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Buying a car in beautiful Spain: Expert advice on doing it right!

Buying a car and registering it in Spain can be easy when you do it right! Our simple “how to” guide will help you find the perfect vehicle for you and get it registered in Spain while avoiding the hurdles most buyers run into.

You may be planning on moving to Spain, or purchasing a holiday home there. Over time, it will make more financial sense to purchase a car in Spain, or bring your own. AUTOBAHN.es has created this comprehensive how-to guide to help every step of the way! We will also give you tips on what to look out for when purchasing a used vehicle, so you don’t end up in a never ending nightmare.

This part is short and straight forward with some things not being critical for the actual purchase, however they will be required at some point in the process. Let’s cover this short checklist before continuing:

  1. Do you have a NIE (número de identidad de extranjero) number or proof that you are a spanish resident?
    You will need a NIE number or proof of residency in Spain to purchase a vehicle in Spain AND register it. There is no way around this and no way to register a vehicle without it. This document has to be present, so the vehicle can be registered in your name. If you don’t have this document yet, then life in Spain will be nearly impossible. You cannot open up a bank account, buy or rent a house or apartment, or get insurance coverage without a NIE number. Obviously, you can check out the used market and gauge the price for the kind of vehicle you are looking for, but the purchase can only be finalized once you have a NIE number.

  2. Insurance
    This one is a bit obvious, but it is good to have this sorted out BEFORE going out and looking for a vehicle. We aren’t talking about insuring every car you look at, but have a company you feel good with and a representative on hand to get the insurance taken care of quickly once you have found and purchased a vehicle. There are numerous insurance companies out there that have salespeople that speak your native language so it shouldn’t be hard to get your new or used vehicle covered. Most insurance companies also require proof that you live in Spain and will require documents such as rental contracts, utility invoices, or other kinds of documents. Keep this handy as a PDF File since you might need them more than just once.

  3. Proof of residence (certificado de empadronamiento, house deeds, rental contract)

  4. When financing: at least 3 payslips or proof of income

The hunt begins! - Looking for your next car

You have come to the conclusion that a spanish registered car is what you need. (Or at least I assume you have come to this conclusion or else you wouldn’t be here would you?) In other countries this is mostly a simple process. You look at a car, haggle with the seller, the seller gets the money, and you now own a vehicle including the paperwork. Deal done and happy days!

Not so in Spain. But don’t let the horror stories that you have read on Facebook or found via Google scare you off. It is more complicated to register a car in Spain, but it is by no means impossible. 

The first question is: where to even look? There are several sources for used vehicles in Spain. Our INVENTORY may have what you are looking for, and if not then you can always check out Facebook Marketplace, Coches.net, Autoscout24.es, milanuncios.com, or any of the spanish second hand marketplaces.

Do note that a spanish private seller may only speak spanish. Even in larger touristic areas there are plenty of spanish residents that don’t speak english, so remember this when looking on these platforms. Should you not speak any spanish (yet) and have nobody to translate properly, then the best tip here would be to stick with dealerships. There are numerous dealerships in any given area where expats are living. They should have an english speaking salesperson to show you the car and answer your questions.

Red flags doesn't mean it's a carnival! - What to look out for on the used car market

As with any market, there are scammers and the used car market is always full of opportunities for scammers to cash in. It doesn’t even have to be the “Prince of Nigeria” selling the car to set off alarm bells! The following are the most common scams:

  1. WOW! A 1999 BMW 3 series with only 10.000 kilometres / miles
    Yes, turning back the clock is one of THE oldest tricks in the book and still practiced by dodgy sellers to this day. Less mileage = more money. It’s as simple as that! In some countries it’s a national sport (Italy for example) and in others not so much since there are major consequences to face when caught selling a car that has been manipulated. Spain unfortunately belongs to one of those countries where this activity is loved almost as much as footbal (soccer) and this isn’t something that is rare and unusual. There are cases where the mileage is genuine, and in those cases the seller should have plenty of proof to back up what the odometer is claiming. Someone that has turned the clock less so. The service map will have vanished into thin air faster than Houdini along with most of the stickers etc. that you would find under the bonnet (hood). Taking a look at anything that gets touched often also gives away if the car has been clocked or not. If the odometer says the car has only done a couple of thousand kilometres and the rubber on the pedals has been worn down to the metal, then it would be safe to assume that someone has tampered with the odometer.
    Now there ARE legit cases where the odometer would show less mileage than what the car has actually driven. For example: The entire unit was exchanged because the old one was defective. In this case the owner/seller will have documents or invoices where the actual mileage will be clearly visible.

