Import your car or sell it and buy in Spain?

Terms used

• Impuesto de matriculación — The impuesto de matriculación is a one-off registration tax on a car, based on its CO2 emissions and reduced for older cars.
• Tasa de tráfico — The tasa de tráfico is the DGT traffic fee you pay for first registration in Spain.
• ITV — The ITV is Spain's vehicle inspection; imported cars need an import inspection at an ITV station.
• Gestor — A gestor is a paperwork agent who handles registration and tax forms for a fee.
• DGT — The DGT is Spain's traffic authority, which registers vehicles and issues plates.

Key rules

• Import test: Import only if tax, technical and fee costs are below the price gap to a similar Spanish used car.
• EU used car: A used car from the EU carries no Spanish VAT, but registration tax still applies.
• Non-EU car: Without relief you pay 10 percent customs duty and then 21 percent VAT on the customs value plus duty, with registration tax on top.
• Regional fee: The ITV import inspection fee is set by your region, so it varies.

Fees and rates change each year, so confirm the registration tax, DGT and ITV amounts with a gestor before you decide.

The short answer

Import your car only if the total import cost is lower than the price gap to a similar used car in Spain. If the costs are close to the gap, or higher, sell and buy locally. The comparison is simple: add up what importing costs you, then compare it with what you would save.

Step 1: Add up the import cost

The cost comes from several parts. Work out each one for your own car.

• Registration tax (impuesto de matriculación). This is a separate tax on registering the car in Spain. It depends on the car's CO2 emissions, and it is reduced as the car gets older. Ask a gestor for the exact figure for your car.
• DGT traffic fee and plates. You pay the tasa de tráfico for the first registration, plus licence plates. The amount is set each year.
• ITV import inspection. The ITV station charges a separate fee for the import inspection. Each region sets it.
• Paperwork and transport. Add the gestor's fee and the cost of getting the car to Spain.

Step 2: Check VAT and customs

Car from another EU country. You pay no Spanish VAT on a used car, because VAT was already paid where you bought it. The exception is a car under 6 months old or with fewer than 6,000 km. Spanish VAT applies to it.

Car from outside the EU. Without relief, you pay 10 percent customs duty and then 21 percent VAT on the customs value plus duty, with registration tax on top. The full steps are in the article on bringing a non-EU car into Spain. Add these amounts to your total.

Step 3: Find the price gap

Search Spanish listings for the same model, age and mileage. Note the typical asking price. Then subtract it from what you would get by selling your car at home.

Spanish used cars have usually been somewhat cheaper than in the UK. For common models they are similar to or a little cheaper than in Germany. US prices are lower for American models. The gap changes with the model, age and year, so use real listings, not general impressions.

Step 4: Weigh what the numbers miss

Some costs do not show in the total.

• Right-hand-drive cars are harder to drive and to resell in Spain. They may need headlamp changes.
• Parts for models sold in other markets can be harder to find.
• Some insurers charge more for imports, or refuse some of them.
• Imports usually resell for less, and the paperwork takes time.
• A car bought in Spain comes with a Spanish service history, a warranty and easier insurance.

Decide

Import if the car can be registered and the import total is clearly below the price gap. Sell and buy locally if the two are close, or if your car is right-hand drive or a foreign-market model. The calculator, checklist and decision tool below help you run the numbers.

Choosing between options

Should you import your car or sell it and buy in Spain?

• Import your car: Your total tax, technical and fee costs are below the price gap to a similar local used car, the car is left-hand drive, and an insurer will cover it.

• Sell it and buy in Spain: Import costs are higher than the price gap, the car is right-hand drive, parts are hard to find, or you want a Spanish service history, warranty and easier insurance.

Import wins only when tax, technical and fee costs sit below the price gap to local used cars. Otherwise sell and buy locally.

Bring, sell or go without: how to decide

• Confirm the car can be registered: it has a certificate of conformity (COC) or a reduced technical sheet showing EU type approval, or can get an individual approval; its CO2 data is on the papers; ownership and any finance are clear; it meets Spanish ITV and lighting rules (for example right-hand-drive headlights); it is not stolen or under a lien: before you start and before transport is booked

• Check your status and origin: if you live in Spain, the car must be registered in Spain; a non-resident can keep foreign plates for a limited time. An EU car needs the COC or reduced sheet, ITV and proof of tax status. A UK car is a non-EU import since Brexit. A US car often lacks EU approval, so registration is hard and costly. A non-EU car can use the exemption for new residents if you owned and used it for more than 6 months, otherwise you pay duty and VAT: before you start

• Add up the cost parts: transport, customs duty and VAT for non-EU cars, registration tax by CO2 after the age reduction, import ITV fee, and individual approval if needed: after the checks, before you decide

• Compare the total with the car's value and with selling it and buying a similar car in Spain, using the import cost calculator: after you have the cost parts

