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I asked myself these questions many times before moving to Spain. As a rule cars tend to be more expensive in Spain than in most other EU countries, certainly compared to the UK. So I asked myself why I just don’t drive my UK plated car out there? I had also seen lots of British cars on the road whilst on holiday. I think these are your choices :-
· Import - If you take your UK plated car outside of the UK for more than 6months it becomes a permanent export and you must inform the DVLA. Your next move is to import it onto Spanish plates. You do this at a gestoria and it generally costs 10% of the vehicle market value. I certainly wouldn’t consider importing a right hand drive car into Spain as the roads are narrow and joining the busy sections of a dual carriageway are difficult enough in a left hand drive! Unless it’s a classic or cherished vehicle I wouldn’t bother.
· To Buy - There are many car dealers in Spain as in the UK, I would certainly feel more confident purchasing a car from a dealership as you know the paperwork should be in order. There are many pitfalls buying privately, cars in Spain are less well maintained, most Spanish owners don’t continue a service history. Debts from the car’s previous owners are passed to you unless you get them cleared. There are companies similar to the UK that check vehicle history. Additionally cars are more expensive.
For both of the options above you will also need a residencia, (residence card) or an NIE number, an escritua (deed) or rental contract for a Spanish property, or a certificado de empadronamiento (certificate of residence) in a Spanish community. The quickest method being NIE (from the police station ) and a certificado de empadronamiento (from the local Town Hall when you produce you rental contract or property deeds )
· To Rent - In my opinion this is by far the best option for when you first arrive in Spain. Hire costs from as little as 375 euros for 1 month. This includes insurance, breakdown, road tax and all the usual advantages of renting. I believe this is a great way to become familiar with your surroundings and allows you time to ‘shop around’. Nearly all companies speak English and if you have an accident you can be confident of someone on your side and another vehicle.
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