Financial help in Spain for learner drivers and would-be transport workers
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 @ 9:39 PM
LEARNING to drive may sound as thrilling as it is daunting, but can be one of the most frustrating times in a young adult's life – and one of the most expensive, too.
You can start learning to drive from age 18 in Spain - but it can be expensive (photo: DGT)
In Spain, you cannot start learning until you're 18 – unlike in, for example, the USA, where you can get your drivers' licence at 16, or in the UK, where you can start working towards your test at age 17.
Also, whilst some countries allow trainee drivers to practice in between lessons – perhaps in an older friend's or parent's car with L-plates attached – even on real roads in some cases, doing this in Spain is a criminal offence. A pupil caught practising, whether on an actual road or on an empty industrial estate or car park, will be treated at law in the same way as any other motorist found driving without a valid licence or after a ban. Effectively, a learner could find themselves with a driving ban as a result, before they have even passed their test.
In some countries, student drivers can save a fortune by getting their parents or another trusted adult to teach them in their own car – again, with L-plates – rather than having lessons with an accredited instructor. It may take longer, and perhaps lead to heated arguments, but is much cheaper. In Spain, though, you are not allowed: Only a registered instructor from a licensed driving academy, using an academy car, can teach you.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com