Euro 5 diesel cars, the Chamber gives the green light to the decree that postpones the stop in the Po Valley: what changes

The green light has arrived from the Montecitorio chamber for the decree which postpones the entry into force of the structural limitations on the circulation of Euro 5 diesel vehicles from 1 October 2026 to 1 October 2027.

On 28 September the government intervened with a decree-law to defer the imminent activation of the bans, which concern only the regions of the Po basin, and therefore Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. The conversion process of the measure will now continue in the Senate.

The decree exempts the four regions of the Po basin from the obligation to include in their air quality plans the ban on the circulation of Euro 5 diesel cars starting from 1 October 2026. Despite this, the regions are still given the possibility of introducing the foreseen limitations early or of implementing alternative compensatory measures to the structural ban, as long as they ensure equivalent results in the reduction of pollutants and are consistent with European obligations.

It is not the first time that the deadline identified for the entry into force of circulation restriction measures has been postponed. Initially, a 2023 decree had established that the stop should be implemented from 1 October 2025. A 2025 decree, however, had postponed the deadline to 1 October of the following year. What the Chamber gave the green light to today, therefore, is the second deferral of the deadline within three years.

The traffic stop which will come into force in October 2027 concerns Euro 5 diesel vehicles, i.e. those registered approximately between 2011 and 2015, the year of mandatory entry into force of the Euro 6 standard. These are vehicles which, despite being subject to more stringent emission requirements than previous generations, produce levels of nitrogen oxides and particulates significantly higher than those of the latest generation vehicles. The environmental classes of cars refer to European standards identified since 1993 which define the maximum limits of polluting emissions allowed for each vehicle at the time of approval. The categories establish progressively stricter thresholds for nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter.

Specifically, the provision approved by the Montecitorio chamber concerns cars and commercial vehicles of category N1, N2 and N3 powered by Euro 5 diesel. Category N1 includes vehicles intended for the transport of goods with a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 t; category N2 those with a maximum mass exceeding 3.5 t but not exceeding 12 t; category N3, finally, those with a maximum mass exceeding 12 t.