Driving in Andalusia

Andalusia is an easy place to drive. The road network is modern, signage is logical, and outside the July–August coastal crush traffic is lighter than most visitors expect. The stress concentrates in exactly two places — big-city centres and old-town parking — and both are avoidable. Here is what actually matters before you turn the key.

What are the basic rules and speed limits?

The basics first. You drive on the right and overtake on the left. Standard speed limits are 120 km/h on autovías and autopistas, 90 km/h on ordinary roads, and in towns 50 km/h on streets with two or more lanes per direction — dropping to 30 km/h on the single-lane streets that make up most of urban Spain. Limits are posted and enforced; fixed and mobile speed cameras are common on the A-7 and the approach roads to cities, and average-speed sections exist in tunnels.

Two habits worth adopting immediately. Spanish roundabouts are everywhere and locals often circle in the outer lane regardless of exit; assume nothing, indicate clearly, and give way to whoever is already on the ring. And keep your speed steady around town approaches — the transition from 90 to 50 is exactly where cameras sit.

Which roads will I actually use — and which are tolled?

The free A-7 runs the whole Costa del Sol and carries most coastal traffic. The tolled AP-7 runs parallel between roughly Fuengirola and Sotogrande and is a sane purchase in summer traffic. Inland, the AP-46 towards Antequera is tolled while the parallel A-45 is free, and the A-92 — the east–west backbone to Granada and Seville — is free and fast. Mountain roads, like the A-397 climbing to Ronda, are well surfaced but relentlessly winding: budget with an average of 50–60 km/h, not motorway maths, and add margin if anyone in the car gets motion-sick.

How strict is enforcement, and what equipment do I need in the car?

Enforcement is real but predictable. Seatbelts are required in every seat, handheld phone use is heavily penalised, and the alcohol limit is lower than in the UK and many other countries — the only rule worth remembering is simply not to drink and drive. Guardia Civil checkpoints are routine, especially near the coast in summer; they are quick and polite if your licence, ID and rental papers are at hand, so keep them in the car, not the hotel safe.

On equipment: every driver must have a reflective vest within reach and wear it before stepping onto the roadside of any interurban road — keep it in the door pocket, not the boot. Spain has also moved from warning triangles to the V-16 flashing beacon for Spanish-registered cars, which includes rentals; ask at the desk where it is stored, so a flat tyre doesn't become a scavenger hunt.

Can I drive into the big city centres?

Málaga, Granada and Seville all run low-emission zones (ZBE) covering their centres, enforced by plate-reading cameras. Rental fleets are young, so your car's environmental label is rarely the problem — but the historic centres also hide camera-controlled residents-only streets, which generate more tourist fines than the ZBE ever will. The winning move is the same everywhere: park in a public car park on the edge of the centre and walk in. Parking, not driving, is the genuinely hard part of Andalusia — never leave anything visible in the car, anywhere.

What else should I know before setting off?

A few timing notes. Coastal traffic peaks on summer evenings and weekend lunchtimes; the roads are eerily pleasant during siesta hours. Low sun in winter mornings and evenings is fierce on the east–west A-7 — sunglasses live in the car. Rain is rare, but the first rain after a dry spell turns roads greasy; slow down properly when it arrives. In white villages, market day fills every kerb by 9 am, so arrive early or park at the village entrance.

One number to store in your phone: 112, the single emergency line for police, ambulance and fire, with English-speaking operators. For everything smaller — a flat tyre, a warning light — your rental contract lists a roadside-assistance number, and that call is included in the rental, so use it rather than improvising.

Mistakes to avoid: following the GPS into a casco antiguo (aim for a car park, not "the centre"), doing motorway arithmetic on mountain routes and arriving stressed, running the tank low before an inland stretch where stations thin out, and leaving beach bags on the back seat. Do none of those, and driving here is what it should be — the easiest way to see the best region in Spain.