‘Zombie cars’ have been a big problem in Spain for years. Zombie cars are those left behind or driven around without insurance. The Spanish traffic agency is now coming up with measures to automatically deregister these types of cars, resulting in fines.
Both the Guardia Civil and DGT have been tracking down so-called zombie cars for years. It concerns about 400,000 cars unregistered for five years or more, making it seem as if they no longer exist. Detecting this is necessary as every owner has to pay road tax and insurance premium when they use a car.
Zombie cars often involved in traffic accidents
The fact is, however, people are still driving around in uninsured cars. Those cars are involved in about 300,000 traffic accidents each year. If the police find a car is driving around without insurance, the owner can expect a fine of up to €3,500. Zombie cars are often in tourist areas or near holiday homes. The Spanish regions where there are the most zombie cars are the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.
DGT will automatically deregister certain cars in Spain
The Spanish traffic agency DGT decides to deal with these cars in its own way. During this year, the DGT will start officially deregistering cars of 10 years and older if they are not insured or have not been inspected. Owners will receive written notification. Therefore, they run the risk of being fined if they continue to drive around uninsured.
Temporarily deregister a car in Spain for a maximum of 12 months
Due to another change in the general vehicle regulations, from 2022 there will be a maximum period in which a vehicle may be temporarily deregistered. Diario de Sevilla writes that from next year a vehicle may be deregistered for a maximum of 12 months. When this period has ended, a vehicle is automatically registered again and the owner has to pay tax again. If this does not happen, an owner will face fines.
