Definition
A car-derived van (vehículo derivado de turismo) starts life as a passenger car and is adapted for a different purpose, almost always carrying goods. It keeps the general appearance of the car it derives from — the same bodyshell and chassis — but its interior differs in one decisive way: it has only one row of seats, and the space the rear seats would occupy becomes load area. Spanish traffic law therefore treats it as a goods vehicle even though from outside it looks like a car.
Car-derived van, car and dual-purpose vehicle
A car carries people. An adaptable dual-purpose vehicle (vehículo mixto adaptable) carries people, goods or both, because its seats can be added or removed up to nine places including the driver. A car-derived van is not adaptable: it keeps the front row only and is destined for goods. It is driven on a category B licence, and in an unsigned narrow stretch it ranks with cars — behind lorries, tractor units, vans and buses, so it is the one that has to reverse.
Key facts
- Car bodyshell and chassis, goods-vehicle purpose.
- One row of seats only; the rest is load space.
- Not adaptable — unlike the vehículo mixto, seats cannot be added back.
- Driven on a category B licence.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a vehículo derivado de turismo used for?
- Carrying goods. It keeps a car's bodyshell but has only one row of seats, with the rest of the cabin turned into load space.
- How is it different from a vehículo mixto adaptable?
- The dual-purpose vehicle can carry people, goods or both by adding or removing seats, up to nine places. The car-derived van keeps a single row of seats and is destined for goods.
Practice real questions on this topic
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In the DGT exam
- When joining traffic from a parked position, how may a driver check, if necessary, that it is safe to do so?
- To continue straight ahead, where must you stop?
- A car with MAM no greater than 3,500 kg has a breakdown. It can continue safely but travels at an abnormally low speed on a motorway, seriously disrupting traffic. The right shoulder is usable and wide enough. What must it do?
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