  2. Check the paperwork
    Expert advice: before you even start looking at the car (exception being a quick exterior glance) is to make sure the paperwork is in order. Ask the seller for all documents that belong to the car and make sure the ficha técnica (the spec sheet for the vehicle listing all technical data) and permiso de circulación (circulation permit) are present AND are in the same name as the person you are talking to. If one of the documents is missing or the person is not the same as listed in the paperwork then be cautious. TIP: NEVER buy a vehicle that is missing documents! No matter how “believable” the story is. In Spain there is so much red tape that it may be months until you get replacement paperwork, if at all. Also don’t rely on support from the seller. Rule #1 should always be: no paperwork, no deal! Also if the person selling the car is not the person named in the paperwork then expect complications when transfering the car into your name. The DGT will require a copy of the NIE ID Card from the previous owner to complete the transfer. Should this copy of the NIE is not present and cannot be obtained, then the car is just an oversized paperweight.

    Checklist before looking at the car:

    ✓ ficha tecnica
    ✓ permiso de circulacion
    ✓ seller = person named on the vehicle documents

  3. Can the car actually be transfered into your name?
    This one is a big thing in Spain and something to watch out for! There are plenty of people out there wanting to sell their car for top dollar because they need the money to pay off a debt. Anyone can slide into a situation like that, and with the recent pandemic there have been numerous people who have lost their jobs or somehow gotten themselves in a financial pickle. This could mean that there is an outstanding embargo on the vehicle and it CANNOT be transfered to a new owner until the current owner pays the debt off. Should you stumble upon a vehicle with an embargo then save yourself some time and effort and do not even bother looking at it. In Spain everything goes a bit slower, so even if someone pays the debt off today it could take MONTHS for the vehicle to be “released” again. Unless the vehicle in question is something REALLY special and worth the price of the vehicle and embargo, then do not entertain the thought of going down this road.
    Another thing to verify: is the vehicle financed? The seller should have all documents available when you go to look at the vehicle, but that doesn’t mean that the seller is allowed to sell the car. If for example the vehicle is new and financed, then the bank still owns that vehicle! Worst case scenario: you pay the seller the money, he/she goes to Monaco for a nice weekend, and you go to register your vehicle only to have the Bank come and pick up their property.
    Sometimes even the most experienced used car dealer can miss this and will purchase a car from a private seller that cannot be transfered since the “real” owner wasn’t the seller, but a bank! This is where our comprehensive Vehicle Check can help you avoid costly mistakes and make a sound consumer choice when going out to purchase a vehicle!

    For absolut peace of mind, then it would be STRONGLY recommended to order a comprehensive report for the vehicle you want to purchase!

  4. Technical Inspection – ITV / MOT / TÜV
    This proceedure has it’s own akronym in every country but is more or less the same. Each EU country has a technical inspection that every vehicle has to pass in able for it to be allowed on the road. In Spain that check has to be done every 2 years (the first four years no ITV inspection is needed) until the car is 10 years old. After that the inspection is due once a year.
    Make sure that the ITV is up to date on the vehicle that you are interested in and take a look at the documents from the inspection. Defects might be listed that need to be fixed, but weren’t critical enough for the vehicle to not pass the inspection. It also shows the mileage of the vehicle when it went through it’s last inspection.

  5. Foreign vehicles / Imported vehicles
    Vehicles that have been recently imported from another european country and registered in Spain shouldn’t set of all the alarm bells, but proceed with caution. Once again: listen to your gut feeling! When looking at a car and talking to the seller, your instincts will tell you if something isn’t quite right or not. If you are buying a used car from a private seller (and everything listed at step 2 “CHECK THE PAPERWORK” is good) then there shouldn’t be a reason not to buy an imported car. Great deals can be made with imported cars since most people moving to Spain choose to bring their own vehicle with them and should be able to provide you with all the documentation and invoices for any repairs and maintanance that has been done. There are however the sellers that see the opportunity to make fast and easy money and purchase a vehicle with high mileage and register it in Spain. The vehicles from these sellers also seem to lose a few kilometres / miles when crossing the border into Spain! The same rules apply to these vehicles as to any other vehicle! Walk away if: 1) The seller has no proof of maintanance that has been done within the last couple of years, or the service heft has somehow “vanished”. 2) The general appearance of the vehicle doesn’t match the number on the odometer. Highly worn pedals, gear knob / selector, steering wheel, radio knobs. You should see “normal” wear and tear on all of those surfaces, maybe a bit more due to the spanish sun, but there should be some signs of usage. If the complete opposite is the case (everything is new) then also be cautious or better yet, walk away

Caution when buying a spanish registered car outside of Spain:

Finding a car located near you outside of Spain that has a spanish registration may seem like an excellent opportunity. The thought might be: “I’ll buy a car in my own country that is already registered in Spain and drive it back.”

