Speeds, Lanes, and Traffic Rules in Spain

1️⃣ Maximum and Minimum Speeds 🚗💨

📌 General (when there is no specific signage)

  • 🌍 You must respect the general speed set for each type of road.

🚧 Roads outside built-up areas

  • 🛣️ Conventional roads with a physical median: up to 100 km/h for cars, motorcycles, and motorhomes ≤ 3,500 kg.
  • 🌄 Unpaved roads: 30 km/h

🏙️ Speeds in urban areas

📍 Type of road 🚀 Maximum 🐢 Minimum
Urban motorways/expressways 80 km/h 60 km/h
Urban roads and through towns 50 km/h 25 km/h
30 km/h zones 30 km/h —
Residential streets 20 km/h —

🚛 Other speeds

  • 💣 Dangerous goods: 10 km/h less than the general limit
  • 🚜 Special vehicles:
    • Without brake light or when towing: 25 km/h
    • If not exceeding 60 km/h: 40 km/h
    • If capable of over 60 km/h: 70 km/h
  • 📏 Special transport:
    • With generic authorization: 70 km/h
    • Specific or exceptional authorization: 60 km/h

⚠️ Abnormally low speed

  • 🚫 Driving below the minimum is prohibited unless justified
  • 🛣️ On motorways/expressways: minimum 60 km/h
  • ⚠️ If the minimum cannot be reached: use hazard lights and exit at the first opportunity

🔼 Speeds that take precedence

  • 📍 Traffic signs have priority
  • 👤 Specific speeds for the driver or the vehicle
  • 🔴 V-4 plate: white disc with black number (rear speed limit plate of the vehicle)
  • 🐢 V-5 plate: indicates the vehicle does not exceed 40 km/h

⛅ Speed appropriate to conditions

  • 🧠 Adapt to weather, traffic, visibility, vehicle condition, and load
  • 🛑 Stop if there is a risk or obstacle

🛑 Precautions when slowing down

  • 🔴 Use indicators or the hand/arm signal
  • 👥 Make sure you don’t endanger others

2️⃣ Road Zones and Positioning 🛣️

  • 🚚 Vehicles > 3,500 kg must travel on the carriageway, not on the shoulder

🌆 Two-way carriageways

  • ➡️ With more than 2 lanes: use the right-hand lane
  • ➡️ With 3 lanes: never use the left; the center lane only to overtake or turn left

🌄 Outside built-up areas (one-way carriageways)

  • 🛻 With 2 lanes: use the far-right lane
  • 🚛 With more than 3 lanes:
    • Trucks, special vehicles > 3,500 kg, and combinations > 7 m: only the right-hand lane or the one next to it
  • 🚨 Emergency lane in jams on motorways/dual carriageways (since 1 October 2026, RD 518/2026): with 2 lanes per direction leave the gap between the two lanes; with 3 or more, between the leftmost lane and the next one (the left lane moves left, the rest move right)
  • ❄️ Snow on motorways/dual carriageways: overtaking prohibited; drive in the right-hand lane (the adjacent one is allowed with 3+ lanes) and leave the left lanes free for emergency vehicles and snowploughs

🏙️ In built-up areas

  • ✔️ With marked lanes: use the lane most suitable for your destination
  • ✔️ Unmarked: use the right-hand lane

3️⃣ Types of Lanes 🚧

🚘 Reserved lanes

  • 💨 Minimum-speed lanes: only for vehicles that can maintain that minimum
  • 🚌 Bus/Taxi lane (sign S-51): exclusive for collective transport
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 HOV (VAO) lanes:
    • Cars with at least the posted occupancy
    • Buses > 3,500 kg and priority vehicles
    • Only motorcycles, cars and adaptable mixed vehicles may use them; banned for pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds, e-scooters (VMP), animal-drawn vehicles and any vehicle with a trailer (RD 518/2026)

🔄 Special lanes

  • ↔️ Reversible lane: controlled by traffic lights or signs
  • ➕ Additional lane:
    • Speed 60–80 km/h
    • Dipped headlights on
    • Do not cross the lane markers/beacons
  • 🔁 Contraflow lane (opposite to the usual direction):
    • Only cars and motorcycles without trailers
    • In roadworks: any authorized vehicle

🚫 Prohibitions

  • R-106: No entry for trucks/vans
  • R-112: No entry for vehicles with certain trailers

🟦 Mandatory

  • R-406: Carriageway mandatory for trucks/vans

ℹ️ Information

  • S-3: Road reserved for automobiles
  • S-880: Sign applies only to certain vehicles (supplementary panel)
  • 📡 Electronic toll (ETC): automatic payment if you have a transponder

5️⃣ Safe Following Distance 🚗↔️🚗

  • 🔁 Must allow you to stop without colliding
  • 📏 Vehicles > 3,500 kg or > 10 m long: minimum 50 m
  • 🚇 In tunnels:
    • Regular vehicles: 100 m or 4 seconds
    • Vehicles > 3,500 kg: 150 m or 6 seconds

6️⃣ Traffic Restrictions 🚫

  • 🚛 Restrictions for heavy, special, or slow vehicles
  • 📅 Published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) 8 days in advance
  • ⚠️ May be temporary or exceptional (authorized)

7️⃣ General Rules of Conduct ⚖️

  • 🧹 Throwing objects onto the road is prohibited
  • 🚷 Do not obstruct or create unnecessary danger
  • 🔧 The driver must check visibility, load, and vehicle condition

🚫 Driver prohibitions

  • 📵 Using a mobile phone without hands-free
  • 🎧 Headphones, TV, or screens not permitted except authorized uses (GPS, rear camera)
  • 📡 Radar jammers and radar detectors: prohibited; apps that only warn of the location of speed cameras are allowed (RD 518/2026)

🧑‍🔧 Obligations of the owner and regular driver

  • ✔️ Keep the vehicle in legal condition
  • 🚫 Do not allow driving without a valid license
  • 📝 Provide the driver’s identity if an offence is committed
  • 👤 Register the regular driver with the DGT if applicable

📘 Source: General Traffic Regulations – DGT 2025


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