Italy’s New Highway Code: Proposed Changes to Fines, Licenses and Road Rules

Italy is preparing a substantial revision of its Highway Code, covering fines, driving licenses, digital documents, insurance and everyday road use.

On October 13, 2026, the Council of Ministers approved the legislative decree in preliminary examination. The project would replace the existing code with a reorganized framework addressing road safety, vulnerable road users and newer forms of mobility.

These changes are not yet operational. Preliminary approval is a stage in the legislative process, rather than permission to start following the proposed rules.

When would the new Highway Code take effect?

Newsauto identifies January 1, 2028 as a possible commencement date, subject to the final decree. Further institutional review and final government approval remain necessary. Drivers must continue observing existing rules.

For anyone planning a journey, the distinction matters: a news report describing a proposed permission does not make that maneuver legal today. Check the rules applicable when you travel, especially where an announcement concerns motorway driving or documentation.

Lower fines for some offenses, higher penalties for others

The ministry’s October summary gives examples of proposed reductions in common minimum fines:

These are selected amounts, not a universal reduction applying to every offense.

The broader consultation published in September helps explain the approach. The ministry estimated an overall reduction of approximately 7% across its proposed penalty framework, while retaining increases for conduct considered especially dangerous.

For example, that consultation proposed raising the penalty for driving without compulsory insurance from €866 to €1,000. Failure to give priority during certain maneuvers, including reversing and making U-turns, would rise from €42 to €80.

Those September figures describe an earlier consultation stage. They should not be used as a definitive schedule for calculating future fines. The final legislation will determine the amounts and conditions that actually apply.

Speeding fines would become more closely linked to excess speed

The government’s outline proposes increasing monetary penalties according to each kilometer per hour above the limit, replacing the existing broad monetary bands.

Newsauto reports that points deductions and driving restrictions would retain a banded structure. It also describes replacing automatic biennial inflation adjustments with discretionary updates after cumulative inflation exceeds 5%.

Does the reform introduce a 150 km/h motorway limit?

There is no blanket increase to 150 km/h.

Existing Article 142 already allows road owners or concessionaires to authorize that limit on qualifying motorways with three lanes plus an emergency lane in each direction and approved average-speed monitoring.

Authorization also depends on the road’s characteristics, traffic, prevailing weather and accident history. Appropriate signs are required.

The general limits for ordinary cars remain:

Selected urban roads may have a signed 70 km/h limit. During precipitation, motorway and main extra-urban maxima fall to 110 and 90 km/h respectively.

Lower posted limits and restrictions applying to particular vehicles or drivers still matter. A motorway having three lanes does not itself authorize driving at 150 km/h.

Driving licenses: age 18 remains, while some proposals disappear

Newsauto reports that the standard Category B licensing age remains 18, with accompanied driving available from 17 under its conditions. Proposed automatic restrictions for drivers over 85 were removed.

Separately, the Cabinet’s outline proposes extending the age threshold for ten-year Group 1 license renewals from 50 to 65. This group includes ordinary car and motorcycle licenses.

Digital documents and faster notifications

Police would verify driving and vehicle documents electronically, reducing reliance on carrying physical versions. Notifications for remotely detected violations would have a 45-day deadline instead of 90 days.

According to Newsauto, mandatory certified email—PEC—was dropped. Paper vehicle documentation would still be needed abroad. The draft also provides a 60-day payment warning before compulsory recovery of unpaid fines.

Insurance and foreign-registered vehicles

Quattroruote’s account describes a notice giving owners of apparently uninsured vehicles 30 days to obtain coverage or demonstrate an applicable exemption. Failure to respond would trigger an indefinite prohibition on driving the vehicle.

It also identifies an insurance requirement for vehicles registered in REVE, Italy’s foreign-vehicle register: coverage would need to come from an Italian insurer or one authorized to operate in Italy.

The Cabinet’s summary additionally envisages recovering unpaid fines involving foreign drivers within five years.

Motorcycles, powered cycles and scooters

Motorcyclists would gain conditional access to motorway emergency lanes during accidents or slowdowns.

Helmets and identification markers would apply to the powered-cycle category. Scooters would face restrictions when obstructing or endangering pedestrians.

Newsauto distinguishes these powered cycles from ordinary pedal-assist bicycles. It also describes designated scooter parking areas on sidewalks, subject to pedestrian-access requirements—not unrestricted sidewalk parking.

Other measures in the government’s outline include back and hand protection for motorcycle motorway travel and photographs confirming correct parking after scooter rentals.

Lane use, roundabouts and other everyday changes

Quattroruote reports proposals allowing parallel traffic streams on motorways and main extra-urban roads with at least three lanes per direction. A stream could move faster on the right, while overtaking maneuvers on the right would remain prohibited.

On qualifying motorways, a proposed 100 km/h minimum in the left lane would have exceptions for traffic, weather and signs.

Other provisions concern default priority for vehicles already in roundabouts, conditional perpendicular parking for vehicles no longer than 2.70 meters, winter-tire requirements during severe snowfall, and limited exceptions allowing engine use for air conditioning while parked.

A narrowly defined exception would also address reversing at malfunctioning toll barriers or payment systems. These remain draft provisions, not instructions for driving today.

Disability permits and vehicle safety

Municipalities would have to join the national CUDE disability-permit platform. Nonparticipating authorities would face restrictions on remote enforcement involving reserved parking and restricted-traffic zones.

The Cabinet also proposes a 24-month deadline for completing manufacturers’ safety recalls, with consequences for vehicle inspections and ownership transfers if required work remains outstanding.

For residents considering how much they need to drive, our guide to living in Italy without a car explores an alternative approach to everyday transport.

External Sources

• Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport: October 13 overview
• MIT: September consultation on penalties
• Newsauto: proposed changes and implementation timetable
• Quattroruote: analysis of the October draft
• ACI: current Article 142 on speed limits
• Cabinet statement of October 13, reproduced by Mister Lex