What this guidebook covers
In 2024 the Ministry of Consumer Affairs (Consumo) fined five airlines €179 million for charging separately for what should have been in the price. A dealer that adds compulsory charges at signing, such as a preparation fee, faces fines of up to €1 million for a very serious infringement, which can rise to 4 to 8 times the illicit profit. The regions (comunidades autónomas) inspect and fine dealers and workshops.
This guidebook covers 6 consumer standards for showrooms, used cars and workshops, with 15 checkpoints: the full final price, discounts shown against the lowest price of the last 30 days, a true description of the car, the legal warranty and complaints, workshop estimates and warranty, and the 14-day right to cancel distance sales. The guidebook PDF is in Spanish.
The 6 consumer protection standards
| Code | Standard | Ideal fix time |
|---|---|---|
| CON-01 | Final price, no hidden charges | 72 hours |
| CON-02 | Discounts against the 30-day price | 72 hours |
| CON-03 | True description of the car | 72 hours |
| CON-04 | Legal warranty and complaints | 72 hours |
| CON-05 | Workshop: estimate and warranty | 72 hours |
| CON-06 | Distance sales: 14 days | 7 days |
How to run a Spanish consumer protection and workshop audit, step by step
- Confirm what applies. Sales to businesses (B2B) are generally outside consumer law, and amounts vary by region: confirm which sales are to consumers and which region's rules apply to each site.
- Walk the site, standard by standard. Score each of the 15 checkpoints Pass, Fail or N/A. N/A only where the standard rules it out, with the reason recorded. Compare 10 ads with their contracts, 10 promotions, 10 used car ads with their history reports, 10 repair orders and 5 online sales, and ask for the complaint form at reception.
- Capture the evidence. A pass counts only with proof captured at the time of the audit: ads and contracts, screenshots of promotions, history reports, the complaints log, repair orders, photos of the workshop reception and online sale files.
- Give every fail an owner and a fix time. Record what you saw and who owns the fix. Each standard carries an ideal fix time, from 72 hours to 7 days, counted from audit submission (see the table above).
- Fix it, then prove it. The site fixes the cause and uploads proof of closure; the auditor checks the proof before closing the finding.
- Re-check at the next audit. Confirm closed findings stay closed, and look for the same fail at your other sites so one gap doesn't repeat across the network.
Who this guidebook is for
- Management: understand the financial risk
- Sales, used car and workshop teams: know what every price and document must include
- Auditors: review ads, contracts and repair orders
A reference document, not legal advice. Fines and rules change: check the current text with the regulator or your legal adviser before acting.
