A bit of an update regarding the rumopurs on social media about certain beacons now being made illegal. I have also added an update regarding the use of the beacon together with the warning triangle.
V16 Beacons 2026 Update: Calm Down Everyone, It’s Not the End of Motoring as We Know It
If you’ve glanced at Spanish headlines this week, you’d be forgiven for thinking the V16 emergency beacon has been banned, cancelled, recalled, and personally set on fire by the DGT five minutes before becoming mandatory.
It hasn’t.
But that hasn’t stopped Facebook from absolutely losing its mind.
Let’s all take a deep breath, unclench, and look at what’s actually happened — not what your mate Steve posted in ALL CAPS.
So here’s the boring truth, which unfortunately doesn’t travel as well as panic.
A small number ( currently 4 ) of V16 models have had their sale approval withdrawn. Not because they’re dangerous. Not because they don’t work. Not because Big Brother is watching you change lanes.
But because some administrative certificates expired and weren’t renewed on time.
That’s it.
Paperwork. Spain. Shocker.
The beacons themselves?
Still fine.
Still meet the technical standards.
Still flash like a disco at Benidorm Pride.
No defects. No safety issue. No last-minute rule change designed to ruin your Tuesday.
The affected models are:
Don Feliz V16IoT
The Boutique For Your Car V16IoT
Ikrea V16IoT
(these three are manufactured in China by Yuyao Jiming Electronic for Ledel Solutions)
Call SOS XL-HZ-001-VC, manufactured in Spain by Ditraimo
Now for the important bit — the one everyone actually cares about.
If you already bought a V16 beacon, legally, while it was approved, you are absolutely fine.
No recall.
No fines.
No need to bin it dramatically while shouting about corruption.
It will still be valid when V16s become mandatory. The withdrawal only affects future sales of those specific models, not people who bought one in good faith.
Despite what the headlines suggest, the Guardia Civil are not waiting in bushes with a clipboard, desperate to ruin your day.
So why the panic?
Because some reports used phrases like “approval withdrawn” without explaining what that actually means — which sounds terrifying until you realise it’s basically Spain saying, “Someone didn’t renew a form.”
Nuance, sadly, doesn’t generate clicks.
What should you do now?
• Already have a V16 beacon? → Relax.
• Bought it legally at the time? → Still legal.
• Need to rush out and buy another one immediately? → Absolutely not.
If you are buying a new one, just make sure it’s on the current DGT approved list — retailers already know this and are adjusting accordingly.
And no, this is not a secret government tracking device. Your mobile phone already knows more about you than your mother ever did.
So the bottom line?
There’s been no mass invalidation.
No sudden illegality.
No evil plot to empty your wallet for fun.
Just Spain, doing Spain things, with paperwork and communication that could politely be described as “open to interpretation”.
If you bought your V16 legally, you’re fine. End of story.
We’ll keep watching the official guidance — calmly, clearly, and without screaming into the void
V16 beacons And Warning Triangles Together
Another thing being asked is: is it allowed / legal / required to use both the V16 beacon and the old warning triangle together, at the roadside.
This is the official DGT announcement on this:
INSTRUCTION 2025/20
As of 1 January 2026, it becomes mandatory for all passenger cars, mixed-use vehicles and vehicles used for the transport of goods, buses and vehicle combinations (except special vehicles), to carry in the vehicle’s equipment the V16 connected luminous hazard warning device.
Likewise, Article 130 of the General Traffic Regulations, approved by Royal Decree 1428/2003 of 21 November, establishes how to proceed in the event of vehicle immobilisation. Without prejudice to switching on the hazard warning lights if the vehicle is equipped with them and, where appropriate, the position and side lights while the vehicle remains on the road, every driver must use the officially approved hazard warning device in order to warn of the situation.
Notwithstanding the above, a hazard warning triangle that may be placed will not be considered an obstacle on the road and therefore will not be subject to a penalty.
This Instruction shall enter into force on the day following its signature.
This is hereby communicated for general knowledge.
The Director General of Traffic
