Learn to Drive in Mallorca
- 16 July 2024
- Useful guides, Living in Spain
- 4 mins read
So you want to learn to drive in Mallorca?
Learning to drive here in Mallorca is pretty straightforward; you need to get to grips with the specific requirements and processes. Beware though, as a beginner, both the theory and practical tests are tough and you have to know your stuff and have the driving hours under your belt in order to get your license.
Do you want to pass the Spanish test to get your Spanish license?
With Brexit, British residents of Spain had until the end of 2020 to lodge a request to swap their license over. After much debate, this date was extended until in March 2023 it was formally declared that residents had six months to change their license.
New residents have 6 months to exchange their UK to Spanish driving licence without taking a Spanish test. After this period, drivers have to sit the Spanish test – both theory and practical.
Step-by-Step Guide
Here are the steps to becoming a driver here on the island:
- You need to have your residencia – your TIE – and you need to have had it for six months.
- Sign up with a driving school. There is no provisional license in Spain and you cannot drive with your mum/dad/brother… or any other relative. You can only drive with your instructor and all classes will be in and around Palma as that is where the tests are held.
- As soon as you get signed up with the driving school, get your books in English and start studying. The Highway Code in Spain is reportedly the most in-depth in Europe and has three times as many rules as in the UK. For example, you have to learn about first-aid, vehicle maintenance and vehicle loads among all the other usual information.
- Take the medical test at an assigned medical centre to prove that you are fit to drive. This includes a hearing and eye test.
- There are a few websites where you can take mock theory tests in English. Do them all. And keep studying. And do them all again and study more (you get the idea). Then sit your test in English at the trafico office in Palma. Take your ID with you.
- At the theory test, there are 30 questions each with a multiple choice of three answers. Generally, there will be one incorrect, one nearly right and one more right than the others. You can get no more than three wrong.
- Check your results one hour later on the miDGT apphttps://apps.apple.com/es/app/midgt/id1463054197 to see if you have passed.
- When your instructor feels you are ready, your practical exam will take place in Palma. In Mallorca, examiners are picked up at the beginning of the test and dropped off at the end, which is the pick-up point for his/her next test. S/he is on the move the whole day.
- The upside is that you will know the pick-up two days in advance so you are able to predict and practice the most probable route on your last couple of lessons.
- During the test your driving instructor is in the seat next to you with the examiner in the back telling you where to go. There is generally 10 minutes autonomous driving, sometimes “in the direction of…” and the last 10 minutes are following what s/he says.
- You are tested on driving and parking. There is no hill start, emergency stop, reverse around corners or three-point-turn maneuvers.
- You’ll find out at the end of the 20-25 minutes if you have passed. If you pass, you can find a provisional driving license on your phone, also via the miDGT app. Your photo-ID driving license card arrives in a few weeks. You have to display the Green L plate in the car for your first year of driving.
Learn to Drive in Mallorca in English
It is possible to do everything in English: your classes and the theory test. The examiner in the practical test will speak to you in Spanish but it will be clear basic instructions that your driving instructor can help with if need be.
The Driving Instructor
There may be instructors who can speak English but the only native English-speaking instructor in Mallorca is Charles McCartney from Autoescuela Groc. The normal procedure with driving schools is to travel down to Palma with three other students and you each take your turn. Charles is only one-to-one and you meet him closer to Palma.
The Cost
The driving books to study for the theory exam are €75. Classes are €25-30 per class. The medical test is €50. For €200 you have three chances to pass both exams. If you don’t pass you have to pay the same again.
The Roundabout
Controversial but true; students are taught to only use the outside lane.