New ITV operation instructions come into force today in every ITV station across Spain, so your local one will be affected as well.
First of all, owing to Covid restrictions, the inspector will not get into the car for any reason, other than in exceptional circumstances.
As for things you can fail on, now it is the ABS system for your brakes, which is now classified as a major defect. This means that if the vehicle has ABS and the warning light indicating a fault remains on, the vehicle fails, whereas before it was a minor fault and would not get you sent back.
If your kilometre counter is defective; i.e., you cannot see the reading clearly or it shows the same reading as during your last ITV inspection, that’s a fail, too.
* Range-extended electric vehicles (REEV) will now be treated like other hybrid cars.
* Lights: if they’re set too high, that is a fail, whereas before you were just told to sort it out before the next inspection. However, under the new regulations, the inspector will give you the chance to adjust it there and then but if adjusting it doesn’t sort the problem out, that’s a fail.
* Brakes: in M1 and N1 category vehicles, which have electrical-activated handbrakes, they will not have to do the braking test (braking on a rotating surface) but will instead be subjected to a closer inspection to check each wheel individually.
* Mopeds/Scooters: those that were made prior to the EU regulation 168/2013, the brake light must work by activating at least one lever/pedal.
As a consequence of Brexit, vehicles with British plates lose all of the EU vehicles considerations. UK homologation certifications are no longer valid, meaning that they will be treated as belonging to a third-party nation. In other words, importing your UK car and trying to get Spanish plates, which is an obligation if you want to use it here, will become a veritable headache.
Editorial comment: Thanks, all you pro-Brexiters! Hope you’re enjoying all those amazing benefits they promised you – wait! There aren’t any! It’s a bit late now, though, isn’t it. Where are the damned, eye-rolling emoticons when you need them?
(News: Spain)
Having got your UK car on Spanish plates, try going back to UK in a few years and get UK plates. It was hard enough when UK automatically accepted EU paperwork. Won’t be easier now.
What a fun time to live through.
Fred: Amen! 😉
Thank you Martin, unless you are madly in love with your UK vehicle just buy one in Spain and save an administrative/cost headache…sure second hand cars are more expensive but they continue to depreciate more slowly thereafter. No doubt the surge in electric powered cars may change depreciation rates of petrol/diesel cars
Malc: If the car has already been imported into Spain, then it is not a UK car. Cars are made in factories all over Europe and then imported into Spain. The moment they are given a Spanish registration, they’re Spanish cars.
It’s a bit like getting Spanish residency. Before you could get it no problem but after Brexit it is much harder. If you got your Spanish residency before the Brexit cut off date then it is not affected – you’re an official foreign resident and it won’t change.
The problem started with the Brexit divorce becoming final – anything administrative afterwards is much, much harder, be it registering a UK car for Spanish plates, or getting a residency certificate from scratch.
If in doubt, you can go to the ITV station in Motril and they will confirm it 😉
If you think ‘logically’ in Spain you will almost certainly fall foul of the law!!!
Where can I find a ‘definitive’ answer to my question?
Malc: No, logically, if you have a Spanish reg, it’s a Spanish car 😉
Does this affect cars originating from UK that have already been matriculated to Spanish?