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ARCHIVED - Brits with new Spanish driving licences may face higher insurance and car rental prices
UK nationals who get a Spanish driving licence will be seen as learners and have to pay more for insurance and to rent a car
As of May 1, British nationals resident in Spain for over six months who have British driving licences have been barred from driving due to a dispute between the UK and Spain governments after Brexit.
This has had a huge impact on the lives of many expats, and the British Embassy in Madrid is currently in negotiations with the Spanish to allow Brits to once again exchange their UK driving licences for Spanish ones.
However, there is no guarantee that this deal will come to pass, and many Brits are already following the official advice from the Embassy and taking their driving tests in Spain to get a Spanish driving licence.
However, it is feared that British expats who sit their driving exams in Spain will be considered learner drivers by insurance companies and car rental places, and if they pass their exams they would be seen as new drivers.
This would mean paying more in insurance premiums, or even disallowing drivers with decades of practical experience from renting a car.
After passing their test in Spain, they will be seen by the DGT Spanish traffic authorities as learner drivers or new drivers, who are often made to pay more for insurance or to rent a car because of their lack of experience.
Insurance companies and car rental companies in Spain are private businesses, and they have no obligation to offer their services to people with a new Spanish driving licence.
It’s also compulsory to have third-party insurance if you have a car in Spain, but many insurance companies either refuse insure high-risk drivers or they charge them far higher rates, and also refuse to offer them no-claims discounts on their insurance premiums.
Any previous years of driving experience from a person’s home country are not considered in this decision.
As for car rentals in Spain, some companies have the policy of not renting out vehicles to drivers with a Spanish licence less than two years old.
Of course, each different company has their own rules and it’s worth shopping around to find out who will accommodate you if you have a new Spanish driving licence, and for how much.
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