What has the Guardia Civil announced for Tenerife?
In a recent post, the Guardia Civil named tyres and windscreen wipers as the key points for driving in the rain. Its warning reads: “It is advisable to check tyres and wipers at this time of year.”
The post announces no enforcement operation. The Guardia Civil gave no campaign name, dates, locations or figures on fines already issued.
AEMET, the state weather service, expected cloud with light to moderate rain across the Canaries, according to the report of 5 November. For holidaymakers in southern Tenerife, that means a reminder before the drive, not extra police roadblocks.
What does a worn tyre cost?
The minimum tread depth is 1.6 millimetres, as the DGT traffic authority stresses. Below that, the report says, drivers risk up to €200 per affected wheel.
Spanish motoring media treat this as a serious offence and put the total at up to €800 for four wheels. Our research found no confirmation in the BOE (Spain’s official state gazette) or from the DGT.
According to one trade outlet, officers can immobilise a vehicle at a roadside check until new tyres are fitted. Another report says cracks or bulges in the sidewall are an offence on the spot.
Reports say that paying within 20 days of notification halves the fine. The price is the right to appeal, and the discount rests on media reports, not on an official source.
What are the fines for wipers and lights?
The report gives a fine of €80 for worn wipers. It cites article 18.1 of Spain’s general traffic regulations, which requires adequate visibility.
Other outlets give figures between €80 and €200 for wipers. We could not establish which amount applies.
The report names no amount at all for lights. Spanish media quote €80 to €200 depending on the fault, again without official confirmation.
No verified source confirms whether these fines also carry licence points. Some reports mention points, others do not.
What should hire car drivers and residents in the south do?
The national fines probably apply in the Canaries too, but nothing says so explicitly. Hire car drivers can also be fined, and it is unclear how such fines are passed on.
According to one trade outlet, DGT guidance suggests checking tread with a calliper or a 1-euro coin across the full width of the tyre. The wear markers in the grooves help, as does a look for cuts or bulges in the sidewall.
The DGT recommends replacing tyres at around 3 millimetres, according to a trade outlet. Anyone collecting a hire car should inspect tread and wipers at the desk and report any defects there.
In rain, the DGT advises dipped headlights, and fog lights in heavy downpours. Drivers should leave twice the usual gap to the car ahead, which means four seconds instead of two.
How safe are the roads, and what comes next?
Up to 31 October 2025, 46 people died on the Canaries’ inter-urban roads, 40% more than a year earlier, a road safety association says, citing the DGT. In the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife the toll was 27, up 60%.
Spain as a whole counted 941 deaths, 2% fewer. These are an association’s figures for the current year, not the DGT annual report, and they give no causes of accidents.
The model for tyre checks lies not in the Canaries but in Galicia. There the DGT and Guardia Civil ran a tyre and lights campaign from 23 to 29 October 2023.
Official estimates say more than a million vehicles in Spain, about 5%, drive with serious tyre defects. Whether the Guardia Civil will set up checks on Tenerife remains open.