This article on car insurance in Spain, also commonly known as motor car insurance, is designed to help expats get the lowest and cheapest quote for your car/motor insurance.
If you are considering buying a car and you want to find out how much car insurance in Spain costs then read on and we will give you examples.
You may also be wondering if you can insure your UK registered car in Spain and be on the road legally. We will help with commonly asked questions such as can I insure my Spanish car in the UK and insuring a UK car to drive in Spain.
Most expatriates searching for quotes for motor and car insurance in Spain will mostly be from the popular expat areas on the Costa del Sol (especially Marbella, Puerto Banus, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Torremolinos, Nerja, Malaga), the Costa Blanca (especially Alicante, Benidorm, Calpe, Moraira, Torrevieja), the Costa Brava, Madrid, Barcelona or the islands of Spain such as Tenerife, Lanzarote, Majorca/Mallorca, the Canary Islands and Menorca.
How to find cheap car insurance in Spain
If you already have a car in Spain and you are looking to renew your Spanish car insurance then it follows that you want to obtain cheap car insurance Spain. Obviously you want to renew your car insurance for the most affordable and lowest possible price.
Try contacting an insurance broker in Spain who will be able to compare quotations from many different providers of car insurance as this will potentially save you enormous amounts of time (as well as money) contacting each insurance company directly yourself.
Insurance brokers that can help you with finding cheap quotes for car insurance in Spain include: Ibex, INOV Insurance, Abbeygate, Jennifer Cunningham and Knight Insurance.
Spanish Car Insurance Companies – Spanish Motor Insurance
Companies that provide car insurance in Spain include: Linea Directa (the Spanish equivalent of Direct Line Insurance in the UK) as well as Liberty Seguros, Allianz and Mapfre.
Try also find a car insurance price comparison search engine which will take your specifications and instantly search online and compare prices for the cheapest car insurance on the market. Always shop around as car insurance in Spain is unfortunately expensive.
Car insurance in Spain is probably going to be the insurance you are looking for – and unfortunately most need. If you are not Spanish you may be unprepared for the seemingly ‘anything goes’ attitude that most drivers in Spain seem to adopt!
You also may not be familiar with driving in Spain or the local road customs such as when to give way etc. so this immediately increases the chances or odds of you being involved in an accident..
So the likelihood of having an accident in Spain is quite high so it is vital to have proper car insurance. We are not just dealing with damage to your vehicle or the other vehicle involved – considerable medical claims could result – for you or for the other party. This is the most important thing to cover when taking out car insurance in Spain. Finding yourself uninsured or under-insured could be a real financial disaster.
There are many companies providing auto services and policies in English to cater for the expatriate market in Spain so you understand what your insurance policy covers and what your liabilities are. Do take into consideration your language skills. If you are not fluent in Spanish then it is important to take out car insurance with policy documents issued in English. Otherwise you won’t fully understand what you are covered for. Don’t take the agent or brokers verbal explanation as when it comes to claiming on your car/motor insurance you will be the one footing the bill if you find you are not properly covered. So check the small print and ask questions until you are 100% sure the policy if what you want.
We have a number of helpful car and auto insurance articles in which we give you a number of tips to get the lowest and cheapest car and motor insurance in Spain.
Car insurance is very similar in Spain to that of the United Kingdom. Car insurance is compulsory.
There is a choice of fully comprehensive policies or third-party fire and theft policies.
The video below consists of many useful tips on how to get cheaper car insurance in Spain.
Fully Comprehensive Insurance in Spain
Fully comprehensive insurance in Spain is called ‘todo riesgo’ which translates as ‘all risks’. This covers your vehicle and any other cars involved in an accident as well as covering you and the third-party in the event of personal injury and for medical expenses. But do check the limits and amounts to ensure you are happy with the level of liability. Some Spanish insurance companies will not offer fully comprehensive if you car is more than three years old.
Fully comprehensive insurance in Spain will usually also come included with asistencia en viajes (breakdown cover and roadside assistance) and legal expenses (defensa penal).
