Licence for motorcycle & scooter on Tenerife

Your EU licence is valid in Spain unchanged: the classes are harmonised across Europe. A UK photocard licence is accepted too, post-Brexit, for tourist stays. All that matters is what’s printed on your card.

• AM: Mopeds and scooters up to 50cc or 45km/h. From 16. Little use for Tenerife’s mountains: too slow for many roads.
• A1: Light motorcycles up to 125cc and 11kW. From 16. This is the typical scooter/125 class for the island.
• A2: Motorcycles up to 35kW (and max. 0.2kW/kg). From 18. Already covers many naked and all-rounder bikes.
• A: Unrestricted. From 24 at the earliest (or from 20 with two years of A2). For everything from the adventure bike to the supersport machine.

Holding a category B car licence doesn’t automatically grant a motorcycle entitlement. See the next section.

This is the question that catches out more riders than any other, and the one with the most half-truths. Here’s the clean version.

Several countries let car-licence holders ride a 125 at home. In the UK it’s the CBT certificate, in Germany the B196 code. Both are national add-ons, not licence categories. They are valid only in the country that issued them and count for nothing in Spain. Your licence card may show the code, but for Spain that doesn’t count as an A1 entitlement.

Spain does allow its own residents with at least three years of category B to ride 125s. That rule attaches to Spanish licences, not automatically to foreign B holders. You’re in a grey zone.

Our conservative recommendation: Don’t rely on a B licence for a 125. Anyone with a genuine A1 class (or higher) entered on their licence is clearly on the safe side, with the rental office, with the insurer and with the police. In a claim, a missing entitlement can cost you your cover. When in doubt, ask the rental office in writing beforehand what they accept, and check your insurance cover.

Regardless of the licence, the rental offices set their own rules. Usual ones:

• Minimum age 21 to 23, depending on the rental office and the machine. We ask for you.
• Minimum riding experience: For bigger bikes, often two to three years of holding the right licence class.
• For powerful sport and touring machines, sometimes proven experience with comparable bikes.

This isn’t harassment but risk management. Ask about the conditions before booking. Details are also in the rental guide.

In short: no, not with an EU licence. Spain is in the EU, so your EU card licence is recognised without any extra document. A UK photocard licence is recognised too: since Brexit, British visitors can ride in Spain on it for a tourist stay, with no international permit.

You only need an international driving permit if you hold a licence from outside the EU, the EEA or the UK. In that case, bring the original plus the international permit. An old paper licence is best swapped for a photocard before the trip, because some rental offices accept the card only.

Scooters are popular because they’re easy: automatic, low seat, easy to park. For the city and short coastal runs, a 125cc scooter (A1) is plenty.

But note: a 125cc scooter is at its limit on the long climbs to Teide or on the island loop: headwind and altitude cost you speed. For genuine island loops you’re more relaxed with a bit more engine. Which suits you better is sorted out in the guide Scooter or motorcycle?.