Spain: everything you need on the road
Toll prices, live traffic, fuel, EV charging and the local rules of the road for Spain. Updated daily from official open-data sources. In English, German, Spanish and Polish.
Travel essentials for Spain
Toll structure: Spanish motorways split into AP routes (Autopistas with tolls) and A routes (Autovias, free). Several formerly tolled AP stretches such as AP-7 along the Mediterranean coast and AP-2 Zaragoza-Mediterranean became free in 2021. Where tolls remain, pay by card, cash or with the ViaT electronic tag.
Speed limits: 50 km/h in towns, 90 km/h on rural roads, 100 km/h on expressways and 120 km/h on motorways. Since 2021, single-lane urban streets carry a default 30 km/h limit. Unlike France, Spain does not lower the motorway limit in rain.
Low-emission zones (ZBE Zonas de Bajas Emisiones) are mandatory in every Spanish city with more than 50,000 inhabitants since 2023, including Madrid Central, Barcelona ZBE Rondas and Sevilla. Vehicles must display the DGT environmental sticker (Distintivo Ambiental); foreign drivers pre-register their plate on the DGT website.
Mandatory equipment: two warning triangles, one reflective vest per occupant, plus a spare wheel or repair kit. When stopping on a motorway you must put on the vest before exiting the car. From 2026 the triangles are replaced by the flashing V16 emergency light, mounted on the vehicle roof.
Blood alcohol limit: 0.5 g/L for experienced drivers, 0.3 g/L for drivers within their first two years and for professional drivers. Peak summer (July-August): the Madrid-south corridor via A-4 and the Mediterranean coast AP-7 are heavily loaded from Friday afternoon. Fuel runs roughly 10 to 15 percent cheaper than in Germany.
UK drivers arriving via Brittany Ferries Plymouth-Santander or Portsmouth-Bilbao (24 to 30 hour crossings) should fit headlamp beam deflectors for right-hand traffic and display a UK identifier on the plate. Pre-register the licence plate at the DGT before driving into Madrid, Barcelona or any ZBE city. From 2026 the warning triangle is replaced by the V16 emergency light, mounted on the roof; UK-registered cars are not exempt.