Mitzybaby

Hi
were moving to Spain next year and need advise regarding a car.
is it better to sell our UK car before leaving the UK and purchase a Spanish one on arrival or is it better to bring our UK car over to Spain and put Spanish plates on it
Any advise gratefully received. We have a UK car but no sentimentality so happy either way to keep or sell. Just want the easiest and most hassle free option.
thanks Kathy.

Fede8

Hello Kathy,
I'm currently living in Spain and I'm going to tell you some stuffs accordingly to my knowledges.

I don't know either you're willing to get a new car or you can afford a new car. However, according to your question, I'm not sure about how much money a car costs within UK, but in Spain you can find prices between 2.000€ up to X00.000€, as long as you get a new car (0 KM). Obviously, if you get a second-hand car, it's going to be cheaper.

Regardless the money, if I were you I would sell the car and get a new one in here. That's going to be a good choice.

If there's any other question I may help with, don't hesitate to contact me or reply in here and I will surely try to help out,

Retired in Euskadi

Why give yourselves extra problems here with a RHD car? It's bad enough coping with Spanish driving habits, such as tailgating, in a Spanish car.
The best hassle free option is definitely sell your car in the UK & buy here.

Fede8

Ops, I forgot this and I completely agree with him ^. Try to get a car in here and get used to the driving system.

bolton wanderer

It would be easier to sell your UK registered car before leaving the UK and buy a Spanish car on arrival in Spain. You'll probably need help with the paperwork for either option but it's easier driving a left hand drive car in Spain.

Dxf

Hola
Lots of people move here and then move back for a variety of reasons; there are good reasons for using you RHD car in Spain while you settle in. However there are time constraints and the maximum you can use it for is six months, BUT to stop having to pay "import tax" on it (actually it is "first registration in Spain tax") - you must change to Spanish plates within 60 days.

If you "know and love" Spain then the advice above is good. Second hand cars here are more expensive comparatively as there are fewer company cars. If buying new then cars here seem cheaper but the specification may be lower.

Davexf

missile

When we came to Spain we had some personal belongings we did not want to trust to removers and a pet. We drove our UK registered VW Polo over and sold it here for approximately the same as we would have received in the UK.

Fred James

Unless you have some special reason for bringing your car to Spain (such as moving a load of stuff) don't even think of bringing it. New cars are well discounted here and you will probably get a similar deal as you would in the UK. Yes, S/H cars are more expensive but they will hold their value better than a cheaper S/H car would in the UK.

You will have to register a UK car here within 6 months and it is a bit of a hassle, best avoided, and if you do you will always have the wheel on the wrong side - think car park ticket machines!

spainrico

Spanish car every time. Too much hassle otherwise at a time when you will have enough hassles as you go through the learning curve. Good luck.

I would also suggest you organise to swop to a Spanish driving licence ASAP as well.

Longlegpete

If you feel no attachment to the car you are better off as others have said just selling before you come over.
We legally use a RHD UK reg car for our time in Spain ( not an option if your are Spanish resident) which includes the trip through France etc twice a year there are vertically no occasions where RHD is a noticeable pain, add to that the fact that used and new cars are noticeably more expensive than the UK at current exchange rates there are benefits to taking your car with you.
You can get a few quotes for re registering your car before you come over, once you know the costs involved you can make a better choice.

Mitzybaby

Mitzybaby

Lmj2018

SimonJ22

That depends where you live, here the turns in the village are hazardous in a RHD and parking machines would mean getting out to get the ticket. The biggest problem I see is people already in the middle of the road trying to see if they can overtake.

bobd22

My two penneth is yes better to have LHD as that fits in with the road system. However for many years I drove RHD in Germany without major issues and have done so in Spain when on long visits with my UK car. Biggest disadvantages to take into account are yes ticket machines , parking visiting airport etc. Depending where you live it can be problematic driving up mountain roads as every bend is a blind bend. But main roads either drive at pace of other road users or if you must overtake drop back a little first to give you a view of road in front. RHD will have far less value in Spain in case you part ex or sell. So as I said at begining not ideal but can be done really down to you .