Is It Mandatory to Use Child Car Seats in Taxis in Barcelona?

tscheiman
May 22
2 min read

Barcelona is one of Europe’s most exciting cities to visit as a family—from beach days to the magical streets of the Gothic Quarter and Gaudí’s colorful creations. But if you’re traveling with young children, one very common question comes up before arrival:Is it mandatory to use child car seats in taxis in Barcelona?

We asked ourselves the same thing before our trip—and the answer turned out to be more nuanced than we expected. Here's what we learned, and how we made sure every ride was safe, legal, and hassle-free.

What Does Spanish Law Say About Car Seats?

In Spain, it’s the law that:

Children under 135 cm must travel in the back seat using an approved child restraint system suitable for their weight and height.
The car seat must be installed properly, following EU safety regulations.
Exceptions apply only in taxis, but that doesn’t mean it’s the safest choice.

In Barcelona, taxis are legally exempt from carrying a child seat when picking up passengers on the street. So technically, your child could ride without a car seat if you jump into a regular city cab—but is it a good idea?

Honestly, for us, the answer was no.

Safety vs. Convenience: What We Chose

While the law makes a legal exception for taxis, we didn’t want to take any chances with our toddler in the back seat of a moving vehicle without proper protection. Barcelona traffic can be unpredictable, and we weren’t willing to rely on luck or exemptions.

Instead, we pre-booked every ride with TaxiBambino.com, and it made our trip so much easier. Every car that picked us up had the correct child seat already installed—whether we were heading to the airport, the zoo, or a dinner by the sea.

Booking a Taxi with Child Seat in Barcelona

Taxi Bambino is a taxi booking service designed specifically for families traveling with children. It connects you with local drivers who guarantee a properly fitted child car seat—ready when they arrive.

We loved that we could:

Choose from infant, toddler, or booster seats depending on our child’s age and size
Book in English in just a few clicks
Receive confirmation showing the seat was included—no surprises

You can book your Barcelona taxi with child seat here to avoid the stress of explaining your needs to a taxi driver who may not speak English—or simply may not have a seat available.

What We Noticed During Our Stay

Throughout our week in Barcelona, we saw lots of families hopping into taxis without child seats—often because they didn’t know the law, or because they assumed the driver would provide one. But the truth is, most taxis don’t have them, and calling around at the last minute almost never works.

Our Taxi Bambino drivers always arrived on time, the seats were clean and correctly installed, and our toddler was secured and happy every time we traveled.

Final Thoughts: Is It Mandatory?

Legally, no—child car seats are not mandatory in Barcelona taxis if you're hailing one on the street.But from a parent’s perspective? Absolutely yes.

If you're traveling with kids in Barcelona and want your trip to be both safe and stress-free, we can’t recommend TaxiBambino.com enough. Booking a taxi with a guaranteed child seat is quick, affordable, and gives you peace of mind from the very first ride.