If you’re planning on making a permanent move from the UK to Spain, one practical (and often emotional) decision is whether to bring your UK car with you. While some assume it’s easier to sell their vehicle and buy a Spanish car on arrival, the reality is that in many cases, bringing your UK car when moving from the UK to Spain can save you money, offer better value, and simplify your move.

Here we cover the pros and cons of bringing your UK car when relocating to Spain, outlining when it’s financially worthwhile, and highlighting situations where it may not be the best option.

When and Why Bringing Your UK Car to Spain Is Often Worth It

✅ 1. Used Cars in Spain Are Expensive and Often Comparitively Poor Value

One of the first shocks for many people moving from the UK to Spain is the price of second-hand cars in Spain. Compared to the UK, used vehicles in Spain are generally:

> More expensive
> Older 
> Higher mileage / KM’s
> Worse overall condition

If you already own a car in good condition, it’s usually far cheaper and better value to bring it with you than to replace it once you’re here.

✅ 2. You Qualify for Tax Exemptions

If you’re moving to Spain permanently and bringing your personal belongings, including your car, you may be eligible for tax exemptions that make importing the car extremely cost-effective.

You can typically avoid paying:

> Customs duty
> VAT (IVA)*
> Registration tax 

To qualify, you must:

> Be officially moving your residence to Spain, i.e. becoming a fulltime tax resident
> Have owned and used the vehicle in the UK for at least 6 months prior to the date your residency in Spain starts
> Bring the car into Spain and register it within 12 months of your move to Spain

These exemptions can save thousands of euros, making a huge difference in your decision.

✅ 3. You Know Your Vehicle

When relocating, having a vehicle you trust makes settling in smoother. You know how your UK car drives, its full history, and that it’s been properly maintained—unlike many used cars sold in Spain, which can be a gamble.

*A car that is less than 6 months old or that has covered less than 6000 kilometres will always be subject to VAT when imported to Spain

Things That Might Affect Also Your Decision

⚠️ Right-Hand Drive

UK vehicles are right-hand drive (RHD), which is legal to use in Spain once registered. Many expats adjust quickly, but RHD can be inconvenient in:

> Car parks
> Toll booths
> Overtaking on single-lane roads

Also, resale value of RHD cars in Spain is lower than LHD, so bringing your car is usually best when you plan to keep it long-term.

⚠️ Vehicle Modifications & ITV

To register a UK car in Spain, it must pass the ITV (Spain’s vehicle inspection). You may need:

> Headlights adjusted or replaced
> Rear fog light repositioned or complete rear light cluster replaced
> Speedometer to show km/h (dual dials or digital are usually acceptable)
> Removal of or homologation certificates for non-factory additions such as sidesteps and towbars
> New tyres if they are not the ame across each axel

While these adjustments are in most cases straightforward and not too costly to take care of, they must be considered and factored into your budget.

⚠️ Insurance for UK Cars

Most Spanish insurers do not cover UK cars, however there are a very small number of specialist insurers that do.  Premiums may be slightly higher initially, but are fine once the car is registered onto Spanish licence plates.

When Bringing Your UK Car to Spain Might Not Work

While bringing your UK car is often a smart move when moving permanently to Spain, there are exceptions:

✘ You Bought the Car Less Than 6 Months Ago

If the car was recently purchased in the UK, you won’t qualify for tax exemptions. This means you’ll likely need to pay:

• 21% VAT
• Customs duties 10%
• CO₂-based registration tax up to 17%

In this case, importing can be a very costly affair.

✘ High Emission Vehicles

If your car doesn’t qualify for exemption and has high CO₂ emissions, the registration tax could be high—especially for large engines or older models.

✘ You Aren’t Sure If  You’re Going To Stick It Out

Having a holiday home and visting Spain as a tourist is not the same as living there fulltime.  If you’re not sure whether you going to like actually living in Spain, the registration process, cost, and paperwork might not be worth the effort.  In this case you might consider selling or parking up your UK car in the UK and perhaps leasing a car in Spain.

