Royal Decree 518/2026 has been in force since 1 October 2026. It amends the Reglamento General de Circulación (the Spanish general traffic regulation) to protect vulnerable road users better. This page keeps three things apart: what the law says, what the DGT has said about the exam, and what is still unknown.
Main source: Real Decreto 518/2026, of 24 June (BOE-A-2026-13889), published on 26 June 2026 (in Spanish).
Checked on 11 October 2026. Traffic rules changed: yes, with effect from 1 October 2026 in the consolidated BOE text. Changes to the exam questions announced by the DGT because of this reform: none found. Also in force: the connected V-16 light since 1 January 2026 and the sign catalogue of Royal Decree 465/2025 since 1 July 2025.
The changes most likely to affect you as a car driver. Articles are from the Reglamento General de Circulación (RGC) unless stated otherwise. The exact text is on the BOE.
| Change | Before | Now | Article | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overtaking cyclists, mopeds, PMVs (VMP), pedestrians and animals | 1.5 m outside built-up areas when overtaking pedestrians, animals and two-wheelers; in other cases and in town, a proportional margin | 1.5 m inside and outside built-up areas; with more than one lane in your direction, a complete lane change; outside built-up areas, at least 20 km/h below the limit; a group of cyclists counts as one unit | 85.4 | Topic 23 |
| Passing an immobilised vehicle in the lane | Was in the old 85.4 | At least 1.5 m and 20 km/h below the limit | 88.1 (new) | Topic 23 |
| Cyclist priority | Over motor vehicles | Over other vehicles | 64.2 | Topic 3 |
| Pedestrian priority | The article dealt with drivers' priority over pedestrians | Cases of pedestrian priority, including pavements and other pedestrian areas | 65.1 | Topic 3 |
| Earphones and audio helmets | Helmets or earphones connected to sound players | Any audio helmet, earphone or similar, or other devices that reduce attention; with exceptions, such as an intercom built into a motorcycle's certified helmet | 18.2 | Topic 22, topic 33 |
| Motorcyclists' helmet, gloves and footwear | Approved or certified helmet; no gloves or closed footwear in the article | Approved helmet under UNECE R22; gloves on interurban roads; closed footwear on all roads | 118.1 | Topic 34 |
| Cyclists' helmet | With exceptions (ramps, medical reasons, heat) | On interurban roads, always for under-16s, and for professionals on urban roads and through roads; the exceptions disappear | 118.2 | Topic 34 |
| Reflective vest | The list did not include motorcycles | The list includes motorcycles | 118.4 | Topic 8 |
| Motorcycles on the shoulder | Not regulated this way | Only on signed stretches, with the lanes stopped by congestion, at 30 km/h at most and in single file | 36.3 (new) | Topic 31 |
| Mopeds on the shoulder | Could ride two abreast | Only bicycles can ride two abreast | 36.2 | Topic 4 |
| Emergency lane | Did not exist | On a motorway or dual carriageway with congestion, a lane left free for emergency vehicles: between the two lanes, or between the leftmost and the next if there are three or more | 32 (new) | Topic 31 |
| High-occupancy lane | V-15 sign | V-15 sign or the disabled parking card, if you are alone | 35.2.a | Topic 31 |
| PMVs on motorways, through roads and interurban roads | Banned on through roads, interurban roads, urban motorways and dual carriageways and urban tunnels | Banned on motorways, dual carriageways and through roads; on interurban roads and urban tunnels, except cycle routes and roads closed to motor vehicles | 38.4 | Topic 30 |
| Bus with standing passengers | 80 km/h on conventional roads | 80 km/h on any type of road outside a built-up area | 48.1.b | Topic 15 |
| Overtaking near pedestrian crossings and level crossings | With two exceptions | No exceptions | 87.1.b | Topic 23 |
| Parked motorhome | No specific rule | Nothing beyond the footprint, resting only on its tyres, no fluids poured | 92.4 (new) | Topic 25 |
| Flashing amber at crossings with a pedestrian signal | — | Annex rule: it must not coincide with the steady pedestrian green and must follow the steady red | Annex I, 4.2.d | Topic 12 |
In addition, the new title VI (arts. 151 to 158) sets, among other things, that a motor vehicle keeps at least 5 metres behind a cyclist in the same lane, that pavements are for pedestrians unless a local ordinance says otherwise, and that PMVs have a minimum age of 15. PMVs carry their lights on at all times; in daytime, from 1 October 2027 (transitional provision).
