If your company runs vehicles in Italy — a branch, a subsidiary, a sales team, a delivery operation — the rules that keep them on the road have Italian names, Italian calculation rules and Italian penalties. This page is the map: each obligation in one paragraph, with the guide that explains it in full.
The short version: three deadlines turn into fines — the roadworthiness inspection, motor insurance and car tax. One deadline is not recurring and catches almost everyone — the 60 days to name the driver after a fine. And two of the recurring deadlines are counted in opposite ways, which is where spreadsheets go wrong.
1. Roadworthiness inspection — revisione
The Italian equivalent of an MOT. For cars and light commercial vehicles: within 4 years of first registration, then every 2 years; for trucks over 3.5 t, every year. The next one is counted from the date it was carried out.
Missing it: €173 to €694 and the vehicle suspended from use until inspected. No grace period. → Overdue vehicle inspection in Italy
2. Motor insurance — assicurazione RC auto
Compulsory third-party liability cover, renewed every 12 months from the previous expiry, not from the payment date. No grace period.
Missing it: €866 to €3,464 and the vehicle impounded with a view to confiscation — the most expensive of all. → Company fleet insurance expiry
3. Car tax — bollo auto
An annual regional ownership tax, renewed every 12 months from the previous expiry, and always ending on the last day of the month.
Missing it: a 30% penalty plus interest, reduced if you correct it voluntarily before an assessment. → Italian car tax (bollo) on company vehicles
4. Servicing — tagliando
Not a legal obligation: the manufacturer sets the interval, typically 15,000–30,000 km or 12 months, whichever comes first. Skipping it brings no fine but voids the warranty. → Company car servicing intervals
5. Tyres
Winter tyres or chains are required in the window set by local ordinances (usually 15 November to 15 April), and the minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm. Count kilometres per set of tyres, not per vehicle. → All the deadlines and their rules
6. Traffic fines and the 60-day driver notice
When a fine carrying licence points is not contested on the spot, the notice goes to the company that owns the vehicle. The company must name the driver within 60 days of service; failing to do so costs a separate €291 to €1,166. Keep a dated record of who drives which vehicle, with licence details. → Who pays company car fines · Naming the driver within 60 days
7. Driving and rest times
For goods vehicles over 3.5 t — and, since 1 July 2026, over 2.5 t in international transport — EU Regulation 561/2006 applies: 4h30 then a 45-minute break, 9 hours a day, 56 a week, 90 over two weeks. In Italy the company is jointly liable for the driver’s fines. → EU driving and rest times
8. Rental, leasing or owned
Long-term rental usually includes car tax, insurance and maintenance; leasing and ownership leave them with you. Tax deductibility follows art. 164 of the Italian income tax code in all three cases. → Rental, leasing or buying
The two rules that trip everyone up
| Deadline | Next one counted from |
|---|---|
| Inspection (revisione) | The date it was carried out |
| Insurance and car tax | The previous expiry, not the payment |
Paying insurance or car tax late does not move the anniversary; doing the inspection late does. Apply one rule to the other and the dates in your records are wrong. → Excel template for fleet deadlines · Software or Excel?
Terms you will see on Italian documents
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Revisione | Roadworthiness inspection (MOT) |
| Assicurazione RC auto | Motor third-party liability insurance |
| Bollo auto / tassa automobilistica | Regional car tax |
| Tagliando | Scheduled service |
| Carta di circolazione / libretto | Vehicle registration certificate |
| Verbale | Fine notice |
| Codice della Strada | Italian Highway Code |
| Noleggio a lungo termine | Long-term rental |
| Fermo amministrativo | Administrative impoundment |
Keeping track
Fleetly tracks inspection, insurance and car tax for every vehicle with the right calculation rule, sends reminders at 30, 15, 10 and 5 days, and puts the deadlines in your own calendar. The free plan covers up to three vehicles and never expires; the app interface is in Italian.
Note
Amounts checked on 31 August 2026 (Highway Code, arts. 80, 126-bis, 193) and 14 October 2026 (art. 174 and Regulation 561/2006). Italian rules change often: check the official source before decisions with financial consequences. This guide is not legal or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main legal obligations for a company vehicle in Italy?
A valid roadworthiness inspection (revisione), compulsory motor third-party insurance (RC auto) and the annual regional car tax (bollo auto). Missing any of the three leads to a fine, and for insurance also to the vehicle being impounded. On top of these come servicing, the seasonal tyre rules and, every time a fine with licence points arrives, the 60-day deadline to name the driver.
Is there a grace period for Italian vehicle deadlines?
No. The old 15-day insurance grace period was abolished years ago, and there is no tolerance on the inspection either: from the day after expiry, driving the vehicle is an offence.
Who is responsible for fines incurred with a company vehicle in Italy?
The notice goes to the registered owner (the company, or the rental company for long-term rental), which is jointly liable with the driver. Licence points are deducted from the driver, which is why the company must name them within 60 days of the notice being served.
Do foreign companies with vehicles in Italy follow the same rules?
Vehicles registered in Italy follow Italian rules whoever owns them. Vehicles registered abroad follow the inspection and tax rules of their country of registration, but Italian traffic rules and fines apply on Italian roads, and EU driving-time rules apply everywhere in the EU.
Written and fact-checked by The Busy People. How we check our sources