Hiring a private driver in Barcelona means booking a car and a professional chauffeur before you travel. In Spain this is a licensed service called VTC, the official category for private hire vehicles with a driver. You ask for a quote, accept the fixed price, and the chauffeur meets you at the agreed time and place. You cannot flag one down in the street or call one to the kerb within minutes, because Spanish and Catalan rules require the booking to come first.
What a VTC licence is
VTC stands for vehículo de turismo con conductor, a car with a driver. Spain's national transport regulation (the ROTT) treats it as non-scheduled passenger transport and requires a separate licence for every vehicle. A company with ten cars needs ten licences.
The licence covers cars with up to 9 seats, including the driver's. That is why a Mercedes V-Class carrying 7 passengers is a VTC vehicle, while a 19-seat minibus or a coach runs under the licence of an authorised coach operator.
The same regulation sets other rules that affect you as a passenger:
- There is no official fare. Each company sets its own prices and must make price information available to the public.
- The company must hold insurance covering its liability for injury or damage to passengers.
- In Catalonia, VTC cars registered here display a sticker in the lower right corner of the windscreen. It shows the licence class and the month and year it expires.
Why you always book in advance
Under the ROTT, a VTC car may only carry passengers on a journey contracted before it starts. It may not cruise the streets looking for fares or wait at the kerb for someone to approach.
Catalonia adds two conditions in Decree-Law 9/2022. At least 15 minutes must pass between the booking and the start of the journey, and each town council may set a longer gap in its area if it can justify it. Apps and websites may not show you a map of available cars before you book. After booking, you are entitled to know which vehicle will collect you.
Before each journey, the operator also sends the details online to the Spanish transport authorities: where and when the contract was made, the pick-up point, the destination and the number plate (Royal Decree 785/2021). For hourly hire, the contract can leave the destination open so you decide during the day.
Book as early as you can, especially for groups or during large conferences such as MWC. When you ask for a quote, include:
- Pick-up date and time, plus your flight number if you are landing.
- Pick-up address and destination, or your list of stops.
- How many passengers and suitcases, and any bulky items such as golf bags, skis or a pushchair.
- Children's ages, if you need child seats.
How much it costs, and what the price includes
Tabarecar does not publish a fixed rate card, because the price depends on the route, the vehicle, how long you need the car and any extra waiting time. You get a fixed price before you travel, and asking for a quote costs nothing. The table shows what the price covers and what costs extra:
| Item | How it works |
|---|---|
| Motorway tolls and luggage | Included in the fixed price |
| Meet and greet with a name sign | Included |
| Flight tracking | Included: we move the pick-up if your flight is late |
| Child seats | Free, if you request them when booking |
| Stops along the way | Part of the fixed price if you list them when asking for a quote |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours before pick-up |
| Waiting beyond the free period | Charged extra |
| Payment to get a quote | None, no prepayment needed |
Tipping is up to you and does not change the fixed price.
How long the chauffeur waits
| Pick-up point | Free waiting | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | 1 h 15 min | The moment your flight lands |
| Cruise port | 30 min | The agreed pick-up time |
| Hotel, office or other address | 15 min courtesy | The agreed pick-up time |
At the airport the clock starts when your plane actually lands, not at the scheduled time. If your flight from London comes in two hours late, the chauffeur sees it on the flight tracker and your free hour and a quarter starts at touchdown. If you expect to need longer, for example with oversized checked bags or a slow disembarkation from your ship, tell us and we will build it into the quote.
At Barcelona-El Prat the chauffeur waits for you in the arrivals hall. Our guide to Barcelona Airport T1 and T2 explains how to check your terminal and which exit to use.
Transfer or hourly hire
A transfer goes from one place to another: airport to hotel, Barcelona-Sants to Sitges, hotel to cruise terminal. The price is fixed and already accounts for any stops you told us about.
With hourly hire of a private driver you book a block of time instead. The chauffeur stays at your disposal. You might go to a meeting on Avinguda Diagonal, have the car wait outside, then head to lunch in El Born and on to the next appointment. You can change the order of stops and leave shopping bags or a laptop in the car.
Hourly hire suits a day with several stops or meetings that may overrun, and evening events with no fixed end time. For a single journey, a transfer is enough.
Choosing the vehicle
| Vehicle | Passengers | Suitcases | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes E-Class | Up to 3 | Up to 3 | Business trips and airport runs with light luggage |
| Mercedes S-Class | 2–3 | 2–3 | VIP guests, weddings, more rear legroom to work |
| Mercedes V-Class | Up to 7 | Up to 7 | Families, skis and pushchairs, or 4 people with a lot of luggage |
| Minibus | 8–19 | Depends on model | Company groups, wedding guests |
| Coach | 20–55 | Luggage hold | Conferences, group excursions |
Count suitcases as well as people. Four adults with a large case each travel more comfortably in a V-Class than in an E-Class. For more than seven people, our guide to group travel by V-Class, minibus or coach compares the options, and each car has its own page in our chauffeur-driven fleet.
Booking for a company
Send us your company's billing details and we will issue an invoice for each journey. Companies that book often can open an account with monthly invoicing. Your assistants can then book transfers for executives and visitors without paying each time.
Passenger transport in Spain carries the reduced 10% VAT rate (article 91 of Law 37/1992). For roadshows, conferences or several cars at once, see our executive chauffeur service for companies.
How to book
- Message us on WhatsApp, call, email, or use the online booking form with the details listed above.
- We reply with the right vehicle and a fixed price.
- Once you accept, the booking is confirmed.
- On the day, the chauffeur meets you at the agreed point. At the airport, look for your name on a sign in the arrivals hall.
Each journey requires advance booking. We confirm availability before you book. Our team helps you in Spanish, Catalan, English and French. Tell us your preferred language when you book.
FAQ
Can I book a private driver for an hour from now?
It depends on availability. Catalan law requires at least 15 minutes between booking and pick-up, so pick-up is never immediate. For a same-day trip, message us on WhatsApp or call and we will tell you if a car is free.
How do I know a car is properly licensed?
In Catalonia, look for the VTC sticker in the lower right corner of the windscreen. Ask the company for its licence details. Our legal notice and footer identify the urban VTC licence category.
Do I need to pay a deposit to get a quote?
No. You ask for a price, pay nothing, and decide afterwards. If you book and your plans change, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pick-up.
Is a private driver the same as a tour guide?
No. The chauffeur drives you and waits for you but is not a licensed tour guide. You book guided visits and tickets for places such as the Sagrada Família separately.
How many people can travel together?
Up to 7 passengers in one VTC car, the V-Class. Groups of 8 to 55 travel by minibus or coach, and we coordinate several vehicles for larger groups.
Sources
- Royal Decree 1211/1990, Spanish Land Transport Regulation (ROTT), articles 180–182 (BOE, in Spanish)
- Catalan Decree-Law 9/2022 of 5 July on vehicle hire with driver (BOE, in Spanish)
- Royal Decree 785/2021 on the register of VTC journeys (BOE, in Spanish)
- Law 37/1992 on Value Added Tax, article 91 (BOE, in Spanish)
