If you have moved to Barcelona with a car on Spanish plates, the ITV is the test you will need once a year or every two, depending on the vehicle’s age. It is Spain’s equivalent of the British MOT, and two things about it in Barcelona are worth knowing before you book.
The first is that shopping around is pointless. The two operators in the city, Applus and TüV Rheinland, charge identical tariffs: a petrol car with a catalyst pays 40,60 euros and a diesel 45,59, with the DGT fee and VAT already inside. What changes the price is your fuel, not your choice of garage.
The second is that the timetables differ a lot, and one of the six stations never opens on a Saturday.
How much does the ITV cost in Barcelona? A petrol car pays 40,60 euros, a diesel 45,59 and an electric 39,55, tax included. There are six stations in the city and all charge the same. If the car fails, the retest is free within 15 days at the same station.
Booking and turning up
- Pick a station by its hours, not its price. They are identical. Applus and TüV Rheinland both take bookings online through their own sites, and you enter your registration to start.
- Sit it up to 30 days early if that suits you. TüV Rheinland publishes that doing so does not move your expiry date, so an early Saturday slot costs you nothing.
- Avoid August. The Applus stations run a 7:00 to 14:00 day from 4 August to 12 September, plus 14-17 April, 2 May, 23 June, 31 October and 22, 23, 29 and 30 December.
- Bring the car’s documentation. The inspection covers brakes, lights, emissions, suspension and bodywork, and the result is recorded against the plate.
- If it fails, note the date. The free retest window is short and tied to the same station.
What you will pay
The jump that matters is the fuel. Between an electric car at 39,55 euros and a diesel at 45,59 there are 6,04 euros for the same test, and between catalysed petrol and diesel, 4,99. Light vans run wider: from 44,15 euros for non-catalysed petrol to 48,45 catalysed and 54,95 diesel.
A motorbike costs 21,29 euros, less than half a diesel car, and a heavy vehicle over 3.500 kilos, 67,60.
All of these already carry the Dirección General de Tráfico fee and VAT, so the published figure is the one you hand over at the desk.
Where the six stations are
Two sit in the Eixample and the other four on the edges of the city.
| Station | Operator | Neighbourhood | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diputació 158-160 | Applus | l’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample | 9:00-14:00 |
| Còrsega 384-392 | TüV Rheinland | la Dreta de l’Eixample | closed |
| Puigmadrona 9-15 | Applus | el Camp de l’Arpa del Clot | 8:00-14:00 |
| Àvila 130-134 | TüV Rheinland | el Parc i la Llacuna del Poblenou | 8:00-14:00 |
| Caracas 10 B | TüV Rheinland | el Bon Pastor | 8:00-14:00 |
| Motors 136 | Applus | la Marina del Prat Vermell | 9:00-14:00 |
Diputació and Motors are the only two open until 22:00, and only from Monday to Thursday. On Friday they close at 21:00. Còrsega, the most central of the six, is the one that never opens on Saturday, which catches people out. None of them opens on Sunday.
Five more sit in the metropolitan area: Badalona, Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant Just Desvern and Viladecans under Applus, and Sant Cugat del Vallès under TüV Rheinland.
If the car fails
This is the part worth reading before you go, because the window is short.
The retest is free if you return within the first 15 calendar days and to the same station where you failed. You get one free retest, so it is not a way of trying repeatedly.
Past those 15 days but still within two months of the first test, the retest costs 60 per cent of the tariff, roughly 24 euros for a petrol car and 27 for a diesel. Beyond two months you sit a whole new inspection, and fines may be added on top.
How this fits with the rest of driving here
A valid ITV does not let you into the centre. The low emission zone works off the environmental sticker and is a separate rule, so a car with a current inspection can still be barred from the Ronda de Dalt ring. For the trips a car will not cover, the public transport guide has the network, and the safety guide covers which areas to watch.
If you are weighing whether to keep a car at all, getting around Barcelona and the cost of daily life here put the numbers side by side. For the days you leave the city, day trips by train run without one at all.
Check your fuel first, then the timetable. The station is the last thing to decide.
Electric cars pay the least, 39,55 euros, and have 393 charging bays on the municipal network, though only 24 take a fast charge.
Frequently asked questions about the ITV in Barcelona
What is the ITV and is it compulsory in Spain?
It is Spain’s periodic roadworthiness test, the equivalent of the British MOT. Every car on Spanish plates has to sit it once its first term expires, and driving without a valid one carries a fine. In Barcelona it is run by two private operators, Applus and TüV Rheinland.
How much does the ITV cost in Barcelona?
A petrol car with a catalyst pays 40,60 euros and a diesel 45,59, with the DGT fee and VAT already included, so the published figure is what you pay. An electric car pays 39,55 and a motorbike 21,29. Both operators charge identical tariffs.
What happens if my car fails the ITV?
The retest is free if you return within the first 15 calendar days and to the same station, and you only get one free retest. Within two months you pay 60 per cent of the tariff. After two months you sit a whole new inspection, with possible fines on top.
Can I take the ITV early without losing my expiry date?
Yes. TüV Rheinland publishes that you can sit the inspection up to 30 days early and your expiry date does not move. It is the way to fit it into a Saturday or a quiet week rather than depending on the exact day your current certificate runs out.