The days of warning triangles are numbered. As of January 1, 2026, they will be definitively replaced by the V16 emergency light, a device that will be mandatory when a breakdown, accident or any other compromising situation that occurs on the road and in which you are involved must be reported. A vehicle.
It is a beacon that emits a high intensity yellow or orange light and that must be placed in the highest part of the car in the shortest possible time after stopping it. In this way, and unlike what happens with conventional triangles, the driver must not get out of the vehicle to warn of the danger, thus avoiding possible collisions.
Drivers have been able to use the V16 signal since 2021 and, in fact, many have chosen to buy one of these devices. However, it was not until December 2022 when the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) made public the final text that establishes the characteristics that these signals must meet, when Royal Decree 1030/2022 was published in the BOE.
For this reason, most of the V16 lights that have been purchased to date will not be valid from 2026 -as we have already explained in Moveo-, since it will only be legal to carry one of the new signals that are certified by Traffic. The main reason is that a large part of the devices that have been sold so far do not have a connection to the DGT 3.0 platform, one of the requirements established by the new legislation and which will be essential by the end of 2025.
It is a database updated in real time and that works through 5G, with which the DGT wants to have as much information as possible on what is happening on the road network to improve mobility and reduce accidents. This ambitious project aims for all cars to be connected to each other in the future, and the V16 beacon with geolocation is one of the essential tools in this plan.
When a driver activates the device, their location will be shared on the platform and the rest of the vehicles will receive information about the accident or breakdown through browsers, mobility applications or on-board computers. Drivers of older cars or those that do not use this type of technology will only be able to receive the alert through the panels installed on the roads.
Thus, both the triangles and all those light signals that do not have connectivity to the DGT 3.0 will not be able to be used from 2026, so it must be taken into account when buying one. Of course, until then both solutions can continue to be used without any inconvenience.
Despite the enormous variety of manufacturers that offer this product under the title of “approved”, the truth is that there are few that currently have the approval of Traffic to be legal beyond 2025. The first V16 signals connected with Official certification began to be marketed at the beginning of 2023, and the DGT only includes four different models.
All of them must incorporate a cell or battery with a useful life of at least 18 months, regardless of whether or not it is rechargeable. It is also mandatory that they incorporate all the necessary elements for their operation, so it is not necessary to use any mobile application or similar.
Regarding connectivity, the legislation requires a minimum duration of 12 years, the cost of which must be included in the sale price. Therefore, you will not have to pay any type of additional fee to have mobile data. The only 4 V16 beacon models certified to date by the DGT in its laboratories are the following.
