How To Spot An Unapproved V16 Emergency Beacon – Avoid The €200 Fine In Spain From January 2026

With nan obligatory usage of connected V16 emergency beacons astir to return effect successful Spain connected January 1 2026, drivers are rushing retired to bargain nan caller devices, but user watchdogs opportunity we should beryllium cautious. 

Thousands of inexpensive V16 lights, aliases aged stock, is presently flooding marketplaces and online stores, and person been recovered to not beryllium approved by nan Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) and will not comply pinch nan caller law, perchance leaving motorists facing fines of up to €200 for utilizing a duff device.

From 1 January 2026, nan classical reddish informing triangles, a champion of Spanish roadworthy information for decades, will nary longer beryllium accepted arsenic nan sole emergency signalling method connected Spanish roads. They person been mostly discouraged since 2023 owed to nan threat they airs erstwhile placing them. The latest V16 informing beacon must beryllium utilized arsenic nan superior instrumentality to pass different drivers that you person surgery down.

Instead, drivers will beryllium required to usage a DGT-approved V16 beacon that is connected to nan DGT 3.0 level via a built-in SIM card, allowing automatic geolocation and real-time alerting of incidents to authorities and different roadworthy users.

How to spot a clone aliases non-compliant V16

Consumer watchdogs and road-safety organisations pass that galore sellers, including awesome online platforms, are offering some approved and non-approved models side-by-side without intelligibly informing buyers.

Key reddish flags and verification steps:

1. Price is simply a tell-tale sign: Any V16 beacon priced beneath €20 is astir apt not approved (unless portion of a verified, morganatic promotion).
2. Mandatory method requirements for nan instrumentality to beryllium ineligible from 2026:
   • 360-degree visibility from astatine slightest 1 km successful each upwind conditions
   • Minimum artillery life of 30 minutes erstwhile flashing
   • Built-in SIM paper pinch DGT 3.0 connectivity and progressive geolocation for astatine slightest 12 years
   • Official DGT homologation certificate
3. The only 100 per cent reliable measurement to corroborate approval: Check nan charismatic DGT website’s database of authorised V16 beacons. The authorisation codification printed connected nan instrumentality aliases its packaging must look precisely arsenic listed and statesman pinch either:
   • “LCOE” followed by 12 digits, or
   • “IDIADA PC” followed by 8 digits

If nan codification is not connected nan DGT’s nationalist list, nan beacon will not beryllium accepted, sloppy of immoderate claims made by nan seller.

Which vehicles must transportation a connected V16 from January 2026?

The caller norm applies to:

• Private cars (turismos)
• Buses, coaches and minibuses
• Multi-purpose vehicles (vehículos mixtos adaptables)
• Goods vehicles (including vans and lorries)
• Non-special conveyance combinations

Motorcycles, mopeds, cultivation vehicles and different typical categories are presently exempt, though nan DGT recommends carrying an approved beacon conscionable successful case.

Road-safety experts counsel drivers to bargain only from reputable retailers (even immoderate supermarkets person been said to beryllium stocking non-compliant v16 beacons) and to double-check nan homologation code connected nan charismatic DGT website earlier completing immoderate purchase. It’s amended to walk a fewer other euros now than consequence a fine, aliases worse, reduced visibility successful a existent emergency.

For nan charismatic database of approved V16 beacons, sojourn nan DGT website.