Bringing my own car from the UK

I can't answer the driving licence question, but a word about the car.

I presume you are becoming a resident. Obviously it depends on your financial situation, but think long and hard about importing your UK car. Not only do you have all the hassle and costs of paperwork, the physical changes neccessary to the vehicle, the taxes, but at the end of the day you've got a RHD vehicle in a country which drives on the right. Dangerous in my opinion. Overtaking blind, confusion turning out of T junctions, etc. Also, when you want to change it, a very limited demand.

If you can afford it, better to sell in the UK and buy new or second hand here.

Thank you for your prompt response.

I drove from Santander to Dénia and back and had no difficulty with the wheel being on the "wrong" side though I understand your point. I think coming from the dense traffic in the UK to the relative freedom of the open roads I experienced in Spain helped a lot. My car headlamps can be adjusted for continental driving by selecting an option in the on board menu so isn't a problem.

Just read that a condition of importing a car to Spain from the UK is that you have to be in possession of a Spanish driving licence which of course I don't have. That would appear to be the end of the matter but I'm finding that the trouble with information obtained on the internet is that it frequently full of contradictory opinion.

We imported 2 cars from UK to Spain before we had Spanish licences ... but that was before Brexit kicked in, so things might have changed.

I also understand that the costs of importing has also gone up post-Brexit.

These people are frequently recommended

Spanish Number Plates - The Spanish re-registration professionals (spanish-number-plates.com)

Thank you for your prompt reply. I'll contact the company you recommended and take it from there.

At the moment, you can drive on your UK licence for 6 months or 30th April, whichever is the latest. This date had been extended over and again awaiting, hopefully, an agreement to be able to continue with a straighforward exchange of licences as we did pre-Brexit.
Expect some news just before the end of April, even if it is just another extension.
Another vote for Spanish number plates.

You can use your UK driving licence for 6 months after becoming resident in Spain, or until 30th April and whatever extension is added.....Whichever is longest. 

Once you arrive with with your Visa you'll need to apply for your residency within 30 days, so you will have at least 6 months use of your UK licence. It is possible that a straight exchange of driving licenses may eventually be agreed.

The import costs have increased since Brexit so it maybe worthwhile to speak with an expert before making your decision. We used Leigh at https://www.spanish-number-plates.com/ last year and he was brilliant. Very knowledgeable chap that won't rip you off.

Thank you. We live in hope but bringing my car over and being dependent on a monthly extension is a bit too uncertain for me.

I'll think it over......sleep on it. If I decided to import the car do you know how long I could drive before being required to take the Spanish test?

It really depends what happens towards the end of this month, there may finally be an agreement for a simple exchange or they may extend it another few months but there will be quite a few in the same position as you. People who moved over in January 2021 are still legally driving their cars on a UK licence with the date being extended again and again.

The countries with which Spain has signed agreements for the exchange of permits are: Andorra, Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Croatia, Ecuador, Japan, Morocco, Peru, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Switzerland, Uruguay , Venezuela, Brazil, El Salvador, the Philippines, Guatemala, Serbia, Turkey, Tunisia and Ukraine.

Why not the UK?

And why is it taking so long to reach an exchange deal between two allies with such close economic and social links.

UK licence holders in Spain can expect either an answer to whether they will have to sit their practical driving exams in Spanish soon or they will get another extension to the validity of their UK licences, the latter the more likely outcome based on previous events. 

Thank you for your upbeat contribution. I need all the optimism I can get after going through the expen$ive ordeal of obtaining the non-lucrative visa (not quite there yet but the final piece of the jigsaw should go in tommow)