How much does it cost to import a car to Spain: every cost item

Importing a car to Spain costs its price plus a series of items that are worth adding up before you buy: transport, taxes (VAT if the car is new or comes from outside the EU, and on a used EU car depending on who sells it; registration tax, transfer tax if a private individual sells it, and road tax), the ITV inspection (Spain's roadworthiness inspection), the registration fee of the DGT (Spain's traffic authority), the number plates and, if you hire one, an administrative agent (gestoría). Some have an official amount; the rest depends on the car, the country and who does each job. Here is the full list and how to estimate each item.

Transport to Spain

This item varies a lot. For a new vehicle bought in another EU country that is not yet registered in yours, the European Commission's Your Europe portal sets out three ways to move it: tow it yourself with a registered, fully insured vehicle, use a specialist company, or drive it yourself with insurance and provisional registration plates from the country of purchase.

What the cost depends on: the distance, whether the car travels on its own lorry or a shared one, the insurance during the journey and, if you drive it, the outward journey, fuel, tolls and the provisional plates. Always ask for a fixed price in writing with the insurance included.

VAT or customs: it depends on where the car comes from

If the car comes from another EU country, there is no customs, and VAT depends mainly on whether it is new or used. Under Spain's VAT Act, a car is a new means of transport if it is delivered within six months of its first entry into service or if it has not travelled more than 6,000 kilometres. Intra-EU acquisitions of new means of transport by a private individual are subject to VAT in Spain, and the general rate of the tax is 21%. With a used car, the answer depends on who sells it to you; we explain it in VAT on a car bought in the EU.

If it comes from outside the EU, you pay at customs: the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) gives a 10% tariff for cars as the general case (the exact rate is confirmed in TARIC) and import VAT, generally 21%, on a base that includes the customs value and the tariff. You can follow it step by step in importing a car from outside the EU.

Registration tax

It also applies to used cars: Spain's Special Taxes Act (Ley de Impuestos Especiales, Law 38/1992) subjects to the tax the first definitive registration in Spain of vehicles, new or used, with a motor for propulsion. It is declared with the Spanish Tax Agency's form 576 (or form 05 or 06 if the car is exempt or not subject to the tax), and the DGT asks for the proof in order to register. In the Basque Country and Navarre, that proof is issued by their regional tax authority (Hacienda Foral).

The rate depends on the official CO2 emissions and on the autonomous community, because the communities can approve their own rates. If the community has not approved any, on the mainland and the Balearic Islands the law sets these rates for passenger cars:

• Emissions not exceeding 120 g/km: 0%.
• More than 120 and less than 160 g/km: 4.75%.
• From 160 and less than 200 g/km: 9.75%.
• 200 g/km or more: 14.75%.

Beware of a detail that makes it much more expensive: the law applies the highest bracket to vehicles for which measuring their CO2 emissions is required, when those emissions are not proven. Keep to hand the documents that prove the car's emissions.

For a used car, the base is its market value on the date the tax falls due, and the law allows the use of the average sale prices approved for the purpose, which the Ministry of Finance publishes every year in a ministerial order. If the car was registered abroad, the residual amount of the indirect taxes that would have been paid had it been registered new in Spain is deducted from the market value, to the extent that it includes them. Example with round figures: if, after that deduction, the base of a used passenger car is €15,000 and it emits 135 g/km, at the law's 4.75% rate (a community with no rates of its own) the tax would be €712.50. The detailed calculation is in the registration tax on an imported car.

Transfer tax and road tax

• Property Transfer Tax (Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales): to register a used car bought in the EU from a private individual, the DGT asks for the sales contract accompanied by a translation and the Property Transfer Tax. Check with your autonomous community's tax office how much applies to you. If you buy from a foreign car dealer, the invoice with its VAT number is provided instead.
• Road tax (IVTM): the DGT states that you must also pay the road tax of the town council where you have your address. The amount is set by your town council.

ITV, DGT fee, plates and agent

• ITV: before registering it, the car goes through an inspection at an ITV station to obtain its technical data card (tarjeta ITV). Check the fee at the station where you will do it. If the car has no certificate of conformity, also allow for the cost of the alternative documentation; we explain it in the certificate of conformity (CoC) and in the ITV inspection for an imported car.
• DGT fee: to process the registration of a vehicle (except mopeds) you must buy fee 1.1 of €99.77, according to the DGT electronic office.
• Plates: with the registration number and the registration certificate (permiso de circulación) you can now buy your number plates; the price depends on the shop.
• Administrative agent (gestoría): it is optional. The DGT allows you to apply for the registration of an imported vehicle online or in person; if you prefer to delegate it, the price is set by each agent.
• Environmental label: if one applies to the car, according to the DGT issuing the sticker costs €5, plus possible postage. More in the environmental label for an imported car.

The steps and order of registration are in how to register an imported car with the DGT.

Summary of cost items

To build your budget, put each item on a sheet and mark which are official amounts and which are third-party quotes:

1. Price of the car, with the invoice or the contract.
2. Transport: fixed quote, with insurance.
3. VAT or customs: if the car is new or comes from outside the EU; on a used EU car, depending on who sells it to you.
4. Registration tax: based on CO2 emissions, autonomous community and the car's value.
5. Property Transfer Tax: if you buy from a private individual.
6. Road tax: that of your town council.
7. ITV and, if the CoC is missing, the alternative documentation.
8. DGT registration fee, plates, an agent if you hire one, and the environmental label.

If the result leaves you little margin compared with buying the same car in Spain, check what to check before paying for a used car in Europe before deciding. And if your case has tax particularities, consult the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) or an administrative agent (gestor administrativo).

Sources consulted

Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.

• Comprar y arrendar (leasing) un vehículo en otro país de la UE. Comisión Europea (Your Europe).
• Ley 37/1992, de 28 de diciembre, del Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido (texto consolidado), artículos 13, 83 y 90. BOE.
• Importar un vehículo: deuda aduanera (qué tengo que pagar en la aduana). Agencia Tributaria.
• Importar un vehículo de un país no UE (folleto informativo). Agencia Tributaria.
• Ley 38/1992, de 28 de diciembre, de Impuestos Especiales (texto consolidado), artículos 65, 69 y 70. BOE.
• Importar un vehículo: base imponible (valor del vehículo para la aplicación de impuestos). Agencia Tributaria.
• Matriculación de vehículos nuevos o extranjeros. Dirección General de Tráfico (sede electrónica).
• Consulta del distintivo ambiental de un vehículo. Dirección General de Tráfico (sede electrónica).
• Real Decreto 2822/1998, Reglamento General de Vehículos (texto consolidado), artículo 25. BOE.
• El IVA en la compraventa de vehículos. Comisión Europea (Your Europe).