Last October a customer returned a car without saying anything. Two months later he emailed asking why a letter had arrived from a Spanish address charging him 300 EUR. He had not been stopped by police. He had not seen a camera flash. The first he heard about it was a notification charge from the rental company, then the DGT fine itself, arriving weeks apart and entirely in Spanish.
This is not unusual. Speed cameras in Spain are fixed and often unmarked in ways that surprise visiting drivers. The fine goes to the rental company first, the company passes on your details, and then it comes to you - sometimes six to eight weeks after you handed back the keys. We see this sequence several times a year at our counter in Alicante. This guide walks through every step so you are not figuring it out under pressure.
How the system works: from camera to your letterbox
When a speed camera records a plate, the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico, Spain's road traffic authority) sends the fine notice to the registered keeper of the vehicle. For a hire car, that is the rental company, not you. The rental company then has an obligation under Spanish law to identify the driver at the time of the offence and communicate that name and address to the DGT.
Once your details are filed, the DGT sends you a formal notification - a multa - either to your home address or, for addresses outside Spain, via registered post. The fine level is fixed at the moment the camera records you. The rental company's response time affects how quickly it reaches you, not the amount.
Three things arrive separately:
- The rental company's own admin charge for processing the notification to DGT - their fee, separate from the fine itself
- The DGT fine notice, with payment instructions and a reference number
- If the letter misses you: a follow-up notice through electronic channels
Timing matters because of the 20-day rule explained below. The gap between the offence and the fine arriving at your door can run to two or three months. Silence does not mean no fine.
DGT fine amounts: the full table for speeding
Spanish speeding fines follow a fixed scale set by the DGT. The amount depends on how far over the limit you were. Points are deducted from Spanish licences. For foreign visitors this matters mainly as an indicator of severity - more points deducted means a larger fine.
| Category | Fine | Points deducted | Typical scenario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grave | 100 EUR | None | Modest overspeed, e.g. 51-70 km/h in a 50 km/h zone |
| Grave | 300 EUR | 2 | Faster overspeed, e.g. 71-80 km/h in a 50 km/h zone |
| Grave | 400 EUR | 4 | Significant excess, e.g. 81-90 km/h in a 50 km/h zone |
| Grave | 500 EUR | 6 | Large excess, e.g. 91-100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone |
| Muy grave | 600 EUR | 6 | Extreme excess, e.g. over 100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone |
The thresholds shift depending on the posted limit. At 120 km/h on a motorway the tolerance before a fine is wider; in a 20 km/h urban zone it is very narrow. The DGT publishes the full matrix by road type and speed limit at dgt.es. At very high excess speeds - typically 60 km/h over the limit in an urban area or 80 km/h over it outside built-up areas - the offence can cross into criminal territory under the Spanish Penal Code, which carries potential licence suspension in addition to the fine. Check signs at entry to any restricted zone; do not rely on memory.
The 20-day payment window: how to pay half price
This is the most important number in this guide. Twenty days.
The DGT allows a 50 percent reduction on any speeding fine if you pay within 20 calendar days of receiving the notification. A 300 EUR fine becomes 150 EUR. A 600 EUR fine becomes 300 EUR. That reduction is automatic - you do not need to ask for it, file anything extra, or call anyone. You pay through the DGT's online payment service using the reference number on the notice.
Our own rule of thumb: watch the post for two to three months after any trip involving Spanish roads. The fine can arrive late, the 20-day clock starts the day the letter reaches your address, so opening it promptly is not optional.
One warning: if you decide to contest the fine (file an alegación), you lose the right to the 50 percent discount for the duration of that process. Only contest if you have a solid case - the discount is usually worth more than the chance of winning an appeal.
After 20 days the full amount is due. The DGT gives you roughly 45 days total from notification before the debt passes to enforcement. If it reaches that stage, Spain's Tax Agency (Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria, AEAT) adds a surcharge and can pursue recovery across EU member states. For EU citizens this is enforced with increasing regularity. For UK drivers it is more complex post-Brexit but not impossible.
Rental company admin charges
When a DGT fine arrives addressed to the rental company, the company has to open it, log the offence, identify you from the rental agreement, file your details with the DGT, and send you a copy. That is administrative work, and rental companies typically add a charge for it on top of the fine itself.
The charge varies by company and is not regulated by law. It is billed separately, usually to the payment card used at pickup. Read the section on fines or traffic violations in your rental agreement before you sign - it should state whether this charge applies and roughly how much it is.
Photograph the charge notice carefully when it arrives. It should state the offence date, the DGT reference number, and the admin fee as a separate line. If the amounts are blended together, ask the rental company to itemise them in writing before paying anything.
Does your rental insurance cover speeding fines?
No. No rental insurance policy - not CDW, not zero-excess, not any package - covers traffic fines. Insurance covers physical damage to the vehicle or third-party liability. A speeding fine is a penalty on the driver, not damage to a car.
The same applies to our own insurance packages. Zero Deposit means you carry no damage excess. It has no effect on a fine you receive from the DGT.
What insurance does affect: if a collision follows the speeding event and there is clear evidence of excessive speed, some insurers may challenge the damage claim. That is a separate question from the fine, but worth knowing before you decide the fast lane is worth it at the end of a long motorway stretch.
How to respond when the DGT fine notice arrives
Follow these steps in order:
- Check the notification date. The 20-day discount window runs from the date the letter reached you, not the date of the offence. If you were away and the letter sat at home, the clock may already be running.