This particular car could be located near you for a numerous of valid reasons. If the previous owner was planning on registering it in another country, or selling it to someone that probably won’t be registering it in Spain again, then the vehicle will likely be registered as “marked for export” in the Spanish system. Registering this vehicle in Spain IS possible, but even more complicated and expensive than a normal spanish transfer of ownership.

Another reason for a spanish registered car not being in Spain is the previous owner having debt and the car being on a spanish embargo. These cars CANNOT be transfered in Spain until the debts from the previous owner have been paid in full. 

Before purchasing a spanish registered vehicle in your country you should get the full report on the vehicle in question to make sure all the paperwork is in order so the police don’t impound the vehicle at the first checkpoint you run into in Spain. 

Checking out the goods - what do to when you are looking at the car

  1. Check the outside
    Look for obvious body damage. Check the panel gaps. Look for paint that doesn’t quite match (which actually stands out in the spanish sun). Check to see if the paint finish is different on different body panels. Check all 4 corners of the vehicle. Check the rims for curb rash. TAKE YOUR TIME and look closely!
    Pro Tip: Look at the tyres! IF you are knee-deep in tread, and the tyres are name brand then the seller takes care of their car and don’t “cheap out” when it comes to maintaining their vehicle.

  2. Check the engine bay
    For this inspection you don’t have to be a mechanic to know what you are looking at, or looking for. Look in the engine bay and see if it has been cleaned recently. If so, then this might be a sign that something is leaking that was cleaned away. Look to see if fluids are visible anywhere. Take a good sniff! Burnt cables and fluids have a certain oder and can easily be sniffed out. Check that all the fluids are where they are suppose to be. Open the radiator and the overflow and look at the fluid to see if it is clear. Remove the dipstick and see what color the oil is. On diesels it will be black no matter what, even if it had an oil change 10 minutes ago. Petrol / Gasoline engines should have a maple syrup color fluid (or even lighter depending on when the last oil change was). If the oil in a petrol / gasoline engine is as black as the soul of your ex, then you know that the seller wasn’t up to date with the maintanence. A proper inspection is something that any seller would normally do before selling their vehicle. If you find black oil then factor in 300€ for a complete inspection to change all the filters, oil etc.

    Pro Tip: Check and make sure that the engine is cold! When viewing a vehicle the engine should ALWAYS be cold since most common issues can be instantly heard and detected within seconds of starting a cold car! Also consider buying a code scanner from Amazon or eBay. There are various models to choose from for any budget. What you invenst here could save you from making a bad decision when looking for a new used vehicle. Before starting the engine connect the scan tool and read out all error codes on the vehicle. You shouldn’t be too worried if codes are listed since they may be old and not relevant anymore. Read out the codes, see what kinds of errors there are and then clear all codes. Everything should be deleted before going out on the test drive.

  3. Check the boot / trunk
    Take a good look in the trunk. Sometimes the seller will leave certain fluids in there that could hint at problems. (Water bottles in the trunk could hint at a defective head gasket while oil might indicate the vehicle is burning oil). Now if you find a bottle of oil that is still sealed and closed in the trunk, then this shouldn’t be alarming. Many people have an “emergency kit” available in the trunk of the car in case of a break down.

    Pro Tip: Remove the spare wheel in the trunk and take a good look at the rear. Look for bondo, fresh paint, welding marks or anything else that might indicate a rear end collision. Also check that the spare still has some air in it and see on what kind of rim it is mounted on. It might be an old blown tyre which will be of no help when needed.

  4. Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!
    It’s time to fire up the vehicle and hear it come to life. While the hood / bonnet is open have the seller get in the car and start the cold engine and LISTEN to what the vehicle is telling you. It should start instantly, run with a slightly higher RPM for 10-20 seconds, and then reduce the RPMs. There should be no other sounds audible. No clacking, no whistling, no thumping. Look at the tailpipe when the car is running to see if anything is coming out. Condensation on a cold and humid day is normal, but under normal spanish conditions (hot and sunny) nothing should be visible. White smoke could mean a blown head gasket (on a diesel it would hint at a faulty injector as well as black smoke when driving), while blue / gray smoke would hint at the engine burning oil. If the engine started instatly and is making no unusual noises and has a nice smooth idle, then it’s time to take a drive.!
    Pro Tip:     As mentioned before: ALWAYS view a car with a cold engine that hasn’t been started or moved. If the engine is warm, or the coolant (or oil) is warm then this is a sign that the engine was running. Dig deeper and ask why the engine is warm and see what the seller answers.