The Bottom Line: Should You Bring Your Car When Moving to Spain?

✅ Yes, if:

• You’re moving to Spain permanently
• You already own a good quality UK car
• You owned the car for more than 6 months (and it has more than 6000 KM’s on the clock)
• You plan to keep the car long-term
• You qualify for tax exemptions

❌ No, if:

• You recently bought the vehicle
• You don’t qualify for exemptions
• You’ll only stay in Spain short-term
• You don’t want to drive a right-hand drive car
• The car is less than 6 months old or has less than 6,000 KM’s on the clock

Are You Thinking About Bringing Your UK Car When You Move to Spain?  Would You Like Help With the Import and Registration Process?

At Lifestyle, we specialise in visa. residency and relocation services for people moving from the UK to Spain.  We help our clients bring their car legally and cost-effectively when they move as part or their relocation service package.  From confirming your eligibility for and getting tax exemptions to clearing customs, the ITV, and registration registration paperwork, we handle it all.

Want to know more?
Get in touch if you would like to find out more about our UK to Spain visa, residency and relocation services, and how we can make bringing your car when moving to Spain simple and stress-free.

Learn more about the process and costs to Register a UK Car in Spain.

The UK is no longer in the EU and the process and costs to register a UK car in Spain are a lot more than they were before Brexit.

This is because UK cars now are now treated as vehicles from third countries and must clear customs, have import duty and VAT paid, or get a waiver if your car qualifies for customs exemption.

The process you follow will depend on your situation, as will the cost.  You’ll need to budget for costs of around €1,500 with taxes as applicable on top.

There are a few steps involved in the process to register a car from an EU country in Spain.  Fortunately because of European standardisation, or homologation as it’s known, in most cases, provided you know the steps, it’s relatively straight forward.

To begin with you will need to have an address in Spain. the registration document for the car and a valid passport and NIE, or TIE or residency certificate if you live in Spain.  The following is a basic run through of the steps and process.

You have your non-lucrative visa, and you’re on your way to Spain to start your new life in Spain.  Congratulations!

You now start the process of getting yourself registered and set up in Spain.

Here’s our rundown of all the essentials that you’ll need to get done in your first few months of your non-lucrative residency.

Click / tap on the tabs to expand.

We usually arrange the set up of the digital certificate at the same time as the padron, as it requires and ID verification which can be done at the town hall.

With your TIE in hand you can move onto getting other things done which require proof that you are resident in Spain.

Healthcare

Private Medical Insurance – If you have private healthcare, check where the Dr’s and medical centres are in your area that are on your policy providers list, so that when you need attention, you know where to go and don’t go one which isn’t covered by you provider.

S1 NHS Certificate – If you have the S1, you can complete the application to register it with the social security as soon as you get your TIE.  The registration takes around 3 months, and one that is done you can enroll at your local healthcentre ‘centro de salud‘ and GP.

In either case, locating an English speaking medical centre or GP if there is one in your area, will be useful when you need medical attention.

Financial & Tax

Aside from getting banking and currency arrangements set up, there are a few things financial and tax that you need to do or be aware of.

Preparing for Your Non-Lucrative Residency Renewal

If you only just arrived in Spain with your non-lucrative visa, it mighty seem a bit premature to be thinking about the renewal, but it will come round quickly, and there are some key things to be aware of during your first year to help you get a speedy approval when you renew.  The main things that hold up renewal applications are:

Lack of Evidence of Living in Spain

Immigration expect to see a day to day living expenditure in Spain in you current account, preferably a Spanish bank account.  Use you bank card to pay for everything you spend in Spain in your first year.

Missing Border Control Stamps

Make sure that if you visit the UK or travel outside of the Schengen area and are stamped out, that you get stamped back in when you return.  Keep boarding passes in cases stamps are missed.

Taxes in Spain Not up to Date

The most common cause of an issue here is unpaid non-resident property tax where renewal applicants owned a property as a holiday home before getting their non-lucrative visa, and were not even aware that they should have been paying this tax.

