Rules of the road
Driving in Italy
Every value below links to the official source it was checked against, with the date it was checked. What is not verified yet says so.
Quick answers about driving in Italy
- Which side of the road do you drive on in Italy?
- In Italy you drive on the right.
- How old do you have to be to drive in Italy?
- You must be at least 18 years old to drive in Italy. This is the EU-wide minimum for a category B licence, taken from the EU's own page rather than from an Italian one. Italy has not been checked for a lower national age.
- What is the speed limit in Italy?
- 130 km/h on motorways, 110 km/h on dual carriageways, 90 km/h on country roads and 50 km/h in towns and cities. Those are the national default limits, which apply where no sign says otherwise.
- What is the drink driving limit in Italy?
- The legal limit in Italy is 0.5 g/l. Above 0.8 it becomes a criminal offence with licence suspension. Drivers who passed their test recently are held to 0 g/l.
Which side of the road
Speed limits
Speed limit on the motorway
130 km/h
110 in rain or snow. New drivers are capped lower for three years.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit on a dual carriageway
110 km/h
Main roads outside towns (strade extraurbane principali). 90 in rain.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit on country roads
90 km/h
Secondary roads outside towns.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit in rain or snow
- Motorway — 110 km/h
- Dual carriageway — 90 km/h
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit for drivers who passed their test recently
- Motorway — 100 km/h
- Dual carriageway — 90 km/h
For the first three years after passing the test.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Alcohol
How much alcohol you may have in your blood
0.5 g/l
Above 0.8 it becomes a criminal offence with licence suspension.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently
0 g/l
Zero alcohol for the first three years after the test, and under 21.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Your licence and age
Youngest age you may drive
18 years
This is the EU-wide minimum for a category B licence, taken from the EU's own page rather than from an Italian one. Italy has not been checked for a lower national age.
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source
Looking to rent a car? The minimum age to drive is 18, but most car rental agencies have their own minimum rental age. Remember to check with your car rental agency before you book. We earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
Whether you need an International Driving Permit
Depends on where your licence is from
EU and EEA licences are accepted as they are. Licences from elsewhere must be carried with an International Driving Permit or a certified Italian translation.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
What you must carry in the car
What you must carry in the car
- Warning triangle
- High-visibility vest
The triangle goes at least 100 m behind the car on motorways. The vest must be worn when leaving a stopped vehicle outside towns in poor visibility — passengers included.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Phones at the wheel
Holding a phone while driving
Not allowed
Since the 2024 reform, a first offence brings a 250 to 1,000 euro fine AND licence suspension of 15 days to 2 months — visitors lose the licence they are travelling on.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Hands-free phone calls
Allowed, with restrictions
Built-in systems and a single earpiece are allowed if you can still hear with both ears. Headphones over both ears are banned.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Winter driving
Winter tyres
Required where signs say so
On signed roads — most mountain and northern routes — from 15 November to 15 April: winter tyres (M+S), or approved snow chains carried on board and fitted when conditions demand.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
When winter tyre rules apply
15 November to 15 April
On the signed roads. Fitting is tolerated a month early and a month late.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Snow chains
Required where signs say so
Carried on board they satisfy the winter rule as an alternative to winter tyres.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Motorbikes and scooters
Helmets on a motorbike or scooter
Required for rider and passenger
Rider and passenger on any moped or motorcycle must wear an approved helmet, fastened. Only closed-body three- and four-wheelers are exempt.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Largest motorbike or scooter you may ride on a car licence
- Engine up to 125 cc
- Power up to 11 kW
An Italian category B licence lets you ride motorcycles up to these limits with nothing added to it, but only inside Italy. The ministry page also caps the power-to-weight ratio at 0.1 kW/kg, which the value has no slot for. All three limits apply together. The page does not say whether a foreign B licence gets the allowance, and it does not mention the AM moped class at all.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter
14 years
From 14, on Italian territory only and with no passenger. From 16 the AM licence is valid without those limits.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
What a rider must wear or carry
Nothing beyond a helmet
Only the helmet is required by law. The reflective vest and warning triangle rules for stopped vehicles do not apply to two-wheeled mopeds and motorcycles.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Smallest motorbike allowed on the motorway
- Engine at least 150 cc
- Power at least 11 kW
Art. 175 bans motorcycles below these thresholds from motorways and main roads outside towns: the engine limit is for combustion engines, the power limit for electric ones. The boundary itself is allowed (150 cc or 11 kW may enter; anything under may not). Mopeds are banned as a class whatever their size. Exception (para 2-bis): motorcycles of at least 120 cc, or at least 6 kW if electric, may enter when ridden by an adult.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Headlights on a motorbike in daytime
Required at all times
Mopeds and motorcycles must ride with dipped headlights on at all times, inside towns as well as outside.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Tolls and city charges
Congestion charges
In some cities
Italy's version is the ZTL — limited-traffic zones covering most historic centres. They are access bans, not charges: cameras read every plate, and unauthorised entry means a fine of roughly 80 to 330 euros that reaches you by post months later, via the rental company with a handling fee added. Zone boundaries and hours are signed locally and not shown by most map apps. If your hotel is inside one, ask it to register your plate.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
If something goes wrong
Fines
Typical fines
- Holding a phone — fine 250–1000 EUR, possible driving ban (Licence suspended 15 days to 2 months even on a first offence.)
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
More questions about driving in Italy
- What do you have to carry in your car in Italy?
- You must carry a warning triangle and a high-visibility vest. The triangle goes at least 100 m behind the car on motorways. The vest must be worn when leaving a stopped vehicle outside towns in poor visibility — passengers included.
- Do you need an International Driving Permit for Italy?
- Depends on where your licence is from. EU and EEA licences are accepted as they are. Licences from elsewhere must be carried with an International Driving Permit or a certified Italian translation.
- Can you use your phone while driving in Italy?
- No. Holding a phone while driving is against the law in Italy. Hands-free: allowed, with restrictions. Since the 2024 reform, a first offence brings a 250 to 1,000 euro fine AND licence suspension of 15 days to 2 months — visitors lose the licence they are travelling on.
- Can you ride a scooter or small motorbike on a car licence in Italy?
- Yes, engine up to 125 cc and power up to 11 kW.
Each answer comes from the rules above, where you can also see the official source and the date it was checked.
25 rules not yet verified for Italy
These rules exist, but no value has been checked against an official source yet. Missing beats wrong.
- Which side you overtake on
- Speed limit in living and residential zones
- Speed limit when towing a trailer or caravan
- Alcohol limit for professional drivers
- How long you may drive on your own licence
- What you should carry, but do not have to
- When you must switch your headlights on
- Headlights in tunnels
- Turning at a red light
- Who has priority at a roundabout
- Priority to traffic coming from the right
- Who must wear a seatbelt
- Age below which a child needs a child seat
- Height below which a child needs a child seat
- Youngest age a child may sit in the front
- What the lines and painted kerbs mean
- How you pay to park
- Parking on the pavement
- Parking facing against the traffic
- How far you must park from a junction or crossing
- What happens if you park wrongly
- Riding between lanes of slow traffic
- How you pay for motorways
- Low-emission zones
- Whether police can fine you on the spot