  5. Take her out for a spin!
    It’s time for the test drive, and possibly the first time driving a car you have always wanted to own. This is the point where you find out if it actually is a good idea to meet your hero. The perfect test drive consists of driving under the following conditions: Start off slow, if possible on a bad surface. Any problems with the suspension will become obvious since a bad or rough surface will stress test this part of the vehicle for you. Once that has been sorted out see if there is a highway nearby where you can check and see how the car accelerates and if while driving on a flat surface it pulls to one side or the other. While on the highway the steering wheel should be straight and the vehicle should continue going straight when not holding the steering wheel. Take this time to check that all the toys work. If it has a button, TEST IT! Press all the buttons, make sure the radio works and that no speakers have given out. Make sure all the electrical extras work as they should. When all that has been checked then find a bit of twisty back road. Once again we are testing the suspension here. On the backroad also look for a bit that is straight and on that part let go of the wheel and SLAM ON THE BRAKES AS HARD AS YOU CAN. Of course you should inform the seller who should be sitting next to you about this so they don’t need a new pair of underwear after the test drive. Do a full on emergency brake on this bit of road and see if the car pulls left or right when doing this. With this you just checked the abs system and the brakes. If the car stopped while still going straight and your right foot got a nice massage, then everything is working as it should.

    Pro Tip: While on the test drive, clean the windscreen / windshield. This will once again indicate how the seller keeps up with maintanence. There should be ample washer fluid in the resevoir and the wipers should clean away the water without leaving behind “spider webs” or stripes on the glass. This little test and checking to see what brand of tyres are mounted on the car (and what condition they are in) tell you everything you need to know about the seller.

  6. Deal, or no deal!
    Now before starting the negotiations rescan the car and read out all the error codes (if any) with the scanner you brought along. At this point you will know if there are any mechanical problems that you need to sort out and these would obviously have to be reflected in the price. What price you should pay for a car depends on what kind of car you are interested in, what the market value is, and what the condition of the vehicle is that you are currently looking at. Set your price what you are willing to pay the seller and explain why. A good deal should always be one that both parties are happy with!
    Pro Tip: The best question to ask when talking about a price is “Why?” Ask the seller how much he is expecting for their vehicle and then simply ask “Why?” This will lead to a smoother negotiation and help you get a better price.

Sealing the deal

You have talked to the owner, you have looked at the car, and you are convinced: this one is coming home with you! This part is mostly easy and straight forward. You pay the money, and the seller gives you some keys and paperwork with which you go and register the vehicle in your name and drive around happily ever after. 

For anyone wanting to seal the deal in Spain however we STRONGLY suggest making the small investion for a Vehicle Report to make sure no surprises will be waiting for you around the corner. The money spent on a Vehicle Report is a drop in the bucket compared the hassles and complications you can get into when purchasing a vehicle without it. Unlike other parts of the world, it isn’t clearly visible when a spanish registered car has been marked for export, marked for scrapping, completely unregistered in the spanish system, or has an embargo or open financing on it. The owner would of course know these things, and if he is open and honest and communicates it then excellent! Unfortunately however not all people are as honest as we would like them to be, or might just not know it themselves. Should ANY of these things (embargo, marked for export or scrap, or completely unregistered) then it will be nearly impossible to get the vehicle back on the road legally, or an immense amount of red tape must be gone through to get it sorted out. It isn’t completely impossible to sort these things out, but do not be expecting to drive around in your new used vehicle soon.

Once you have confirmation that the vehicle you’re interested in has clean paperwork, then our Pro Tip would be to use a Gestoria of your choice to complete the transfer. Experience has shown that this is the most efficient and fastest way to get any vehicle transfered into your name and the price of a gestoria doing this task is almost always less than doing it yourself. Friends or family already living in Spain will most likely have worked with a gestoria to sort out other tasks and will be more than happy to give an opinion on the gestoria they worked with. Google reviews are also always worth looking at to get a feeling for a gestoria in your area.

When the car is in your name and you have made a sound and informed purchase then it is time to wish you a gute fahrt!

Do you need a sales contract / bill of sale / Compraventa for the purchase of a used vehicle?

When purchasing a used vehicle in Spain a spanish compraventa (sales contract) is essential for the safety of both parties. We have gone the extra mile and created a compraventa which is also translated as a service for you. Download our free PDF file which can be easily filled out on any device with the Adobe Reader, or printed as is.

Get the Adobe Reader for your device below:

Below are the the available languages for download:

Note: if the file opens in a new tab, and your would prefer to download it then just right click on the button and choose “Save link as”

English / Spanish
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