Non-EU the nightmare of getting a Spanish driving license

"A slight cut over a line in the road as you make a turn, going a tiny bit too fast, going too slow, failure to stop twice at any stop sign in spite of being able to see both ways, not stopping for some pedestrian that makes some last second move into a crosswalk you already are committed to crossing, all can be an instant failure."

While I sympathise with you in regard to the inability to exchange your US licence 7 fails (OK 6 if we ignore the stuck clutch/red light light incident), could possibly suggest that you may not be quite as good a driver as you like to think yourself to be.

I don't know what driving since 16 has got to do with it?

Hi,

  sounds like a nightmare,  I have not had to go through the Spanish test process (fortunately) so cannot help with "easier" locations. One thought is - have you tried changing driving schools?

   If you keep failing the test then your instructor should be helping you improve the areas you are failing in, it does not sound like this is happening. 

  The driving school should be doing trial test runs, where they take you around the same route/area as the DGT examiner so that they can point out the parts of your driving that need improvement, is that happening?

 Driving illegally or any other actions are not a good idea, as tempting as it may be! 

Good luck with your future test(s)!

Aitch.

Hi Azphilosopher,

I'm sorry to hear of your frustration.

A friend of mine (aged 64), who came over to Spain on a Non Lucrative Visa in 2022, also had to go through the same process you describe, as a driving licence exchange was not available to him post-Brexit (although that was subsequently renegotiated).  He passed both written and practical tests first time, but actually found the written test more difficult, so good to hear that you've passed that bit👍 

The driving school he attended is in Orihuela Costa, although he had to take the practical test in Orihuela City, with the similarly busy, narrow streets you describe.  He doesn't speak Spanish, but his instructor taught him all the key words required to take the exam.  During the practical test, the examiner asked him to take a right-hand turn, but he thought the road was pedestrianised, so he took the next right instead.  After he passed, the examiner told him that because he'd carried out the instruction safely, she didn't consider it worthy of a fail.  

Whilst it appears that there are more pragmatic examiners, this isn't a guarantee that they're going to pass everyone, but I'd be happy to obtain the details of his driving school and pass them on, if you'd like to receive them?

Kind regards,

Kim

Driving since 16 means 50 years behind a wheel, probably driving over a million miles in all kinds of conditions with every kind of vehicle and not one accident.  My friends and relatives all believe me to be an exceptional driver.  I'm often the one that ends up being the designated driver in a social situation.   Here's a fact for you.   The number of failures of a non English speaking applicant with the DGT has nothing to do with their abilities as a driver.  I've watched as new Spanish teenage applicants, that could barely operate the clutch and gears, pass on their first try.  I've also talked to some that have had 15 failures before they passed.  The system is designed to make money.   Drive around Spain some time.  Nearly every one of those aggressive and bad drivers around you received a Spanish driving license through this system.  It doesn't produce good and safe drivers.  It produces money for the DGT and the autoescuelas.  The EU has recognized this and have new legislation coming to standardize licensing throughout the continent.  Knowing how slow thing progress though I'm not holding my breath.

"Driving since 16 means 50 years behind a wheel, probably driving over a million miles in all kinds of conditions with every kind of vehicle and not one accident.  My friends and relatives all believe me to be an exceptional driver."

Which could to some make it even more surprising that you've failed the Spanish test so many times.

FWIW I've driven in many parts of the world, 10 in Spain, and comparatively do not regard Spanish drivers as a whole particularly aggressive or bad, I'll take them over UK drivers every day of the week!.

Don't get me going on parking though!!!!!!

I took my driver's test in Elche and passed the first time.  Failed three times in Madrid.  Am American retired in Spain since 2016.  Went to driver's school in Santa Pola during summer of 2019.  Although I speak Spanish, I agree with you on how they like to fail people for some stupid things.  A large number of Spanish driver's fail to drive defensively.  Most ignore the driving rules.  None of the senior citizens would pass the theoretical test, let alone the practical.  I had almost 50 years of driving experience in U.S. and Europe.  Driving cars, trucks and other vehicles for the military and civil service.  

The first 3 tests were with a driving school in Alicante that gave me a Spanish only speaking instructor.   He simply let me drive saying turn right, left, go straight, etc and never told me the  things that the examiners would use to fail me.   After each failure I would text him (in translated Spanish) and ask him what it was that caused me to fail and he would respond with "Si".  I still do not know what mistakes I made during that time.   The most you get back from the DGT are codes that give you a generic error explanation not specifics.  I quit that school out of frustration.

The next school I joined was in Benidorm (a very long drive from me) since they said they had an English speaking instructor.  I assumed that the tests would be given in Benidorm but there are no testing centers close to there so each lesson added a 30 minute drive into Alicante.  The car was old and the clutch was sticky, ultimately the one that failed during my 6th failure.   Each time the failures were for some petty thing that you'd simply forget to do as your mind was stressed out trying to understand someone barking out complex commands in a language you barely know.  You are strictly forbidden to have any translation during the exam.

Recently I found an autoescuela close to me in Ibi and had an English speaking instructor.   The tests are given in Alcoy which has some very confusing narrow crowded streets.  The examiner was late and gave two long exams before me, putting our test into the lunch hour and he was clearly wanting to get it over with.   He sent me down these narrow streets that I'd never been on before and I drove slowly and carefully.  He commented later that I was going too slow.  Once I got out of those streets we went into the heart of downtown and I came up to a crosswalk, let a couple of pedestrians cross, saw nobody else and started across when a woman suddenly veered towards the crosswalk.  Instead of slamming on my brakes and ending up in the middle of the crosswalk, I continued through posing zero threat to the woman.  Instant failure but my guess is the guy had already made up his mind.  

There was another Spanish kid in the car that took over for his test and the examiner took him over some easy streets (the driver nearly stalled the car a few times) and he passed without comment.  He drove us back on the freeway to Ibi and drifted all over the lanes.  The instructor agreed the examiner was a major asshole.  That seems to sum up the majority of the examiners I met.  There were a couple of reasonable ones when I first started but I had no idea about certain tiny (but safe) mistakes that are guaranteed failures. I have one more test paid for the end of this month.  My confidence is pretty shaken now because it's clear that so much of the success of the test is completely out of my hands and the luck of the draw as to which examiner you are stuck with.

My Spanish friends are aghast at what I'm going through and want to help but unless they know someone in authority with the DGT, there really is nothing they can do.  Most have no recent experience with this mess.