No current ITV makes up 56% of offences in a week long campaign run by the Spanish authorities. Continue reading
No current ITV makes up 56% of offences in recent road traffic campaign
Changes to the ITV Spain June 2021
From 1st June 2021 there are some small changes to the Spanish ITV test.
Until now if there was a fault with the anti-locking braking system this could have been deemed a minor defect. From now on any defect in the ABS system will be reported as a major fault.
Additionally, if the rear view mirrors are detached then this will also be noted as a major fault.
Faults are categorised as either mild, serious or very serious. Serious faults will mean you have to get the vehicle repaired and re-tested within a certain time frame. Very serious means your vehicle cannot leave the ITV testing station under its own steam and you will have to organise for a tow truck to take it to the garage. For more information about the Spanish ITV visit our page or watch the video about the ITV in Spain.
The price of the ITV test in Spain varies depending on your vehicle and also on your location.
How much is an ITV in Spain ?
The ITV is a regular road worthiness test that vehicles have to undergo in Spain. The frequency of the test depends on the vehicle type and its age. For more information on when your vehicle needs to be tested visit our page about the ITV in Spain.
The cost of the test is not uniform throughout Spain. Most autonomous communities set their own tariff. In some cases the ITV tests are carried out by the public authority, whereas in others the autonomous community has given the testing over to private companies. In the region of Murcia and Extremadura, a combination of public and private ITV stations exist.
For example, the private sector operate ITV tests in Andalucia (Veiasa), Asturias (Itvasa) or the Valencian Community (Ivace).
In Madrid, the ITV tests are even more liberalised. The public authority does not dictate the cost of the ITV test at all and leaves it to the private companies to decide an appropriate fee to charge.
How much is an ITV in Spain ?
Facua, the consumer organisation, recently researched this very question. This is what they found:
FACUA has detected differences of up to 167% in the fees of the mandatory Technical Inspection of Vehicles (ITV) for passenger cars with petrol engines and of 95.5% in diesel vehicles, depending on the autonomous community in which it is carried out. [ See table with rates].
The average price of the ITV in the seventeen autonomous communities is currently 34.52 euros for petrol cars and 41.23 euros for those equipped with a diesel engine.
The association’s analysis includes the ITV rates for passenger cars, both diesel and petrol with catalytic converters (the non-catalytic converter ones have less and less presence in the Spanish car fleet), as well as motorcycles. The prices collected include 21% VAT (or 7% of the Canarian IGIC, 9% of the IPSI of Ceuta and 4% of Melilla), but not the tax paid to Trafico, established at 4.1 euros for all inspections.
The most expensive and cheapest for cars fuelled by petrol.
Euskadi is the autonomous community with the highest ITV rate for petrol cars, 45.38 euros. It is followed by Cantabria, with 42 euros, and the Community of Madrid, where the average of the stations surveyed, which set rates without regional regulation, is 41.72 euros.
The cheapest rates for petrol passenger car inspections was Mallorca (in the Balearic Islands the management depends on each island council), 17 euros, Murcia (22.3 euros in the only station operated directly by the regional government, in the town of Alcantarilla) and Andalusia (26.19 euros for vehicles of less than 1,600 cubic centimeters and 35.4 euros for the rest).
The most expensive and the cheapest for cars fuelled by diesel
Regarding the ITV rates for diesel cars, the Community of Madrid is the most expensive, 56.04 euros on average. It is followed by the 48.26 euros that it costs to take the inspection in the private run ITV stations of Murcia (compared to 30.90 euros in the only public station in the region). In third place is Galicia, with 47.72 euros.
As for the lowest rates for the ITV of diesel cars, they are those of the public stations of Extremadura (28.67 euros), Navarra (29.4 euros) and those of Andalusia for cars of less than 1,600 cc. (30.79 euros).
How much is a motorcycle ITV in Spain ?
The average cost of the ITV test for a motorcycle in the seventeen autonomous communities is 19.90 euros. In this category, the difference between the most expensive and the cheapest reaches 254%. Thus, the most expensive are in the Community of Madrid, where the average price of the stations compared by FACUA -they have liberalised rates- is no less than 36.17 euros. At the other extreme, Mallorca, where passing the ITV costs 10.21 euros.
Liberalised service in Madrid
The Community of Madrid, the most expensive in absolute terms in relation to the price of the ITV for diesel cars, has the service of Technical Inspection of Vehicles liberalised and therefore the rates are not regulated by the autonomous administration.
In this sense, each company charges the prices it deems appropriate. On the rates published in each ITV station, most companies apply different discounts to try to attract more customers, depending on the hours at which it is requested. For example, by prior appointment for the inspection or if it is contracted through telematic means. These discounts have not been taken into account by FACUA when carrying out this study, due to the array of offers.
According to the rates published by each ITV dealer in the Community of Madrid, the average price of the inspection is 41.72 euros for gasoline cars (3.3% more than in 2019), a figure that is 21% above the Spanish average, and 56.04 euros for cars with diesel engines, which represents 34.3% more than the national average.
Different Tariff systems
Andalusia offers a more complex tariff system. It makes a distinction between vehicles not only based on whether they are powered by petrol or diesel engines, but also on their engine size. It sets a rate of 26.19 euros for petrol passenger cars with engines of less than 1,600 cubic centimeters and 35.40 euros for those with a larger cylinder capacity. In the case of diesel cars, something similar happens. The Junta de Andalucía sets a rate of 30.79 euros for cars of less than 1,600 cubic centimetres and 40.00 euros for the rest.