• Keep the decision open on regional costs while your destination city is not chosen: gather the documents, check the COC and the exemption, and estimate the national taxes. The final cost depends on the region, because ITV fees differ, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla have their own tax system, and the town hall sets the circulation tax: while your destination is still open

• Gather the COC or reduced technical sheet from the manufacturer's national importer, the ownership papers showing no finance, the CO2 and emissions data, and proof of tax status or exemption: before you book transport

• Ask a gestor or the ITV station about approval and fees, the DGT traffic office (Jefatura) about registration, and the AEAT, Spain's tax agency, about the tax: before you decide

• If the car passes the checks and the bring total is clearly below selling and buying locally, bring it; if it passes but costs about the same or more, sell it and buy in Spain; if you do not need a car, sell it and go without: at the decision point

• If the car cannot be registered, stop driving it on foreign plates beyond the permitted time, because it risks fines, seizure and insurance problems. Your options are to modify it and pass individual approval at an ITV station with an engineering report, re-export it, sell it abroad as unregistered, or scrap it at an authorised treatment centre, which issues a certificate of destruction. A non-EU car in customs may have to be re-exported or destroyed, or have duty paid: if registration is refused or not possible

Checklist

• Find out whether your car is under 6 months old or has fewer than 6,000 km, because then Spanish VAT applies even from the EU.

• Ask a gestor (a paperwork agent) for the registration tax on your car, which depends on its CO2 emissions and is reduced for age.

• Add the DGT traffic fee, the ITV import inspection fee set by your region, plates, paperwork fees and transport.

• For a non-EU car, add the customs duty and VAT set out in the article on bringing a non-EU car into Spain.

Import cost calculator for your car

Work it out

What you enter

• What the car is worth to you (price paid or current value) (EUR): Your purchase invoice, or a valuation from a dealer.
• Transport and insurance to the EU border (EUR): Quotes from car transport companies and your insurer.
• Market value of the car in Spain (EUR): Ask a gestor, or compare the same model and age in Spanish listings.
• Reduction for the age of the car (%): Ask a gestor for the current age table. A car of 2 to 3 years has a reduction of 26 percent in the example.
• Registration tax rate for your car's CO2 (%): Your certificate of conformity shows CO2 in g/km. Up to 120 g/km is 0, 120 to under 160 is 4.75, 160 to under 200 is 9.75, 200 or more is 14.75.
• Import ITV inspection fee (EUR): The ITV station in your region.
• Individual approval cost (enter 0 if not needed) (EUR): A laboratory or engineering firm, and your regional Industria department.
• What you could sell your car for (EUR): Offers from dealers or buyers where you live now.
• Price of a similar car in Spain (EUR): Spanish car listings and dealers in your destination area.

Figures used

• Customs duty on a non-EU car without relief: 10 % (as of 2025)
• Spanish VAT on customs value plus duty: 21 % (as of 2025)

Worked example (with What the car is worth to you (price paid or current value) 18,000 EUR, Transport and insurance to the EU border 1,500 EUR, Market value of the car in Spain 18,000 EUR, Reduction for the age of the car 26 %, Registration tax rate for your car's CO2 9.75 %, Import ITV inspection fee 100 EUR, Individual approval cost (enter 0 if not needed) 0 EUR, What you could sell your car for 15,000 EUR, Price of a similar car in Spain 19,000 EUR)

When the sum misleads

• For a car from the EU, duty and VAT do not apply the same way: take the duty and VAT lines out of the total.
• If the car cannot be registered at all, the total is not worth comparing: look at selling, re-exporting or scrapping.
• The Canary Islands use a different tax system, so this sum does not fit if you settle there.
• Compare the bring total with the sell and buy result, and check the car is worth bringing.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay Spanish VAT on a used car I bring from another EU country?

No, you do not pay Spanish VAT on a used car from another EU country, because VAT was already paid where you bought it. The exception is a car under 6 months old or with fewer than 6,000 km, which counts as a new means of transport and carries VAT in Spain. Registration tax still applies to used cars, reduced for the car's age.

Which fees come on top of the registration tax when I register an imported car?

You pay the DGT traffic fee for first registration and plates, plus a separate fee to the ITV station for the import inspection. The DGT fee is set yearly, and each region sets the ITV fee. The registration tax (modelo 576) is a different charge and depends on the car's CO2 emissions.

Are used cars cheaper in Spain than in the UK, Germany or the US?

Used cars in Spain have usually been somewhat cheaper than in the UK, and similar to or a little cheaper than in Germany for common models. US prices are lower for American models. The gap changes by model, age and year, so price your exact car on both sides.

Will insurance and resale be harder with an imported car?

Yes, insurers may charge more or refuse some imports, and resale value is usually lower than for a locally bought car. Right-hand-drive cars are the hardest to resell. Get an insurance quote before you commit to importing.