Guides › Buying a used car in Spain without risks: the checks that save you
Buying a used car in Spain without risks: the checks that save you
Most used-car problems don't come from the engine: they come from the paperwork. A lien that blocks the ownership transfer, a finance company's retention-of-title, a tampered odometer. All of it can be checked before you pay — here's how.
Get the DGT vehicle report
The DGT report is the car's administrative X-ray: current owner, number of previous owners, liens and seizures, the mileage recorded at every roadworthiness test, and whether the vehicle is flagged as stolen or deregistered. You can get it online for a few euros with the plate or VIN.
Read it before paying any deposit. A car under seizure can't change owners until it's lifted, and a retention-of-title means a finance company still owns it until the seller's loan is fully repaid.
Cross-check the mileage
The DGT report includes the odometer reading at every inspection. If the car shows fewer kilometres today than at its last test, or the yearly rate doesn't match the seller's story, you're looking at a tampered odometer — and at a seller to walk away from.
Roadworthiness, road tax and hidden debts
Check the roadworthiness test is valid with no serious defects pending. Ask for the current-year road tax (IVTM) receipt: those debts follow the vehicle, not the owner, and town halls claim them from whoever holds the title.
How you pay is half the safety
The most delicate moment of a private sale is the exchange: nobody wants to pay without the car or hand over the car without the money. Avoid cash for large amounts and distrust urgency — it is fraud’s favourite tool.
The structural fix is money held by a third party and released only when the ownership transfer is confirmed. That's exactly what Autamo does: the buyer pays, the funds are locked, the agency files the paperwork, and the seller receives the full price when the DGT confirms. Neither side has to trust the other.
The contract: short doesn't mean simple
The contract must state the date, price, mileage, full identification of both parties and the vehicle, and the condition it is delivered in. At Autamo the contract is generated automatically from verified data and signed electronically with legal validity: the signed document and the actual case state cannot contradict each other.
Frequently asked questions
What is retention-of-title and why does it block the sale?
It's a clause finance companies use: until the loan that paid for the car is settled, they own it. A car under retention-of-title cannot change owners until it's cancelled.
Do previous fines pass to the buyer?
Fines go against whoever was the owner when they happened. The real risks for a buyer are road-tax debts, which follow the vehicle, and registered liens, which block the transfer.
What if the seller doesn't want me to verify anything?
That's all the information you need: in a market with thousands of cars, refusing a standard check is your cue to move on to the next one.