Tema 20: brakes, steering and transmission in the DGT exam

Every vehicle carries three distinct brakes, not one, and the steering must respond with ease, speed and safety.

Reviewed on 6 October 2026 · sources: BOE and DGT

This tema asks which brakes a vehicle must carry and how the steering must respond.

The steering must let the driver keep the vehicle's direction and change it with ease, speed and safety.
Every vehicle carries three braking systems: service, emergency and parking.
The service brake stops the vehicle quickly, safely and effectively. The emergency brake does the same job if the service brake fails.
The parking brake keeps the vehicle still on a slope, even without a driver.
Every motor vehicle must have a device, operated from the driving seat, that allows it to go in reverse. Motorcycles, pedestrian-driven motor tillers and vehicles with three wheels symmetrical about the centreline are exempt.

Watch out: the handbrake is not an extra: it is the parking system the regulation requires.

Source: RGV art. 11 (points 5 and 6); RGV art. 12 (point 8.1).

Key rules of topic 20

The vehicle must have a mechanism letting the driver keep the vehicle's direction and change it with ease, speed and safety.

Every vehicle must carry a service braking system, an emergency one and a parking one.

Every motor vehicle must have a device, operated from the driving seat, that allows it to go in reverse.

Motorcycles, pedestrian-driven motor tillers and vehicles with three wheels symmetrical about the centreline are exempt.

Study topic 20 step by step: the rule, its citation and exam-style questions.