MOTORCYCLISTS and scooter riders in Spain will be hit with €200 fines from October 1 if they are caught without the right kit.
Spain’s traffic authority, the DGT, has confirmed that failure to wear two new pieces of equipment, protective gloves and closed footwear, will both be treated as serious offences, carrying a €200 penalty.
The changes come under Real Decreto 518/2026, published on June 26. The new rules apply to both riders and passengers.
READ MORE: Urban road safety: DGT launches campaign in Spain’s Malaga and Marbella to monitor bicycles and scooters on pavements
Gloves will be obligatory on ‘interurban’ roads — anything outside built-up areas. There is no blanket requirement for purely urban riding.
Footwear is the bigger shake-up. Riders must wear “closed footwear covering the whole foot” on all roads, town streets included. That spells trouble for the sandal-and-scooter habit that is near universal on the Costas in summer.
There is a caveat on gloves. The Interior Ministry can later set technical specifications by ministerial order, but until that lands, riders may use gloves of the same type they wear today, but they must be wearing them.
Vehicles fitted with self-protection structures and seatbelts are exempt from helmet, gloves and footwear. Occupants must wear the belt instead.
Delivery riders face a third possible fine. Anyone riding professionally must wear a high-visibility reflective vest on all roads. Private riders do not have to wear one while moving, but must carry one to be used when stepping onto the carriageway or hard shoulder.
From October 1, motorbikes may use the right-hand hard shoulder in traffic jams — but only on stretches specifically signed for it, when lanes are at a standstill, and at no more than 30kph.
Helmet rules change too, though moped riders using certified helmets get a transition year, with the UNECE R22 requirement biting from October 1, 2027.
A small piece of good news, though: anyone caught flouting these news rules won’t receive any points on their licence.
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