- Find the reference number. The expediente number on the notice is what you need to pay online.
- Go to the DGT payment portal at sede.dgt.gob.es. International card payments are accepted; no Spanish bank account is needed.
- Pay within 20 days to get the 50 percent reduction. Save the payment confirmation as a PDF - this is your proof.
- Check separately for the rental company's admin charge. It usually arrives by email and is charged to the card on file.
- Ask for itemisation if anything is unclear. Request the original DGT notice, the reference number, and the admin fee listed separately. Put this in a single email thread and keep it.
If the letter is in Spanish and you are unsure what it says, the DGT has an online service to look up fines by vehicle plate and driver details. The help section of our site has our WhatsApp number - if your fine relates to a car rented from us, message us and we will explain the breakdown.
Can you contest a Spanish speeding fine?
You can. The DGT process allows you to submit an alegación within the 20-day window. Grounds that work: the camera data was incorrect, the posted signs were absent or damaged, or the vehicle identification was wrong - for example, someone else was driving the hire car at that time and you can prove it with a rental agreement showing different dates.
Grounds that rarely succeed: you did not know the limit, the road did not feel slow, you were following traffic.
Contesting forfeits the 50 percent discount while the process runs. If the DGT upholds the fine after an alegación, you pay the full original amount. Beyond that, you can file a recurso de reposición - a further administrative appeal - within one month of the decision. After that the case moves to administrative courts. For a road traffic fine that is rarely a sensible use of time or money.
What happens if you ignore the fine
The DGT escalates unpaid fines in stages. After the voluntary payment period, the full amount plus procedural costs is due. The file then moves to AEAT for enforcement, adding a surcharge of around 20 percent. Under EU cooperation, Spain can pursue the debt in your home country. We hear the assumption at handovers occasionally: “it’s Spain, nothing will happen.” A decade ago that had some basis. The enforcement system has improved significantly and cross-border debt recovery is now routine for EU residents.
How we handle fines at WeOneRent
When a DGT fine arrives addressed to us, we open it, log the offence against the rental record for those dates, and email the customer a copy of the DGT notice with our admin charge stated as a separate line. We do not charge before we have sent you the original notice. If you have a question about a charge from us, reply to that email or WhatsApp us and we will explain the breakdown.
At pickup we tell every customer: the driving in Spain guide on our blog lists speed limits by road type. The limits that catch visitors most often are 30 km/h zones on secondary urban streets introduced in recent years, and the 90 km/h limit on undivided roads outside towns - which feels slow on a clear summer road but is enforced by fixed cameras that appear on navigation apps. Set your satnav to show current limits on the route. That is not a guarantee against a fine, but it removes the most common excuse.
Speeding fine action plan: checklist
- Watch the post for two to three months after any trip through Spain
- Open letters from Spanish government addresses immediately - the 20-day clock starts on delivery
- Find the DGT expediente number on the fine notice
- Pay within 20 calendar days at sede.dgt.gob.es for the 50 percent reduction
- Save the payment confirmation as a PDF
- Review the rental company's admin charge separately - confirm it is itemised, not blended with the fine
- If the offence details look wrong, request the original DGT file number in writing before paying
- Do not contest unless the error is clear and provable - appealing forfeits the discount
Frequently asked questions about speeding fines in rental cars in Spain
How long does a Spanish speeding fine take to arrive?
Typically four to twelve weeks after the offence. The DGT first notifies the rental company, the company files your details, then DGT issues a notice to you. Add postal time if you live outside Spain. Do not read a long silence as confirmation that nothing is coming.
How much is a speeding fine in a hire car in Spain?
Between 100 EUR and 600 EUR depending on how far over the limit you were. With the 50 percent early payment discount the range drops to 50 EUR to 300 EUR. The rental company may also add their own admin charge for processing the DGT notification - this is on top of the fine amount.
Who actually pays - me or the rental company?
You, the driver. The rental company receives the first notice because they are the registered keeper of the vehicle. Spanish law requires them to identify the driver and pass those details to the DGT. The DGT then issues the fine directly to you. The rental company cannot absorb it and cannot legally ignore the DGT's request for driver information.
Can I pay a Spanish fine from abroad?
Yes. The DGT payment portal at sede.dgt.gob.es accepts international payment cards. You need the reference number from the fine notice. No Spanish bank account is required. If you think a camera caught you but no letter has arrived, check with the rental company - the notice may have gone to an old address.
Does my rental insurance cover the fine?
No rental insurance policy covers traffic fines. CDW and zero-excess covers protect against vehicle damage, not penalties. See our insurance page for exactly what each of our packages includes.
What about penalty points on my licence?
Spain's point deduction system applies directly to Spanish driving licences. If you hold a foreign licence, DGT cannot deduct points from your home record. The financial penalty still applies in full. For EU licence holders the DGT may notify your home licensing authority; the effect depends on your country's rules. For UK drivers, the cross-border points system no longer applies since Brexit, but the fine itself remains payable and enforceable.
If you are planning a trip to the Costa Blanca and want to book a reliable compact or economy car with no surprises at pickup, check availability at WeOneRent. Our team at Alicante airport is there for meet and greet pickups daily. We answer driving questions at the car - speed limits on your specific route, where cameras are known to sit, and what the signs mean when they change mid-road.
%20(800%20x%20120%20px)%20(1600%20x%20200%20px).avif){kind=small}
