Spain's New Traffic Rules from 1 October 2026: What Has Changed

On 1 October 2026, a broad reform of Spain's traffic regulation came into force. Press summaries and social media posts about it have not always got the details right. We went through the decree itself in the BOE, Spain's official gazette, and kept only what the text actually says, with the article for each rule.

In short. Royal Decree 518/2026 amended the Reglamento General de Circulación (RGC, the General Traffic Regulation). For car drivers, the big changes are: overtake cyclists, pedestrians, mopeds and e-scooters with at least 1.5 m of space, and outside built-up areas at least 20 km/h below the speed limit; pass broken-down or emergency vehicles the same way; and open an emergency corridor in motorway jams. Motorcyclists now need gloves on interurban roads and closed footwear everywhere. Separately, a new official road sign catalogue (Royal Decree 465/2025) has applied since 1 July 2025.

What RD 518/2026 is and when it applies

Royal Decree 518/2026 of 24 June 2026 was published in the BOE on 26 June 2026 (BOE-A-2026-13889) and came into force on 1 October 2026 (third final provision). Its subject is the protection of vulnerable road users (usuarios vulnerables), and it touches three texts:

• The RGC (RD 1428/2003): around twenty articles are rewritten and a new Title VI on urban traffic (articles 151-158) is added.
• The Traffic Law (LSV, RDL 6/2015): annex I gets new definitions, including "vulnerable road users" (concept 86): pedestrians (with special mention of children, older people, disabled people and people with reduced mobility), cyclists, riders of personal mobility vehicles (VMP, mainly e-scooters) and riders and passengers of motorcycles and mopeds.
• The Vehicle Regulation (RGV): motorcycles must now carry a high-visibility vest.

A few obligations have a one-year transition, until 1 October 2027. They are flagged next to each rule below.

Overtaking cyclists, pedestrians, mopeds and e-scooters

This is the change every driver will notice. The new article 85.4 of the RGC covers overtaking pedestrians, animals, animal-drawn vehicles, mopeds, VMP, cyclists and groups of cyclists:

Rule	What article 85.4 says from 1 October 2026
Side gap	at least 1.5 m, using part or all of the next or opposite lane
More than one lane in your direction	a full lane change is compulsory
Outside built-up areas (fuera de poblado)	at least 20 km/h below the road's limit, before starting and throughout the manoeuvre
A group of cyclists	counts as a single moving unit
Oncoming traffic	never overtake if you endanger or hinder people coming the other way, even on the hard shoulder (arcén)

What is actually new? Before the reform, article 85.4 required the 1.5 m gap only outside built-up areas; in towns the gap just had to be proportionate. Now 1.5 m applies on every road, and the 20 km/h reduction applies outside built-up areas. On a single-carriageway road with a 90 km/h limit, that means passing a cyclist at 70 km/h at most.

Related changes:

• Article 88.2. On a stretch where overtaking is banned, you may still overtake cyclists, mopeds, VMP, pedestrians, animals, animal-drawn vehicles and agricultural special vehicles if they are slow enough to pass safely, even if that means using the opposite lane. VMP and agricultural vehicles are new on this list.
• Article 87.1.b. Overtaking is banned on marked pedestrian crossings, at junctions with cycle tracks, at level crossings and near them. The old exception that allowed overtaking two-wheelers near a level crossing is gone.

Overtaking a cyclist dangerously or without the 1.5 m gap costs 6 penalty points (LSV, annex II, item 12). Breaches of article 85 are serious offences (graves), and a serious offence carries a 200 EUR fine under LSV article 80.1.

Broken-down vehicles, emergency corridors and snow

Stationary vehicles (article 88.1). When a vehicle is stopped after a breakdown or accident, or an emergency service, recovery truck, road maintenance crew or traffic control is working, and it blocks all or part of your lane, you must:

1. leave at least 1.5 m to the side, even if that means using the opposite half of the road;
2. slow down by at least 20 km/h below the limit for that stretch.

Breaking these rules is a serious offence (article 88.3).

The emergency corridor (carril de emergencia, article 32.1). This is new in Spain; the decree's preamble notes that other European countries already do it. On motorways (autopistas and autovías), when traffic slows to walking pace or stops in a jam, drivers must move aside to leave a free lane for emergency vehicles:

Lanes in your direction	Where the corridor goes	Who moves where
2	in the middle, between the two lanes	left lane to the left, right lane to the right
3 or more	between the leftmost lane and the one next to it	leftmost lane to the left, all others to the right

Article 69 now refers to this corridor when it tells drivers how to make way for a siren.

Snow on motorways (article 32.2). When snow makes driving difficult, overtaking is banned and you must use the rightmost lane. Where there are three or more lanes, you may also use the one next to it. The lanes further left stay free for emergency vehicles and snowploughs.

