly in rural areas.
When your car has passed the test, you’re given a certificate showing the month and year when the test is next due, which must be displayed in the top right-hand corner of your windscreen. Certificates are a different colour for each year. You also receive an ITV card ( tarjeta de inspección técnica de vehículos), which details the results of each test. You can be fined up to €1,500 for ITV-related offences, such as failing to display a valid ITV certificate.
Note that the Spanish ITV test has no value in other EU countries and, if you operate a car in Spain that’s registered in another EU country, it must be tested in accordance with the law of the country where it’s registered in order to be legal in Spain. If you import a car into Spain, it must pass the ITV test before it can be registered in Spain.
This article is an extract from Living and Working in Spain.
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