A major update to Spain's General Traffic Regulations will take effect on October 1, 2026, introducing new rules for electric scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, professional delivery riders and drivers.

The reform, approved through Royal Decree 518/2026 and published in the Official State Gazette in June, is designed to strengthen the protection of vulnerable road users and update rules covering both urban and interurban mobility.

For people living in or visiting Ibiza, the changes will affect several everyday situations, from using an electric scooter to overtaking a cyclist or dealing with a traffic jam.

Importantly, not every measure becomes applicable on October 1. Some provisions have a one-year transition period, while the new technical requirements for motorcycle gloves depend on a future ministerial order.

Electric Scooters: Minimum Age 15 and Mandatory Helmet

From October 1, the minimum age for riding a vehicle classified as a personal mobility vehicle, including an electric scooter, will be 15 years.

The use of a protective helmet will also become mandatory.

At night or when visibility is poor, VMP users must use a visible reflective element. Professional riders using VMPs must use the required helmet and reflective vest while working.

Electric scooters must also continue to comply with the existing restrictions on where they can circulate. They cannot be used on pavements or pedestrian areas under the general traffic rules. Local authorities can establish specific rules for their circulation within municipalities.

Daytime Lights Come Later

One detail that is easy to get wrong concerns lighting.

The new rules provide for VMPs to have their lights switched on during the day, but this requirement does not become applicable on October 1, 2026.

The DGT states that the provision concerning mandatory lighting for VMPs is postponed until October 1, 2027.

Motorcyclists: Gloves and Closed Footwear

Motorcyclists and moped users will face new equipment requirements.

From October 1, protective gloves will be required for motorcycle and moped drivers and passengers when travelling on interurban roads.

Closed footwear covering the entire foot will also be required on motorcycles and mopeds on all types of roads. The DGT classifies breaches of these requirements as serious offences carrying a €200 fine.

There is an important qualification concerning gloves: the specific requirement for homologated protective gloves will apply once the ministerial order establishing their technical specifications enters into force. Until then, the DGT says gloves with the characteristics currently required will be used.

What About the Reflective Vest?

The new regulation also affects motorcyclists who have to leave their vehicle on an interurban road.

A high-visibility reflective vest must be used when a motorcyclist leaves the motorcycle and occupies the carriageway or hard shoulder of an interurban road.

This is different from saying that every motorcycle rider must wear a reflective vest while riding.

Professional delivery riders have additional requirements, including the use of a reflective vest in the circumstances specified by the regulation.

Motorcycles Can Use the Hard Shoulder in Certain Traffic Jams

The reform also creates a specific possibility for motorcycles to use the right-hand hard shoulder during traffic congestion.

This is permitted only on sections that have been appropriately authorised and signposted, and motorcycles must not exceed 30 km/h while using the hard shoulder under this provision.

This is therefore not a general permission for motorcycles to use hard shoulders whenever traffic is slow.

A New Emergency Corridor During Traffic Jams

One of the changes affecting all drivers concerns stationary or heavily congested traffic.

When traffic is stopped or moving at walking pace because of a congestion, vehicles must position themselves to leave a central space for emergency services.

On roads with two lanes in each direction, vehicles must move towards the appropriate outer sides of their lanes, creating a central corridor.

On motorways and dual carriageways with three or more lanes in each direction, vehicles in the overtaking lane move towards the left while vehicles in the other lanes move towards the right, creating the emergency corridor between them.

The aim is to make it easier for police, ambulances, fire services and other emergency vehicles to reach incidents during major traffic queues.

New Rules for Overtaking Cyclists

Drivers will also face changes when overtaking cyclists on interurban roads.

The driver must reduce their speed by at least 20 km/h below the road's applicable speed limit during the manoeuvre and maintain a lateral separation of at least 1.5 metres.

On roads with more than one lane in the same direction, the driver must completely change lane when overtaking a cyclist.

The new rules also extend certain safety provisions to overtaking vehicles that are broken down or immobilised.

Cyclists and Helmet Requirements

The reform removes the previous exemptions from helmet use for cyclists on interurban roads.

Cyclists travelling on interurban roads must therefore use a helmet under the new rules.

