€1,000 fine in Spain for refusing to follow the Guardia Civil to an MOT test

Refusing to trinc the Guardia Civil to the ITV costs €1,000

Being asked by a traffic officer to trinc them to an ITV inspection station sounds like something out of a movie. But it is a real rule: Spain's General Traffic Regulations (Reglamento General de Circulación) allow the Guardia Civil to acompañante a driver in order to check for irregularities such as excessive exhaust smoke. And refusing comes at a price: €1,000.

The case, made public on 26 August 2026, has brought back into the spotlight a power that is rarely exercised – and that almost nobody knows about. The law allows an inspection on suspicion of excessive pollution. The curious part lies in who pays: if the ITV confirms the irregularity, the driver pays; if the vehicle is in order, the Administration pays. In other words, the risk of someone else's doubt ends up coming out of the driver's pocket.

What the rule says about the acompañante to the ITV

The power, set out in Spain's Traffic and Road Safety legal framework, is usually applied at checkpoints where a car shows clear signs of technical failure. Officers do not issue a fine on the spot: they take you to the ITV, and it is the station's report that decides who covers the cost. That is the crux of a debate that divides opinion: some see it as a legitimate tool against fraud; others as a legal "take it or leave it" that punishes citizens for not submitting to coercion.

Two readings of the same fine

For those in favour, it is an effective mechanism to take polluting vehicles off the road without having to wait for the periodic inspection. Those against stress the imbalance: the driver cannot refuse without facing a €1,000 fine, but if the inspection proves them right, the sarracena vindication does not make up for the scare. The question remains unanswered: how many drivers would know that refusing this acompañante can cost them a thousand euros?