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DRIVING

Driving in Spain: Can I take my theory and practical tests in English?

Can the 'examen práctico' and 'examen teórico' be done in English in Spain? How about if you don't speak any Spanish? Here's what English speakers who need to get a Spanish driving licence need to know.

Published: 12 March 2021 18:22 CET
Updated: 4 May 2022 10:39 CEST
Learning to drive in Spain.
Image: Andraz Lazic / Unsplash

Learning how to drive for the first time or even retaking your test, if you’ve been driving for a while, can be a daunting process, especially when it’s in a different country and in a different language.

Fortunately in Spain, there are many different driving schools offering lessons in English, but many of our readers want to know if you can take your driving test in English too.

Can I do my theory test in Spain in English?

Yes, you can sit your driving theory exam in Spain in either Spanish, English, Catalan, Galician, Euskera, French or German.

Many driving schools in Spain can help you prepare for your theoretical driving test in English, offering you English instructors and practice exams.

You’ll need to answer 30 multiple choice questions from a pool of 3,000 and answer 90 percent of them correctly to pass.

While the option of taking the DGT’s theory exam (examen teórico) in English is available, some English speakers in Spain have said that exam questions that have been translated into English aren’t always clear and can be confusing.

It’s true that written Spanish can be more long-winded than English, but if you’re getting your driving licence in Spain it probably means you’re settling here, so learning the right Spanish driving vocab, and Spanish in general is probably the right way to go.

Can I take my practical driving test in English?

While you are able to sit your theoretical test in English if you inform your driving school and the DGT beforehand, unfortunately, the practical part has to be done in Spanish. 

Even though your practical driving lessons can be in English, the actual practical test is always with a Spanish-speaking examiner sitting behind you. Therefore, you’ll need some knowledge of Spanish, least to understand the words and phrases you’ll need during your test.

READ ALSO: Spanish driving licence: the essential language to pass your practical test

Silvia Romero from Corsa International driving school in Barcelona says: “Currently the practical exam can only be done in Spanish since the Provincial Traffic Headquarters does not have this service. Only the common theory exam is translated into English”.

Is there a point in taking driving lessons in English if my final practical exam will be in Spanish?

This depends entirely on your Spanish level and the confidence you have in your Spanish ability, as well as your driving ability.

If you are taking driving lessons for the first time and have a very limited knowledge of Spanish, you may want to take your lessons in English, however, when you get a little more confident on the road, it might be a good idea to get a few lessons in Spanish so you can get to know the vocabulary.

If you can already drive, but are taking lessons so that you can get your Spanish license, you may want to take a few more lessons in Spanish so you can concentrate more on the language than the driving. 

Silvia Romero told us: “It would be advisable to already know some Spanish so that when doing the practical lessons, the student can be more aware of driving than the vocabulary, but it is not essential since the number of words that you have to know is quite small”.

Reader Neda Ahmadiani told us that she recently took her theoretical driving test in English. “The practical is in Spanish but doesn’t require fluency in Spanish. There were few words exchanged between me and the examiner,” she said. 

“In our practice classes, we use both languages – English and Spanish, so that the student understands what he/she has to do, and gets used to how the examiner will speak to them on the day of the exam,” added Romero.  

English-speaking driving schools in Spain

Barcelona 

Corsa International

Corsa International driving school has three different locations in the city. They offer both face-to-face and online practical and theoretical driving lessons in English. 

Driving School Barcelona

Driving School Barcelona is a specialised English-speaking driving school. They offer both classroom-based theoretical classes and private driving lessons.

Autoescuela Driving BCN

Autoescuela Driving BCN offers European-certified driving instructors who have experience driving and teaching in different countries. Director Paula and her team have a great level of English and teach both theoretical and practical driving lessons. 

Alicante Province

Autoescuela Eurovial 
Located in Benidorm, Autoescuela Eurovial has many years’ experience and multilingual teachers to help you obtain your license.

Autoescuela Jonia
Situated in the centre of Villajoyosa, Autoescuela offers a special English driving course, which includes English theory books, access to English theory tests and driving lessons taught in English. 

Málaga province

Urbano Autoescuelas
Urbano driving school has various locations across the Malaga province. They offer both theoretical and practical lessons in English at their schools in Fuengirola, Marbella and Mijas. 

Member comments

  1. Driving Licence Conundrum
    You pass your driving test in a EU country (not UK). You move to the UK and obtain a UK licence. Brexit happens, then you move to Spain.
    Why do I have to take a Spanish test when my original test was within the EU and is automatically recognised in Spain?

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For members

DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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