If you own a car registered in Spain — including one you've just imported to Mallorca — it has to pass the ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos) on a set schedule. If you're used to the German TÜV/HU or the Dutch APK keuring, the ITV is the direct equivalent: a mandatory, government-run roadworthiness and emissions check, without which the car isn't legally allowed on the road.
ITV vs. TÜV vs. APK: same idea, different name
All three are periodic technical inspections required by their respective countries, and they check broadly the same things: brakes, steering, lights, emissions, tyres, chassis condition and safety equipment. The practical differences are the schedule and the station network — in Spain, inspections happen at licensed ITV stations (estaciones ITV), and the car gets a sticker on the windscreen once it passes.
How often do you need it?
- New cars: first inspection at 4 years old
- 4–10 years old: every 2 years
- Over 10 years old: every year
- Freshly imported cars: a one-off pre-registration ITV before Spanish plates are issued
What actually gets checked
A standard ITV covers identification (chassis number, plates matching the registration document), brakes, steering and suspension, lights and electrics, emissions, tyres, and the general condition of the bodywork and chassis. Minor issues (a blown bulb, for example) usually result in a "favourable with defects" pass that just needs re-checking; more serious issues mean a fail and a required re-inspection once fixed.
What does it cost?
The official ITV fee itself is a fixed, modest amount set by the station (it varies slightly by province and vehicle type). The bigger cost driver for most owners isn't the fee — it's any repairs needed to pass, and for non-residents, the logistics of actually getting the car to a station and back.
The non-resident problem
A lot of car owners in Mallorca don't actually live on the island full-time — the car sits in a garage or with a neighbour most of the year. Flying over specifically to sit in an ITV queue for a few hours is, understandably, not how most people want to spend a trip. That's the whole reason a remote ITV service exists: someone local collects the car, takes it through the inspection (with a pre-check first, to catch and fix obvious fail points before the official test), and returns it — with photo updates the whole way, and the digital certificate sent straight to you.
Just imported a car? Read this first
If the ITV you're facing is the one-off pre-registration inspection rather than a routine renewal, it's worth reading it in context of the full process — see our guide on importing and registering a car in Mallorca, which covers where the ITV fits alongside the registration tax and Tráfico paperwork.
Prefer to skip the queue entirely? See our remote ITV service — pick-up, pre-check, official inspection and return, handled without you needing to be on the island.