Gap in Healthcare

This can happen when changing Private Medical Insurance provider or switching to state healthcare, e.g. via the S1.  It is important to make sure you do not have any gap in your healthcare cover.

This list is intended as a basic guide for the main things that most new non-lucrative residents need to do and think about in their first 6 months in Spain.  Of course everyone’s situation is different and along with everything here there will likely be many other things on your getting set up in Spain checklist.  The above is hopefully a good starting point for you.

The are quite a few steps and costs involved to import and register and car from a non-EU country in Spain.

First and foremost EU conformity, import and registration costs must be taken into account as these can make the import and registration in Spain impossible or too expensive to be worth while.

This said, under EU rules if you are moving from a non-EU country to live in an EU country, such as Spain, you can bring your possessions including cars, and avoid paying the costly duties and taxes and having to pay for expensive EU conformity certification.

These transfer of residence rules give you up to12 months form the date you get your residency to import your car and avoid paying customs and VAT.  However you only have 60 days from the date you take up residency, to register your car and avoid registration tax (if it applies).  

Importing a high value car from the UK in Spain post Brexit, now comes with added costs.  As the UK is no longer in the EU and the standard process to import and register a UK car in Spain now involves customs.

This means on top of the registration tax which in most cases will be 17% of the vehicle value, 10% customs duty and 21% VAT will apply, unless you can find away around it.

Paying nearly £50k to register a £100k motor is simply not a consideration.  There are however various ways these huge costs can be avoided, bringing the cost of importing and registering high value cars in Spain down to a few thousand Euros, rather than tens of thousands.

In Spain, the periodic road worthiness inspection, is the ITV. (Inspeccion Tecnica de Vehiculos – Vehicle Technical Inspection).  Like the UK MoT test, it’s mandatory for all road going vehicles, and driving without a valid ITV can result in fines.

When Does The ITV have to be done?

The frequency of the ITV test depends on the age and type of vehicle.  New cars are first tested after 4 years and must be inspected every 2 years thereafter, until they reach 10 years of age. Any car over 10 years of age has to be tested annually.

Motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes are first tested after 5 years, after which the test is due every 2 years. Caravans are first tested at 6 years, after which the test is due every 2 years.

If a vehicle has been involved in a serious accident, it also has to undergo an ITV assessment after being repaired, to confirm its road worthiness.

Registering Classic Cars in Spain

The process of assigning a registration number to a Classic Car in Spain is more or less the same as that for a normal car.  However the car will have to go through more vigorous checks before it can be passed.  There is no differentiation in regard to age of vehicle and the registration number issued.  So a 50 year old classic Ferrari brought to Spain from another country, and a brand new Nissan Micra, could end up with consecutively numbered plates.

This is quite different to the UK for example, where vehicle registration numbers have a year marker, so you can know the cars are from the number plate.  Spanish vehicle registration numbers have no age identifier.

From a Classic Car perspective, this means that, if you’re bringing your pride and joy 1964 Mercedes SL to Spain, when you register it, you will end up with a registration number that doesn’t fit with the age of the car.  The registration will be just like any other regular new cars registered at the same time. Not great for prestige.

Spain does not have a system to issue personalised licence plates.  It does however have a system to identify and recognise Classic Cars.  Cars that qualify can achieve the status of being certified as a ‘historical vehicle’.  Classic Cars with this status can be registered with historical licence plates, so the owner can enjoy the kudos of having their beloved motor officially recognised and marked as a Classic Car.

Getting ‘historical vehicle’ status for a Classic Car, also brings with the added perks of cheaper insurance, longer gaps between ITV´s and road tax exemption.

The starting qualifying criteria is the age of the car, the qualifying age being 30 years.  The age for a Classic Car in Spain used to be 25 years, however was changed to 30 years in May 2018.  This change was not retrospective.  Classic Cars that already had historical number plates kept them.