Car Hire v Car Owning in Spain

[casvid]

As car hire becomes more expensive for people who spend 3 to 4 months a year in Spain and who don't want to drive to and from the UK each trip, one wonders if now is the time to consider having one's own car to use rather than hire.
Can anyone enlighten me as to any of the following:
...How long can you keep a UK registered car in Spain?
...What costs are involved in registering a UK vehicle in Spain?
...How much should one allow for yearly expenses for owning a Spanish registered car?

[Suenneil]

Originally Posted by casvid

As car hire becomes more expensive for people who spend 3 to 4 months a year in Spain and who don't want to drive to and from the UK each trip, one wonders if now is the time to consider having one's own car to use rather than hire.
Can anyone enlighten me as to any of the following:
...How long can you keep a UK registered car in Spain?
...What costs are involved in registering a UK vehicle in Spain?
...How much should one allow for yearly expenses for owning a Spanish registered car?

Hi Casvid

Officially you are supposed to re register your UK plated car in Spain within 60 days of residency - Im not sure how it works if you arent here full time though but presumably if the car is here full time the same rules apply ?

To be honest there are a number of reasons why I dont think matriculating a UK plated car is a good idea. Firstly its dangerous! driving here as I am sure you know aint the easiest thing in the World given some of the slip roads onto motorways etc!! and with a RHD car you are putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage! Also the costs of matriculating the car are pretty expensive (I know there are older threads on there discussing this if you want to do a search) .... it may also depend on the value of the car you are considering registering over here .... sometimes it just isnt worth it.

Running a Spanish plated car ... well apart from the petrol obviously! you have the annual ITV which cost us this year 70 euros. then you have the local car tax which for some reason varies between local authorities! again this year ours cost us 80 euros. We insure through linea directa and for fully comp we pay 480 euros per year for a Ford Puma.

In my opinion get a Spanish car with Spanish plates ..... long term its safer, cheaper and legal!

Sue

[jojo]

If you're not here all the time then I personally think its imperitive that you get a LHD car!! My husband commutes to the UK for work every week or so and the only check he has on himself when he's driving here (or the UK) is which side of the car he's sat on! He has often said that if it wasnt for that he could so easily become confused for a split second and drive on the wrong side of the road!

Jo xxx

[Xose]

Originally Posted by casvid

As car hire becomes more expensive for people who spend 3 to 4 months a year in Spain and who don't want to drive to and from the UK each trip, one wonders if now is the time to consider having one's own car to use rather than hire.
Can anyone enlighten me as to any of the following:
...How long can you keep a UK registered car in Spain?
...What costs are involved in registering a UK vehicle in Spain?
...How much should one allow for yearly expenses for owning a Spanish registered car?

Hi Casvid,
A long time ago you could ask the Guardia Civil to come and "Pricintar" the car and again to remove the "pricinto" on your return. I have no idea if that system still exists. Given that the car would still be in the UK legal system, you would still need Tax and MOT etc., so wouldn't really be worth while in the long run in any case. Plus you would have to have insurance and that has its own headaches.

Registration can be from under €1000 to a lot over. Depending on all manner of issues not the least of which is if the car exists in the Spanish market and comes from an EU country etc., etc., etc. This particularly so with the Ficha Tecnica and Homologation varification of the components (tow bar, fog lights etc., etc.)

It might be worth it from a safety point of view if driving a LHD frightens you more than driving a RHD on the right side of the road. You wouldn't be the first to be going for the gear leaver and smacking the door panel just as an HGV comes over the hill on your (the wrong) side on a road you've just joined! But generally, if at all possible, a Spanish car would save you loads of hassle. Again, I have no idea how you would buy a car if you are not resident and what the implications would be.

If you are going to leave it here for months, and it isn't going to be used, then you have the issue of raising it on axle stands or things like wheel bearings will start to suffer. Also, if an older car, things like break pad cilinders will suffer from lack of use - so it is adviced to prep the car pre-storage. The axle thing is a good idea even on not so old cars.

Yearly mandatory costs are :
ITV (MOT- none for the first 5 years, then every 2 years up to 10 years old, then every year) at around €45.
Road Tax, if you are not resident, is not one I can answer as I have no idea how it works, but residents pay the alluntamiento who collect for the Deputacion Provincial. I know that something like a Ford escort pays around €50 and an old 3000cc mercedes deasel pays about €140 - with new(ish) larger cars fitting within that - and one assumes big american type V8's and the like on probably around the €200 mark (though no idea in fact on the big 4X4's etc).
Insurance can seem a bit more than the UK, it did to me when I got here, but generally include breakdown service so not so bad when all added up.

Sorry that along with the costs side there's a lot of "Mind how you go", but keeping a car without use for a long time has its headaches. Buying a car and registering with Alluntamiento for road tax, Trafico etc., as a non resident also has its issues I'm sure. The permiso the circulasion with a UK address is one thing I've never seen here - but perhaps more common in the South.

Xose

[casvid]

Originally Posted by Suenneil

Hi Casvid

Officially you are supposed to re register your UK plated car in Spain within 60 days of residency - Im not sure how it works if you arent here full time though but presumably if the car is here full time the same rules apply ?

To be honest there are a number of reasons why I dont think matriculating a UK plated car is a good idea. Firstly its dangerous! driving here as I am sure you know aint the easiest thing in the World given some of the slip roads onto motorways etc!! and with a RHD car you are putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage! Also the costs of matriculating the car are pretty expensive (I know there are older threads on there discussing this if you want to do a search) .... it may also depend on the value of the car you are considering registering over here .... sometimes it just isnt worth it.

Running a Spanish plated car ... well apart from the petrol obviously! you have the annual ITV which cost us this year 70 euros. then you have the local car tax which for some reason varies between local authorities! again this year ours cost us 80 euros. We insure through linea directa and for fully comp we pay 480 euros per year for a Ford Puma.

In my opinion get a Spanish car with Spanish plates ..... long term its safer, cheaper and legal!

Sue

Thanks Sue, that's very interesting and informative. I hadn't thought about the RHD safety issues and I think that alone might swing the argument against an imported car. Casvid

[andy212]

Get lhd car in UK on spanish plates

[DavidO]

I agree that you're much better off having a Spanish car in Spain. You can either buy a car outright or use monthly rental which has become much more available in the last few years.