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Transport · Spain
Updated September 2026

🔧 My car failed the periodic inspection and I think it is wrong — can I contest it?

Direct answer

Yes: every inspection scheme has an appeal or re-inspection route, usually within days, often at another station or by the supervisory body — DGT / ITV — reclamaciones (060), the vehicle authority for Spain. Ask for the written report with the defect codes first; a vague "fail" is contestable in itself. If the station also sold you the repair, or the fail looks like a way to sell work, OMIC — Oficina Municipal de Información al Consumidor (consumo.gob.es) handles the consumer side; disputes about money go to Juzgado de Primera Instancia — juicio verbal (administraciondejusticia.gob.es).

Call firstDGT / ITV — reclamaciones
Report toOMIC — Oficina Municipal de Información al Consumidor
If that failsJuzgado de Primera Instancia — juicio verbal

🗣️ What to say

"My vehicle [plate] failed the inspection at [station] on [date] for [defect codes]. I dispute the finding because [reason / second opinion]. I ask for a re-inspection by [the authority / another station] and, if the fail is overturned, a refund of the fee."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Get the reportDefect codes, the measurements, the inspector's name. Photograph the defect yourself.
  2. Second opinionAnother garage or station, in writing. This is the evidence.
  3. Appeal: DGT / ITV — reclamacionesWithin the deadline (often a few days). The authority re-inspects or reviews.
  4. Do not repair firstA repair destroys the evidence; if you must drive, ask the authority how to proceed.
  5. Sales pressure: OMIC — Oficina Municipal de Información al ConsumidorA station that fails cars to sell repairs is a consumer-protection case.

📇 All contacts

DGT / ITV — reclamacionesRegistration, inspection, licencesInspection appeals and vehicle data📞 060🔗 www.dgt.es
OMIC — Oficina Municipal de Información al ConsumidorAdvice, official complaint form, mediationWhen the shop refuses🔗 www.consumo.gob.es/es/consumo/informacion-consumidores
Juzgado de Primera Instancia — juicio verbalNo lawyer needed up to €2,000Last step, with the contract and inventories🔗 www.administraciondejusticia.gob.es
Junta Arbitral de ConsumoFree, binding arbitration if the company is signed upAfter a written complaint without a solution🔗 www.consumo.gob.es/es/consumo/arbitraje-consumo

❓ Frequently asked

Can I drive with a failed inspection?

Only as the rules of your country allow — often to a garage and back within a set period, not for daily use. Check the report.

The fail was for something not on the checklist

Then it is not a valid fail; the appeal will overturn it. The checklist is public at DGT / ITV — reclamaciones.

Can I go to a different station for the re-test?

Usually yes for the re-test after repair; for a contested result the authority decides where.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “contest vehicle inspection fail Spain”
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🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🔩Garage dispute→🛞Car breakdown→🚗Hit and run→🚲Bike stolen→

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