Motorcycles and mopeds: gloves, boots, vest and the hard shoulder

The new article 118.1 of the RGC applies to riders and passengers of motorcycles (with or without sidecar), three-wheelers, quadricycles, mopeds and quads:

Protective gear	Where it is compulsory
Helmet approved to UNECE Regulation 22, fastened	all roads
Protective gloves	interurban roads (vías interurbanas)
Closed footwear covering the whole foot	all roads

Vehicles with a protective structure and seat belts, recorded in their documents, use the belt instead of the helmet, gloves and footwear.

Transition periods:

• moped riders and passengers may keep using helmets that are only certified, not type-approved, until 1 October 2027 (first transitional provision);
• until the Interior Ministry sets technical specifications for gloves, protective gloves of the kind used today are accepted (second transitional provision).

The vest. Motorcycles must now carry a high-visibility reflective vest (RGV, annex XII, point 3, added by RD 518/2026). Like car drivers, motorcyclists must wear it when they get off and stand on the carriageway or hard shoulder of an interurban road (article 118.4).

Riding on the hard shoulder in jams (article 36.3). Motorcycles may be allowed onto the right-hand hard shoulder, but only on stretches agreed in advance and marked with signs and road markings, only when traffic in the lanes has stopped, at no more than 30 km/h and in single file. Riders must not endanger the vehicles that are required to use the hard shoulder, and must leave it if necessary.

Helmet headsets (article 18.2). Riding or driving with audio helmets, earphones or similar devices is banned. The exception: certified or type-approved wireless devices built into a motorcycle or moped helmet, used only for intercom or navigation.

Bicycles, e-scooters and delivery riders

Cyclists (article 118.2). A helmet is compulsory for everyone on interurban roads, and the old exemptions (long climbs, extreme heat, medical reasons) are gone. Under-16s wear one on every road. People who work on a bicycle must also wear one on urban roads and travesías (stretches of a main road running through a town). At night or in poor visibility on an interurban road, cyclists need a light or reflective element visible from 150 m.

E-scooters and other VMP:

• minimum age to ride: 15 (article 155.3);
• helmet compulsory (article 118.3);
• at night or in poor visibility, a light or reflective element visible from 150 m (article 118.3);
• lights on at all times (article 155.5), with the daytime requirement applying from 1 October 2027 (third transitional provision);
• arm signals for manoeuvres (article 155.4);
• banned on motorways, travesías, interurban roads and urban tunnels, except on cycle tracks, cycle lanes and roads closed to motor vehicles, unless signs say otherwise (article 38.4);
• no vehicle of any kind may ride on pavements (article 152.1).

Delivery riders. Anyone working on a motorcycle, moped, bicycle or VMP must wear a high-visibility vest on every road (article 118.4).

What it means for drivers in town (article 153). Cyclists ride preferably in the centre of the lane. Motor vehicles must keep at least 5 m behind a cyclist ahead of them in the same lane. Cyclists may filter past cars stopped at lights or in queues, on either side, to reach the advanced stop box. On single-lane streets limited to 30 km/h or less, councils may allow two-way cycling if it is signed.

Pedestrians, traffic lights and town rules

• Pedestrian priority (article 65.1). Pedestrians have priority on marked crossings, pavements and other pedestrian areas; when you turn into a street they are crossing, even without a crossing; when you cross a hard shoulder they are walking on; at bus and tram stops; and over military units, school lines and organised processions. Breaches are serious offences (article 65.3).
• Cyclist priority (article 64.2). On marked cycle lanes, cycle crossings and hard shoulders; when a car or moped turns and there is a cyclist close by; and when the first rider of a group has already entered a junction or roundabout.
• Flashing amber (annex I, 4.2.d). As a general rule, at crossings with a pedestrian light, flashing amber for vehicles may not coincide with steady green for pedestrians and must follow a steady red.
• Shared-level streets (plataforma única): pedestrians have priority at any point of the carriageway (LSV, annex I, concept 83).
• Parking (article 156). Councils may tow or clamp a car parked in a paid zone without a ticket or after three times the paid time.
• Low emission zones (article 157) and safe routes to school (article 158) now have an explicit basis in the regulation.

Seat belts, phones, buses and motorhomes

• Seat belts (article 119.2). The exemptions for on-duty taxi drivers, delivery drivers making frequent stops and driving instructors are gone: they must belt up in town too. Drivers and passengers of emergency vehicles on duty remain exempt in built-up areas, and ambulance passengers caring for a patient are exempt on all roads. The medical certificate exempting riders from wearing a helmet (old article 119.3) is abolished.
• Phones (article 18.2). Using a mobile phone or any communication system while driving is banned unless it is fully hands-free, without helmets, headsets or earphones.
• Radar detectors (article 18.3). Radar jammers and radar detectors are banned. Services that only tell you where enforcement cameras are located are expressly allowed.
• Buses (article 48.1.b). With standing passengers or no seat belts, the 80 km/h limit now applies on every road outside built-up areas, not just on single-carriageway roads.
• High-occupancy lanes (article 35.2.a). A car with only the driver may use a VAO lane not only with the V-15 sign, as before, but also with a disabled parking card. E-scooters are expressly banned from these lanes.
• Motorhomes (article 92.4). A parked motorhome may not extend anything beyond its outline, must rest only on its tyres (chocks allowed) and may not discharge fluids.

