Car regs for Spain

Hi

Can anyone advise whether it is a legal requirement to carry a spare bulb kit when driving in Spain.  My Wife & I intend to take our car there later this year.  Our car has xenon adaptive headlights and all other lighting, indicators, side lights, rear lighting is LED so buying a kit will be very expensive.

We intend to drive from the ferry at Santander down to Alicante and would be grateful if anyone can offer advice on route options and perhaps a decent place to stay in order to split the journey.

Many thanks

Hi

I do know it is a requirement but if stopped by the Guadia Civil,there might be problems if you don't have them. They seem to make up the Rules to suit themselves.See website below.

http://costablanca.angloinfo.com/information/transport/driving/on-the-road/

Good Luck

Regards

It is no longer a legal requirement to carry a spare set of bulbs in the car. It was recently scrapped on the basis that it is impossible to change the bulbs yourself on many new cars. There is a very handy page on Facebook called N332 run by the Guardia Civil Traffic Department in Torrevieja. Any doubts about the current rules and regulations on Spanish roads can be cleared up there.

Mbh

The law was changed in 2010, as you say to reflect the complexities of the modern car, it is no longer a requirement to have spare lamps, but driving with a lamp not working is still an offence

Translated from the DGT website

Also, Annex XII, on accessories, spare parts and tools for vehicles modified to remove the requirement to keep a set of lamps of the vehicle lights, as more and more vehicles have a lighting device that can only be handled in authorized repairers and not by the user.

Full text here

Years ago nearly everyone could replace any bulb on a car, you only have to see the amount of cars running around with one or more lights out now..(Talking UK here..Is it the same in Spain?)..To see the problem of these new fitments.

The other day a car owner came in who had been about the only unlucky one to have been stopped by the police for a headlight out, he had a 7 day wonder, almost needed medical care when told the bulb alone was £35.00 and fitting was close to 30mins labour.

Carry the bulb kit is all well and good...Fitting on the side of the road is another thing. 

nbh, we spent most of 2013 driving in Spain and Portugal in our Swiss regitered Audi fitted with similar lights to your car. Several times we were stopped by various Police agencies none ever asked about any spare light fittings, most were just interested in the V10 engine and questioned the noise of the exhaust.