With cyclists, three numbers: 1.5 metres of clearance, a complete lane change if there is more than one lane in your direction and, outside built-up areas, 20 km/h below the road limit before and during the manoeuvre. You also may not overtake if you obstruct people coming the other way, even if they are on the shoulder. More in topic 23.
Minimum age 15, banned on motorways, dual carriageways and through roads, and a helmet and a luminous or reflective element at night on all roads. More in topic 30.
The DGT announced in October 2025 that the exam will include a video of risk situations and that the Reglamento General de Conductores already provides for videos before the questions. The initial forecast was the last quarter of 2025. As of 11 October 2026 we found no DGT notice saying the video already applies. So we do not know when it will apply. The exam we describe in DGT practice test is the 30-question, one-image-per-question paper we observed in the DGT simulator.
The 1 October reform is not the only new thing. These two rules already apply and are part of the permiso B topics.
If your car is immobilised on the carriageway after an accident or a breakdown, the regulatory hazard warning device is the connected V-16 light. Until 1 January 2026, warning triangles and non-connected V-16 lights could still be used; since that date they no longer count as a V-16.
Sources: Royal Decree 159/2021 (BOE-A-2021-4194), first transitional provision; Reglamento General de Vehículos, annex XI, V-16 sign, as worded by Royal Decree 1030/2022 (BOE-A-2022-21683); Reglamento General de Circulación, art. 130 (all in Spanish). More in topic 8 and topic 37.
Royal Decree 465/2025, of 10 June (BOE-A-2025-12199), published on 17 June 2025, amends annex I of the Reglamento General de Circulación and approves the new official catalogue of road signs and markings. It has been in force since 1 July 2025.
DrivingLingo's signs come from that catalogue. You can look them up in signs and in the topics on vertical road signs and road markings.
Until the DGT says when the bank changes, the real exam may still ask the previous rule. Our approach is to teach you the rule in force and, when the previous rule is a likely confusion, to show it as a wrong answer and in the explanation. We are checking the questions that cite an amended article against the text in force on the BOE site.
Most affected topics: overtaking, pedestrians, cyclists and animals, PMVs and special vehicles, motorways and dual carriageways and seat belts, airbags and child restraints.
Reviewed on 11 October 2026 · source: BOE/DGT.
The reform (Royal Decree 518/2026) changes traffic rules and came into force on 1 October 2026. The DGT press notes of 24 and 30 September 2026 contain no notice about changes to the exam questions. As of 6 October 2026 we have found none.
Source: boe.es · doc.php · dgt.es · 20260924-jornada-sobre-el-nuevo-reglamento-gener · dgt.es · 20260930-reforma-del-reglamento-de-circulacion-u
Among other changes: a minimum age of 15 for e-scooters (PMVs); homologated helmet, gloves on interurban roads and closed footwear on all roads for motorcyclists; an emergency lane in motorway and dual-carriageway jams; more space and lower speed when overtaking cyclists; and 5 metres behind a cyclist in the same lane. The full list is in the BOE.
Source: boe.es · doc.php · boe.es · act.php · dgt.es · 20260930-reforma-del-reglamento-de-circulacion-u
In October 2025 the DGT announced the idea of including a video of risk situations, keeping 30 questions with three options and extending the time by the length of the video. The regulation already allows videos before the questions. As of 6 October 2026 we have found no DGT notice saying it is already applied.
Source: dgt.es · 20251020-examen-teorico-la-importancia-de-conoce · boe.es · act.php · telecinco.es · dgt-aclara-falso-cambio-examen-teorico-conducir-
The current official catalogue is the one in Royal Decree 465/2025. The DGT said new content would not enter the exams immediately, with a minimum window of three months after entry into force (1 July 2025). The DGT does not publish which specific questions are asked.
Source: boe.es · doc.php · dgt.es · 20250610-el-gobierno-aprueba-la-actualizacion-de
With Royal Decree 465/2025 the DGT set a minimum of three months after entry into force before including the new content. For Royal Decree 518/2026 we have found no equivalent notice. Applying the same criterion it would not be before January 2027, but this is an inference, not a DGT statement.
Source: dgt.es · 20250610-el-gobierno-aprueba-la-actualizacion-de · boe.es · doc.php
With the reform, when overtaking cyclists, mopeds and PMVs you must leave at least 1.5 metres and, outside built-up areas, drive at least 20 km/h below the road limit before and during the manoeuvre. With more than one lane per direction, overtaking requires a full lane change.
Source: boe.es · act.php · boe.es · doc.php
Only if they reflect the rule in force. After the reform some rules are no longer what they were, such as the distance and speed when overtaking cyclists. Check that each question names the article it is based on and that the article is in its current version.
Source: boe.es · act.php
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