The Spanish ITV, Explained — the MOT / TÜV / APK of Spain

The ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos) is Spain's compulsory periodic roadworthiness test — the Spanish equivalent of the UK MOT, and the same idea as Germany's TÜV or the Dutch APK. Without a valid ITV your car can't legally be on the road.

A private car is exempt for the first 4 years after registration, then needs an ITV every 2 years until it turns 10, and every year after that.

The official station fee is set regionally — roughly €35–€70 for a car depending on fuel type and region, plus a small traffic-department fee. The first ITV of a newly imported and registered car is higher, around €120–€170.

The purpose is identical — a mandatory safety and emissions check. The ITV is Spain's direct equivalent of the UK MOT and plays the same role as the German TÜV and Dutch APK, though the administration and intervals differ by country.

Brakes, lights, tyres, steering, suspension, chassis, exhaust emissions and safety items, plus your documents. It's a preventive safety inspection, not a full mechanical service.

You get a defect report and a period to fix the issues, then a re-inspection (usually reduced or free if done soon at the same station). You can't drive on a 'negative' result until it's resolved.

A car on foreign plates must first be registered in Spain (matriculación) and put on Spanish plates; the first Spanish ITV is part of that process and costs more than a routine one.

From 2026 every car must carry a DGT-approved V16 connected emergency beacon — without it, an automatic fail. The old warning triangles are being phased out.