Spanish personal-injury claims arising from road traffic accidents are valued under the statutory Baremo, a points-based scale set by Law 35/2015 and updated annually by Royal Decree.
Spain operates the most structured personal-injury quantum system in Europe. The Baremo (Law 35/2015) sets a points-based scale that converts injury type and severity into euros, age-adjusted on a published schedule. The Baremo is mandatory for road-traffic claims and persuasive in non-traffic personal-injury and medical-negligence litigation.
The Baremo updates annually by Royal Decree published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado. The 2024 update revised the per-point values to reflect inflation and IPC indexation. Tables 2.A (permanent injury), 2.B (temporary disability), and 2.C (moral damage) form the core; supplementary tables cover life-shortening, severe deformity, and dependent care.
The statute of limitations for personal-injury claims is one year under Article 7 of the Baremo and Article 1968(2) of the Civil Code, among the shortest in Europe.
Indicative settlement values. Each row names its source or is marked as a MyClaimWorth estimate. These are starting points for valuation, not quotes for any specific case.
| Injury type | Band |
|---|---|
| Whiplash / soft tissue (minor) | €1,500 to €4,000MyClaimWorth estimate |
| Whiplash (severe / persistent) | €12,000 to €25,000MyClaimWorth estimate |
| Back, moderate | €15,000 to €40,000MyClaimWorth estimate |
| Severe brain injury | €200,000 to €400,000+MyClaimWorth estimate |
| Femur fracture | €10,000 to €25,000MyClaimWorth estimate |
| Medical negligence (non-fatal) | €50,000 to €300,000MyClaimWorth estimate |
| Workplace injury (contingencia profesional) | Social Security incapacity benefit, plus baremo award on any civil claimOccupational contingencies are covered by Social Security; the baremo scale governs any civil claim beyond it. |
Civil Code art. 1968(2); Baremo art. 7
Limitation is one of the shortest in Europe. Time runs from the date of injury or, in Baremo cases, from the date of final medical stabilisation.
Courts reduce damages in proportion to claimant fault. Strict liability for motor vehicles applies under Article 1 of Law 35/2015.
Caps that bite on damages awards in Spain, ordered by impact.
The Baremo itself sets the upper figures.
Each sub-jurisdiction has its own variations.
The procedural pathway from injury to settlement under Spain law.
Pre-litigation claim served on the at-fault driver's insurer. Required for motor cases under Law 35/2015.
A médico-legal forense or private specialist quantifies points under the Baremo.
Insurer must respond within three months with a reasoned offer or a reasoned refusal.
If no settlement, the claim is filed in the relevant Juzgado de Primera Instancia.
Bench trial; appellate review through Audiencia Provincial and Tribunal Supremo.
Short, direct answers to the questions people ask most.
Vocabulary that comes up in any conversation about claim value in this jurisdiction.
Every claim turns on its own facts: severity, prognosis, recovery time, the medical paper trail, lost income, the applicable cap, and the published band that most closely matches. The figures on this page are illustrative, not a quote. For representation, consult a solicitor or attorney qualified in Spain. See our disclaimer for the full scope of what we do and don't do.