The 2025 road sign catalogue (RD 465/2025)

Royal Decree 465/2025 of 10 June 2025 came into force on 1 July 2025 and rewrote Title IV of the RGC on road signs. Signs are now regulated in articles 131-149, and their meanings sit in a single official catalogue in annex I.

What matters for drivers:

• Yellow and orange signs. In road works zones, signs have a yellow background. Temporary signs for any other reason (an incident, an event, weather) are now orange (catalogue, point 2.6). Temporary signing takes precedence over permanent signs.
• S-28 has a new meaning. S-28 used to mean "residential street" with a 20 km/h limit. It now means "play and stay zone" (zona de estancia y juego): 10 km/h, pedestrians have priority and games are allowed. The shared zone (zona de coexistencia, S-47) has a 20 km/h limit, pedestrians have priority and games are not allowed.
• New signs, for example R-412b "winter tyres compulsory" next to R-412 "snow chains", and S-105e "electric charging station".
• Transition. Signs installed before 1 July 2025 may stay until they are worn out and replaced. Signs removed from the catalogue had to be taken down within a year, so by 1 July 2026.

For the sign families and the ones people misread most, see our guide to Spanish road signs. The triangular P warning signs of the 2025 catalogue are covered in our free lesson on warning signs.

FAQ

How far do you have to stay from a cyclist when overtaking in Spain?

At least 1.5 m on any road, and you must change lanes completely if there is more than one lane in your direction. Outside built-up areas, you must also drive at least 20 km/h below the speed limit before and during the manoeuvre (RGC, article 85.4). Overtaking a cyclist without the 1.5 m gap costs 6 points.

What is the emergency corridor in Spain?

It is a free lane you open for emergency vehicles on motorways when a jam slows traffic to walking pace or stops it. With two lanes, it forms in the middle; with three or more, between the leftmost lane and the next one (RGC, article 32.1).

Do motorcyclists need gloves in Spain from October 2026?

Yes, on interurban roads, for riders and passengers of motorcycles, mopeds, three-wheelers and quads. Closed footwear is compulsory on every road (RGC, article 118.1). Until technical specifications are approved, ordinary protective gloves of the kind used today are accepted.

Is a helmet compulsory on an e-scooter in Spain?

Yes. Since 1 October 2026, VMP riders must wear a helmet (RGC, article 118.3), and the minimum age is 15. Lights must always be on, but the daytime requirement only applies from 1 October 2027.

Did speed limits for cars change on 1 October 2026?

No. The only change to the limits table is article 48.1.b, for buses with standing passengers or without belts. For car drivers, the new rule is situational: 20 km/h below the limit when overtaking vulnerable users outside towns and when passing stationary vehicles.

Are the new rules in the DGT theory test?

The test checks the rules in force on the day you sit it, so prepare with material updated for RD 518/2026 and the 2025 sign catalogue. Our free lesson on the DGT theory test explains how the exam itself works.

Summary: the key changes at a glance

Topic	What changed	Article
Overtaking cyclists, pedestrians, VMP, mopeds	1.5 m everywhere; full lane change on multi-lane roads; 20 km/h below the limit outside towns	RGC 85.4
Stationary vehicles in your lane	1.5 m and 20 km/h below the limit	RGC 88.1
Motorway jams	emergency corridor	RGC 32.1
Snow on motorways	no overtaking, right lane	RGC 32.2
Motorcycles and mopeds	gloves on interurban roads, closed footwear everywhere, vest carried	RGC 118.1, 118.4; RGV annex XII.3
Bicycles	helmet on interurban roads with no exemptions, 5 m gap in town	RGC 118.2, 153.4
E-scooters (VMP)	age 15, helmet, lights, banned on interurban roads	RGC 38.4, 118.3, 155
Seat belts	no exemption for taxis, deliveries, instructors	RGC 119.2
Road signs	orange temporary signs, new S-28, new signs	RD 465/2025, RGC 131-149 and annex I

On the road, these rules come in Spanish: on signs, message panels and from the officer at a checkpoint. The course Conducir en España: el permiso B covers the whole DGT theory, including the October 2026 changes, in B1 Spanish with a one-tap English translation of every word. Start with the two free lessons. And if you have just moved here, read about driving in Spain with a foreign licence.