Drivers in Spain must leave a minimum lateral distance of 1.5 m when overtaking a cyclist, and must not overtake at all where the view ahead is insufficient — a blind corner or a crest. As a cyclist on Mallorca, ride a steady, predictable line about a metre out from the gutter so a driver never has to judge a tight pass.
From 1 October 2026, Real Decreto 518/2026 tightens the manoeuvre. Overtaking a cyclist on an interurban road, the driver must reduce speed to at least 20 km/h below the road’s limit, and on a road with more than one lane in their direction must move completely into the next lane rather than squeeze past inside yours.
The same reform adds a separate urban rule that is widely reported as a general one: in town, a motor vehicle following a cyclist in the same lane must stay at least 5 metres back. It applies on urban roads, to the vehicle behind, in the same lane — it is not an open-road following distance.
Two more points from the same texts: a group of cyclists counts as a single unit when it is overtaken (art. 85.4), and breaking the overtaking rules is a grave infraction under the Ley de Tráfico (art. 76.c), fined €200. Overtaking in a way that endangers or hinders cyclists also costs the driver 4 licence points (annex II, item 12).