Car Insurance, motorcycle Insurance, and LCV insurance.

All motor vehicles and trailers must be insured when you drive in Spain. Failing to do so could result in fines between 600€ and 3,000€ as well as points taken from your licence, or even a prison sentence.

It is not essential for vehicles that are insured in other European countries to have international insurance. However, you must at least carry a copy of your insurance documentation and payment receipt as proof.

The different categories of insurance available

Third Party - (responsabilidad civil obligatoria) is the minimum required by Spanish law and insures against a 3rd party claim. Some of the better companies include fire cover at no extra cost with this basic cover, however always check this out before you sign up.

Please note that neither drivers nor passengers are covered and must be insured separately if required, see Driver and Passenger Insurance.

Third Party, Fire and Theft - (responsabilidad civil obligatoria, incendio y robo) known in some countries as ‘part comprehensive’. It includes cover against fire (incendio), natural hazards such as rocks falling on your vehicle, theft (robo), broken glass such as windscreens and legal expenses (defensa penal).

Fully Comprehensive - (todo riesgo) this covers all of the risks listed under a third-party, fire and theft policy plus all other types of damage to your vehicle irrespective of how the damage was caused.

Some insurance companies will not offer comprehensive cover to vehicles that are more than two or three years old, so you may need to check. If you have a finance or lease agreement on your vehicle you may find that it is compulsory to have comprehensive insurance.

Please be aware that not all insurance companies pay for a replacement car whilst your own vehicle is being repaired. Although you will find that the better companies do offer this as an option when you take cover with them.

Driver and Passenger Insurance – (seguro de ocupantes) is usually an option that can be added to insurance policies. This cover allows the driver and/or passengers of the vehicle who have been involved in an accident to claim for bodily injury. It also offers compensation for their incapacity to work or for their beneficiaries should they be killed.

There are normally different levels of driver and passenger accident insurance, so speak to your insurance representative about the options.

No-claims Bonus- (bonificacion/sistema bonus-malus) is normally valid if you have had insurance within the last two years and you have not made a claim. You will usually be asked to provide written evidence of the no-claims bonus as given by your previous company, not just a copy of your last renewal notice. Some companies may also request that this be officially translated into Spanish.

Documentation

It is now becoming common practice for the need to provide your insurance company, at the time of taking out the policy, with copies of the following:

• registration document
• up-to-date ITV certificate
• NIE/passport for the owner and named insured drivers
• driving licences of those as above

It’s worth noting that most policies in Spain cover any driver of the vehicle, however it is recommended that any additional regular drivers of the vehicle be named on the policy.

For information on foreign plated vehicles click here.

For information on ITV tests click here.

For information on breakdown insurance click here.

For information on basic motoring requirements click here.

For a free no obligation quotation click here.

To return to the home page click here.