Highway code, an iron fist on car insurance: fines of up to 4 thousand euros for those who drive without insurance

Monthly checks on databases, thirty days to regularize the position and an indefinite travel ban for those who do not provide. The revision of the Highway Code desired by the Minister of Transport Infrastructure Matteo Salvini and preliminarily approved by the Council of Ministers on 13 October, imposes a powerful crackdown on those who violate the obligation to take out a car liability insurance policy for driving on the road (according to Ania estimates in 2025 there were 2.8 million vehicles without compulsory insurance coverage). The fines are also increasing: the Technical Report that accompanies the draft legislative decree indicates, for driving without coverage, the passage from 866-3,464 to 1,000-4 thousand euros, with an indefinite driving ban and a driving ban for fifteen days.

The news

The first intervention is entrusted to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Article 14 provides for monthly checks to identify vehicles that are not insured. Owners are notified of their inclusion in the appropriate list, with the invitation to regularize the position or to document one of the conditions of derogation or suspension provided for by the Private Insurance Code. The deadline is thirty days from notification. If the regularization does not arrive within that period and no reasons are provided to justify the absence of coverage, the ministry orders an indefinite driving ban.

This is a "preventive mechanism for identifying the relevant positions, communicating to interested parties and subsequent regularisation", as explained in the Technical Report of the legislative decree which will now address the parliamentary process for opinions. The ban is noted in the archives: for vehicles registered in Italy, application and termination are communicated electronically to the National Vehicle Archive. At the next roadside check of a vehicle already subject to the ban, "the seizure enforcement procedure starts directly".

Owner's responsibility

The owner must ensure that the vehicle is not used without insurance even when it is legitimately available to another person. For violation of this obligation, a fine of between one thousand and 4 thousand euros is foreseen. If false or counterfeit insurance is shown, the fine rises to 1,400–5,600 euros, with a driving ban and driving ban for thirty days.

The absence of the policy also weighs on other violations: the scheme provides for the doubling of the fine when a violation is committed with a vehicle without compulsory coverage, excluding the fine for the lack of insurance itself. For those who comply promptly, a reduction of one fifth will be applied if they comply within thirty days. To end the driving ban resulting from driving without insurance, Annex III.1 requires verification of payment of the fine within the deadlines and the activation of suitable coverage "without the need for verification of compliance by the investigating body".