Third Party Insurance in Spain
This is the most basic type of car insurance in Spain and it is this type that is the compulsory, minimum as required under Spanish law. In your documentation you will see this referred to as either responsabilidad civil obligatoria or seguro obligatorio.
Be aware of what cover this third-party insurance covers you for which is not your own vehicle but purely any damage to another vehicle or persons that you may be involved in an accident with. This is usually limited to a certain amount and this day and age you may wish to pay a little bit extra, about €50 to obtain ‘ilimitada’ which is unlimited third-party coverage.
Third Party Fire and Theft Insurance in Spain
You can opt for just third-party insurance but it is better to pay the extra for third party fire and theft. This is because there really isn’t much difference between the two and also because there is a lot of car crime each year in Spain. If your documentation says ‘responsabilidad civil obligatoria, incendio y robo then you have third-party fire and theft insurance. Your contents inside the car will not normally be included but often legal expenses will be.
With all the types of car insurance as in the UK there are discounts for no-claims and discounts for named drivers as well as excesses/waivers. One difference between Spain and the United Kingdom is that your policy will almost certainly automatically include annual Europe-wide roadside assistance and breakdown cover. Some policies also cover you for a hire car if your car is off the road but some companies offer it as an optional extra so do check your policy details.
How much is car and motor insurance in Spain?
We are frequently asked how much does car insurance cost in Spain and how does it compare with car insurance in the UK?
In general the cost of insuring your car in Spain is slightly less (but not by much) than that of the UK in our experience.
Here is a real example of car insurance premiums in Spain: Citroen Xara Picasso, four years old, value approximately €10,000. Annual premiums are 568 Euros for fully comprehensive cover.
What happens if I don’t take out car insurance cover?
It is obligatory of course to insure your car in Spain (seguro obligatorio). If you are not insured and many people are not, you could face a fine of €3,000 or be sent to prison in extreme cases. Even if you are insured and you are stopped by the many different types of police in Spain, you can be fined €60 if you are not carrying your documentation. Make sure you carry in your car your receipt from your insurer or broker that proves you have paid for car insurance.
Can I insure my UK registered car in Spain?
There is much debate on this subject and so many people give differing answers. The easy answer is that yes you can obtain insurance with many companies and brokers who are actively advertising to insure UK registered cars but the question most people have is what happens when/if I need to make a claim?
Many people will tell you that it is not possible to insure a UK registered car in Spain. They say the policy in invalid under Spanish law and so it would follow that your car is not legally insured in Spain. We have heard conflicting reports – some people have claimed the insurance companies paid out in the event of a claim, others have told of the insurance companies using the small-print to invalidate the insurance contact/policy.
Some people once their UK MOT has run out, go and get a Spanish ITV. The Spanish ITV test is a certificate of road-worthiness for a Spanish plated vehicle. It proves the car is drive-able and safe and ensures the insurance company cannot claim the car was at fault in the event of an accident.
But this doesn’t mean that it makes your UK registered car in Spain legal to drive on Spanish roads. Simply if you have been in Spain for more than six months your car is technically illegal on the Spanish roads and you are at risk with your insurance.
If you are in any doubt ask your insurance company to provide you in writing with a letter stating that they understand that you are a permanent resident in Spain and that your car is UK registered and plated with no valid MOT or road tax in Spain but that you have obtained a Spanish ITV and that they are happy to provide you with insurance under these circumstances.
The easiest option is to eliminate all doubt and possibility that your insurance in Spain is invalid by re-registering your UK plated and registered vehicle, be it car, motorbike, van, caravan or motor-home by registering it as a Spanish vehicle – in other words importing it into Spain legally.
No Claims Bonus in Spain
The good news is that most Spanish insurance companies and providers will recognise your no-claims bonus (NCB) even if you have built this up in another European country such as the United Kingdom (UK). In common with other countries your car insurance in Spain gets cheaper the longer you go without making a claim on your insurance policy. Plus you can now pay a small additional premium in order to protect against the risk of losing your no-claims bonus.
If you need more help with other types of insurance in Spain then see our home page which contains many links to many different types of insurance coverage available for people living in the country of Spain.