Professional cyclists working as delivery riders have additional requirements, including helmet and reflective-vest use while carrying out their work.

Cyclists in Ibiza Town and Other Urban Areas

The new rules also change how cyclists are expected to position themselves on urban roads.

Cyclists will preferably travel through the centre of the lane, rather than keeping close to the right-hand edge.

Motor vehicles travelling behind a cyclist in the same lane must maintain a minimum distance of 5 metres.

The regulation also gives municipalities the possibility of allowing bicycles to travel in both directions on certain one-way urban streets.

This can apply to roads with a speed limit of 30 km/h or lower, but the two-way cycling arrangement requires the relevant municipal authority to establish it through signage. It is therefore not an automatic change affecting every one-way 30 km/h street.

New Protection for Pedestrians

The reform introduces a specific framework for vulnerable road users, including children, older people, people with disabilities and people with reduced mobility.

Municipalities can establish safe school routes around educational centres and introduce traffic restrictions through appropriate signage.

Similar measures can also be introduced in areas where vulnerable pedestrians are particularly present.

Changes to Pedestrian Crossing Signals

Traffic-light arrangements at pedestrian crossings will also change.

As a general rule, a flashing amber signal for vehicles will no longer coincide with a steady green pedestrian signal.

The measure forms part of the wider effort to reduce potential conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians at crossings.

Taxi Drivers and Delivery Drivers Lose Certain Seat-Belt Exemptions

The reform also removes some existing exemptions from wearing a seat belt.

The changes affect, among others, taxi drivers, delivery drivers and driving instructors in the circumstances covered by the regulation.

Professional riders using motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles or VMPs also have additional safety requirements depending on the vehicle and activity involved.

Buses Without Seat Belts

The revised regulations also establish a specific speed limit for certain buses.

Buses carrying standing passengers or not equipped with seat belts will have a maximum speed of 80 km/h outside built-up areas, under the circumstances covered by the regulation.

New Rules for Caravans and Motorhomes

The reform also clarifies the difference between parking and camping for caravans and motorhomes.

For a vehicle to be considered correctly parked, it cannot extend elements such as awnings beyond the vehicle's perimeter, must rest only on its wheels and cannot discharge fluids from the living area onto the outside.

This distinction is particularly relevant in tourist destinations such as Ibiza, where motorhomes and caravans are increasingly present during the summer months.

What Changes on October 1 and What Does Not?

The main reform enters into force on October 1, 2026, but there are important exceptions.

The DGT specifically confirms that the VMP daytime-lighting requirement and the new homologation requirement for moped helmets are delayed until October 1, 2027. The motorcycle glove provision depends on the subsequent ministerial order setting the technical specifications.

What This Means for Ibiza

The rules apply nationally, so they also affect Ibiza and Formentera.

For residents and visitors, some of the most noticeable changes will concern electric scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.

Anyone using an electric scooter will need to be at least 15 years old and wear a helmet from October 1. Motorcyclists will face new footwear and protective-equipment requirements, while drivers will have to follow the revised rules when overtaking cyclists and creating an emergency corridor during traffic jams.

At the same time, local authorities retain responsibilities over certain urban mobility measures, including where VMPs may circulate and whether particular one-way streets can be opened to two-way bicycle traffic through appropriate signage.

The reform therefore introduces a national framework, while some practical aspects of urban mobility will continue to depend on local regulations and signage.

Ibiza One Stop Accuracy Note

The General Traffic Regulations reform enters into force on October 1, 2026, but it is not correct to say that every new requirement becomes mandatory on that date.

The DGT confirms that the daytime lighting requirement for VMPs is postponed until October 1, 2027. The new homologation requirement for moped helmets also takes effect in 2027. The technical requirements governing homologated motorcycle gloves will become applicable once the corresponding ministerial order enters into force.

It is also important not to describe the reflective vest as something every motorcyclist must wear continuously while riding. The new rule concerns situations in which a motorcyclist leaves the vehicle and occupies the carriageway or hard shoulder of an interurban road. Professional riders have separate requirements.

Finally, the new rules should not be confused with Spain's V16 emergency beacon requirement, which is a separate measure and is not being introduced on October 1, 2026.