How Much Does It Cost to Register a UK Car in Spain?
The cost depends mainly on your car's official value, its CO2 emissions and whether you are moving home to Spain. A newer, more valuable car with higher emissions costs far more to register than an older, economical one, and people moving home can often avoid the taxes altogether.
Registration tax: based on value and emissions
Spain charges a registration tax the first time a vehicle is permanently registered here. It is officially called the Impuesto Especial sobre Determinados Medios de Transporte, or IEDMT. For cars, the rate depends on the official CO2 emissions figure. The Agencia Tributaria's current rates work as follows.
On the mainland and in the Balearic Islands, cars that emit 120 g/km of CO2 or less pay no registration tax at all. Above 120 and below 160 g/km the rate is 4.75%, and from 160 to below 200 g/km it is 9.75%. Cars emitting 200 g/km or more pay the top rate of 14.75%.
The Canary Islands use the same emissions bands but charge one percentage point less in each band that pays tax. Cars at 120 g/km or less still pay nothing, while the three higher bands pay 3.75%, 8.75% and 13.75% respectively.
How the value of your car is worked out
For a used car, the tax is not based on what you paid. Hacienda, the Spanish Treasury, publishes an official table of average market values for each make and model, and for 2026 this is Order HAC/1501/2025. A depreciation percentage is then applied according to the car's age, starting at 100% for a car less than a year old and falling to a minimum of 10% for cars over 12 years old. For used cars previously registered abroad, some of the indirect taxes already paid can also be deducted.
As a simple illustration, if Hacienda's tables value your car at €10,000 after depreciation and it emits 140 g/km, the registration tax on the mainland would be 4.75%, or €475. The same car emitting 210 g/km would pay 14.75%, or €1,475.
Import duty and VAT
If you do not qualify for the transfer of residence exemption, your car is treated as a normal import from outside the EU. The Agencia Tributaria sets customs duty on cars at 10% in the general case and import VAT (IVA) at 21%, both calculated on the purchase price including insurance and freight. Together these usually cost much more than the registration tax.
Under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, a car proven to be of UK or EU origin can qualify for a 0% tariff. However, this needs a formal statement on origin or other evidence, which private sellers rarely have. Cars built outside the UK and EU, such as many Japanese or American models, do not qualify. We would not assume a UK-built car will be duty-free without the right paperwork.
Moving home? You may pay none of these
If you are moving your home to Spain and have owned and used your car for at least six months, you may be exempt from import duty, VAT and registration tax. The savings can run into thousands of euros. Our guide to bringing your car tax-free explains the conditions.
Other costs to budget for
Whatever your tax position, there are some costs everyone pays. These include the DGT registration fee (currently €99.77), the import ITV fee, and a ficha técnica reducida if you have no Certificate of Conformity. You may also need work to pass the ITV, such as replacement headlamps, as well as the local road tax (IVTM), the Spanish number plates and professional fees for the paperwork.
As a guide, specialist firms advertise a ficha técnica reducida from about €40 to €75. A car without valid European type approval needs a full individual homologation instead, quoted anywhere from about €600 to €1,200 plus IVA. HomologaTOTAL, a Spanish homologation specialist, warns that once duty, VAT, registration tax and homologation are added together, the total for a UK import that does not qualify for any exemption can easily exceed €5,000.
Get an itemised quote
Every car is different, so we give every customer a clear, itemised quote before any work starts. For yours, email info@costa-cargo.com or call us in the UK on +44 7938 751 790 or in Spain on +34 711 022 816.
This guide is general guidance only. Tax rates, valuations and fees change regularly, so please contact us for up-to-date figures for your own vehicle.
