The present research examines the role of the following factors in the perception of speech rate in Spanish : the L1 (Spanish or French), the perceived degree of regional accent in Spanish and the competence in Spanish L2 (i.e. oral comprehension in L2). Results are the following : 1) The non-natives speakers of Spanish perceive the rate of speech as faster than natives. 2) The perceived degree of regional accent has no effect on the perception of speech rate in natives. 3) The oral comprehension in Spanish L2 plays a role in the perception of speech rate in non-natives : the worse the oral comprehension in L2, the faster the speech rate is perceived.