New Motorway Rules for 2025 in Spain

The updated rules will affect lane usage on highways and motorways across all vehicle types during high traffic volumes or poor weather conditions, featuring two significant changes:

An amendment to Article 31 of the General Traffic Regulations will now forbid overtaking during heavy rainfall. All motorists must reduce their speed and stick to the right lane, ensuring a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. Motorway rules to restrict lane switching during traffic congestion.

Additionally, new regulations will ensure emergency vehicles can navigate through slow or halted traffic more effectively.

Traffic jams, often exacerbated by drivers switching lanes to move forward quicker, will see a new mandate: during heavy congestion on two or three-lane motorways, the leftmost lane must remain clear to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

The Guardia Civil will also launch initiatives to enforce stricter penalties for those overtaking using the right lane or not speeding up sufficiently while merging onto high-speed roads or motorways.

However, there is positive news for motorcyclists: in situations where traffic is stopped on a motorway, they will be allowed to overtake on the hard shoulder at speeds up to 30 kph.