At the opposite extreme is Extremadura, where there is a single rate for all vehicles, regardless of their cylinder capacity and whether they are petrol or diesel. In the ITV stations of the Extremadura community, the rate is 28.67 euros (if it is a station operated directly by the regional administration) or 34.69 euros (in the case of stations under the concession regime).
In general, there is enormous diverseness with respect to the way in which each autonomous community sets its own ITV rates. And this, despite the fact that the inspections are regulated by state regulations. In all of them the procedure for the ITV is exactly the same as that set out in Royal Decree 920/2017 of October 23, which regulates the Inspection Technical of Vehicles throughout Spain.
In this sense, the prices vary from one community to another. Additionally, the rates are also broken down into different concepts in each autonomous community. There are those that include all the revisions, and those that break down the cost of each section (gas emission, noise control, etc.), even if it is included in the mandatory inspection.
Source: Facua
New ITV dates following state of alarm
The ITV testing stations were closed on the 14 March 2020 when the state of alarm was announced in Spain.
ITV certificate expiry dates were extended under a previous decree and set to expire after the end of the state of alarm plus 30 days. With the last of the Spanish provinces coming out of phase ‘0’ on Monday 18th May an official bulletin from the state of Spain was realeased. For those whose ITV certificates have expired, whilst the ITV stations have been closed, it provides clarity as to when you need to get your ITV renewals completed.
The state of alarm for calculating new ITV tests finishes at 00:00 on 24 May 2020.
| Initial inspection date | Extension period once state of alarm finishes (calendar days) |
| Week 1: March 14-20 March | 30 days plus 15 additional days |
| Week 2: March 21-27 March | 30 days plus 2 periods of 15 days |
| Week 3: March 28 – 3 April | 30 days plus 3 periods of 15 days |
| Week n. | 30 days plus n 15-day periods. |
For example, if your ITV expired on the Monday 21 March 2020 then the validity of your ITV certificate has been extended until 23 July 2020. The state of alarm, as far as ITV tests goes, expires 24 May 2020. So it is 24 May + 30 days + 2 periods of 15 days = 23rd July. You must complete your ITV test before that date.
You will need to book for the re-test with an ITV centre.
Note, that once your vehicle has passed the ITV test the renewal date will be based on when the original test expired this year. The period will not start from the date of the revised test.
ITV Campaign January 2020
The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has just finished a campaign using 30 licence plate readers. The campaign ran for a week finishing on Sunday 26th January.
Statistics indicate that the risk of death or serious injury is double when vehicles of 10 to 15 years old are involved compared with cars under five years of age. Clearly the continual improvement in driver and passenger safety measures will play its part. However, maintenance of older vehicles is also an important factor.
30 cameras used to check valid ITVs
The Guardia Civil used the cameras along with local and regional police to read number plates and check the vehicle had a valid ITV certificate in place, similar to an MOT in the UK. The authorities then reproted vehciles without an uptodate ITV. The frequency of ITV tests depends on the age and type of vehicle you are using.
Importance of tyre tread
One of the important features of safety is the tyres. These are after all what helps keep the vehicle on the road. The recommended minimum of tread is 3mm although the legal minimum amount of tyre tread is 1.6mm. Incorrect tyre pressure, damaged or faulty suspension and bad wheel alignment can cause additional tyre wear.
Headlights
Other important elements that are regularly left for another day are vehicle lights. Not only do the lights help us see in poor conditions and at night they also help other drivers see us.
Over time lights lose their intensity. It is suggested they be changed every 40 kilometres or two years, whichever is the sooner. You should change both headlights at the same time is also the recommended advice. In a lot of cases their use is symmetrical.
Windscreen damage is usually repaired for free
It is also advisable to check your windscreen. With most insurers now offering a fast and free windscreen replacement service there really is little excuse not to get a crack repaired or replaced. You can often drive into a place like CarGlass or CristalBox and give them your insurance details and they will check with the insurer for you.
Remember if you have paid for your ITV to keep the sticker in the front windscreen. This is a legal requirement.
Source: DGT.es
New ITV Spain
This year the ITV has been updated.
With governments and people alike becoming more concerned with traffic pollution the new ITV in Spain means it is one of the first countries to adopt the new European regulations.
The emissions test is now more stringent and the new advances in technology will mean it is more difficult to fraudulently trick the tests, made famous by the Dieselgate scandal.
Within the new remit, the tests are able to evaluate the state of the ABS. ESP. airbags the odometer and other electrical systems.
Another change is that should your vehicle fail it was mandatory to re-take the ITV test at the same testing station. Under the new rules, it is possible to take your vehicle to be re-tested at another test station. You will need to bear in mind that many ITV centres allow a re-test free of charge.
If your vehicle fails the ITV test it will now be obligatory to show where any repairs were undertaken when you submit your vehicle for a second scrutiny. The idea is to be able to show this type of information in the history of the vehicle, provide greater transparency and reduce the possibility of fraud.
From now on you can submit your vehicle for the ITV test one month before the actual expiry date but still benefit from the full renewal period. For example, if your vehicle needs an ITV every twelve months but you do the revision after eleven months because it is more convenient for you, the renewal will be on the anniversary of the old test and you won’t lose a month. The idea is to give motorists more flexibility.