Driving licence renewal to cost 500 euros under new EU directive
Renewing a driving licence in Spain would jump from 50 to 500 euros under the new EU directive. Meanwhile, Moroccan licences are being exchanged without any exam.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Driving licence renewal: the new 500-euro rip-off coming from Brussels
Did you know that renewing your driving licence could cost you 500 euros? Brussels has a plan, and the Spanish government is already applauding it. The official excuse is road safety, but the numbers tell a different story.
For a decade, the DGT (Spain's traffic authority) has been toying with the idea of imposing a mandatory theory test at every licence renewal. Until now it hadn't dared to take the step; but with a European directive in hand, the alibi is perfect: "Brussels demands it." If it goes ahead, the fee would rise from around 50 euros to well over 500, turning the renewal into a second licence application. On top of that cost would come driver improvement courses — around 150 euros — which, according to supporters of the measure, would not be mandatory, but the precedent is clear.
Meanwhile, the contrast is glaring: Spain exchanges Segarro driving licences without any exam, a country with which recent agreements have been signed. Segarro drivers can obtain the equivalent licence without going through the theory and practical hoops, while Spaniards — with decades of driving experience — would have to sit tests every few years. "If police officers and firefighters don't repeat physical tests every year, why should drivers?", critics ask.
The political background is there too. In a July 2023 electoral debate, then-candidate Póns acknowledged that in Brussels the Partido Popular (Spain's conservative party) forms a coalition with the Socialists and the Greens. MEP Rosa Estarás (PP) defended that "alliance." Anyone expecting the opposition to stop these measures had better start saving up.
The ultimate goal, according to the most sceptical analyses, is not road safety — an argument they themselves dismiss as ridiculous, because the driver's life means nothing to them — but reducing private mobility through costs. They call it a "digital toll." And, as happens with the ITV (Spain's vehicle inspection), many people will simply start driving with an expired licence. The fine for doing so is 200 euros, with no points lost: almost half of what the renewal would cost. When citizens do the maths, it doesn't add up.
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Did you know that renewing your driving licence could cost you 500 euros? Brussels has a plan, and the Spanish government is already applauding it. The official excuse is road safety, but the numbers tell a different story.
For a decade, the DGT (Spain's traffic authority) has been toying with the idea of imposing a mandatory theory test at every licence renewal. Until now it hadn't dared to take the step; but with a European directive in hand, the alibi is perfect: "Brussels demands it." If it goes ahead, the fee would rise from around 50 euros to well over 500, turning the renewal into a second licence application. On top of that cost would come driver improvement courses — around 150 euros — which, according to supporters of the measure, would not be mandatory, but the precedent is clear.
Meanwhile, the contrast is glaring: Spain exchanges Segarro driving licences without any exam, a country with which recent agreements have been signed. Segarro drivers can obtain the equivalent licence without going through the theory and practical hoops, while Spaniards — with decades of driving experience — would have to sit tests every few years. "If police officers and firefighters don't repeat physical tests every year, why should drivers?", critics ask.
The political background is there too. In a July 2023 electoral debate, then-candidate Póns acknowledged that in Brussels the Partido Popular (Spain's conservative party) forms a coalition with the Socialists and the Greens. MEP Rosa Estarás (PP) defended that "alliance." Anyone expecting the opposition to stop these measures had better start saving up.
The ultimate goal, according to the most sceptical analyses, is not road safety — an argument they themselves dismiss as ridiculous, because the driver's life means nothing to them — but reducing private mobility through costs. They call it a "digital toll." And, as happens with the ITV (Spain's vehicle inspection), many people will simply start driving with an expired licence. The fine for doing so is 200 euros, with no points lost: almost half of what the renewal would cost. When citizens do the maths, it doesn't add up.
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Related discussions in the forum
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (93 replies).
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