How long can a UK-registered car be kept in Spain without leaving the country?

A friend of mine has moved to Spain for the summer. He generously invited me to join him for a week and we were discussing his car. It's British registered and fully legal in England. He reckons that he can only keep it in Spain for three months and then must take it back to the UK for at least a weekend. He was tempted to pop into Gibraltar but wasn't sure whether that counted as taking it out of the country. However, another friend of mine recently did similar and he averred that if the car was legal in the UK, it was OK in Spain. Do you know which one is right?

Asked on 3 August 2013 by BD, Chesham

Answered by Honest John
You can legally keep a UK registered and taxed, insured and MoTd car in Spain for six months of any 12 months, including return visits within the 12 months. For longer than that, it needs to be registered in Spain over which any 'assessor' should be able to help any UK citizen who owns or long term rents a property in Spain with.
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