The location feature might not be needed until next year but you still need the flashing lights to work now, no?

No, until next year triangles are still legal. After that you must have the beacons (preferably with batteries inserted!)!

Got it. I bought a car years ago and instead of a triangle it has the flashing lights beacon, so I figured everyone was using these nowadays, albeit without the location feature.

No surprise - the scammers are at it again

https://spanishnewstoday.com/how_to_...0247418-a.html

I think the labelling and naming of it all has added to the confusion. Should have just required that every beacon carries an official gov't hologram sticker on the packaging with something along the lines of "Approved for 2026, etc." and then just spread the word about checking for the approval hologram.

Yes, I agree.

In the meantime, the easiest 300 million euros the Spanish government has ever collected?

https://spanishnewstoday.com/vehicle...0248763-a.html

Seeing as neither warning triangle nor hi viz jackets are mandatory in Uk reg vehicles. Id say its a good bet few to none even carry that.
Ive been unfortunate enough to have driven a Uk car (work one) in something like 20 or so countries, and we were required by the insurance company to carry whatever safety or breakdown stuff as required.

We had a box in the back to cover almost every eventuality, why not make those who drive here or any other EU country then???
The breathaliser was the funniest and I still have one today, as we drove through France to get to the UK in October, oh, and a complete set of spare lamps as the Police were checking cars in one of the service areas near to St Malo.

Im sure the Police here will be very understanding when they come across Mr Smith who comes here for two three month breaks in his Skoda and he dont have a triangle and the kids are all running about the otherside of the armco (thats if there is a hard shoulder to stop on anyway.)

Its basically rubbish to say you cant legislate for foreign cars. you can its just they dont want the hassle of doing so. France makes you buy the Crit Aire on the website but Spain cant be bothered. More easy money I would have thought???
I didnt want to pay for the Crit Aire sticker for France but did as its a legal requirement. (its just a shame it arrived two weeks after we got back from the trip). But I still printed off the paperwork and left it on the dash of the car when we parked in St Malo (If you didnt know the whole city is a LEZ).

You can test them without causing a problem....

https://spanishnewstoday.com/can_i_t...0250552-a.html

Spain decided to accept other countries' emissions stickers and understand them as the Spanish equivalent (B or C). Even so, you have to go to the website for the city or area you're driving in and register your car's numberplate. For a UK car which doesn't have any sticker you'd just register your car's numberplate on the website.

Likewise Spain decided to accept other countries' safety kit (triangle, vest). They're obligatory in most European countries but not in the UK... but you'd probably be expected to carry them anyway if you're in a UK car.

Do you need to do something if you have a Spanish-registered vehicle, or is this just for foreign cars (temporarily) in Spain?

This is just for cars with a foreign numberplates. If you have Spanish plates, you need to get the emissions sticker and the V16.

For the sticker I just pop into the nearest post office with the (Spanish-registered) car docs and my ID and they print the sticker on the spot?

That's one way of doing it. For us, the dealership did it for us when we got our car and it arrived in the post a few days later.

Workshops can apparently get them arranged as well.

Do you know whether Correos does them on the spot or do they also deliver them a few days later?

Certainly in my Correos office it was while you wait (30 seconds)