What cars can a newly licensed driver drive in Italy?
A new driver is someone who has held a category B licence for less than three years. For three years they may drive cars up to 75 kW per tonne and 105 kW, with limits of 100 km/h on motorways, 90 km/h on main extra-urban roads and zero alcohol. Source: articles 117 and 186 bis of the Codice della Strada.
Read also: the rules for newly licensed drivers
Who counts as a new driver, and for how long?
Anyone who obtained their licence less than three years ago. The three years run from obtaining the licence, not from the holder's age: someone who passes at forty is a new driver exactly as much as someone who passes at eighteen. The rules are in articles 117, 126 bis and 186 bis of the Codice della Strada.
| Rule | Duration | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum 75 kW per tonne | First 3 years | Art. 117, paragraph 2 bis |
| Maximum 105 kW for M1 cars | First 3 years | Art. 117, paragraph 2 bis |
| 100 km/h on motorways | First 3 years | Art. 117, paragraph 2 |
| 90 km/h on main extra-urban roads | First 3 years | Art. 117, paragraph 2 |
| Zero blood alcohol | First 3 years, and in any case under 21 | Art. 186 bis |
| Doubled penalty points | First 3 years | Art. 126 bis |
Does the power limit apply only in the first year?
No, and the law changed on this point. Until 13 December 2024 the limit applied only in the first year, at 55 kW per tonne and 70 kW. Law 177 of 2024, in force from 14 December 2024, raised the thresholds to 75 kW per tonne and 105 kW for M1 cars, including electric and plug-in hybrid ones, and extended the restriction across all three years. Many pages online still quote the old values.
How powerful can a new driver's car be?
Up to 105 kW, about 143 horsepower, provided the power to weight ratio stays within 75 kW per tonne. Both thresholds count. A 100 kW car weighing 1,200 kg has a ratio of about 83 kW per tonne and breaks the limit, even though it is under 105 kW. A 90 kW car weighing 1,300 kg has about 69 kW per tonne and complies.
Power in kW is shown on the registration certificate (carta di circolazione) in field P.2. The mass to use in the calculation and how to round it should be checked against the text of article 117 in force or with the Motorizzazione, because the certificate fields show different masses. Anyone unsure about a specific model should ask before buying, not after.
| Power | Weight | kW per tonne | Result for a new driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 kW | 1,300 kg | about 69 | Allowed |
| 100 kW | 1,200 kg | about 83 | Not allowed, above 75 kW/t |
| 110 kW | 1,600 kg | about 69 | Not allowed, above 105 kW |
Are there exceptions to the power limit?
Yes, two, set by article 117, paragraph 2 bis. The first covers vehicles serving people with disabilities. The second applies when a person aged no more than 65, holding a licence of the same category for at least ten years, sits beside the new driver acting as instructor. In that case the new driver may drive a more powerful car.
Which speed limits apply?
One hundred kilometres per hour on motorways and ninety on main extra-urban roads, for all three years, under article 117, paragraph 2. These are personal limits, tied to the driver rather than the vehicle or the road: they hold even where the general limit is higher. On other roads the ordinary limits apply. Breaches of paragraphs 2 and 2 bis carry a fine and a licence suspension of two to eight months (paragraph 5).
How much alcohol is allowed?
None. Article 186 bis sets the blood alcohol limit at zero for drivers in the first three years of a category B licence and for those under twenty one, so there is no tolerated amount. Even a reading below 0.5 grams per litre, lawful for other drivers, is an offence. Above that threshold the penalties that apply to everyone are increased.
What happens to licence points?
Under article 126 bis, in the first three years after issue the points deducted for each offence are doubled. An offence that costs an experienced driver two points costs a new driver four. The licence starts with twenty points, so a few offences are enough to approach a retest.
What happens if a new driver breaks the limits?
The consequences add up. Two concrete cases.
If a new driver in Bologna borrows his father's 150 kW car and drives alone on the motorway, at a roadside check he faces a fine of 165 to 660 euro and a licence suspension of two to eight months (article 117, paragraphs 2 bis and 5, of the Codice della Strada). Had his father, under 65 and with a licence held for more than ten years, been sitting beside him, the drive would have been allowed.
A new driver in Turin, licensed for one year, has a glass of wine at dinner and drives home. The breathalyser reads 0.3 grams per litre. For an experienced driver this would not be an offence, for her it is: if the reading is above zero and no higher than 0.5 grams per litre, the fine is 168 to 672 euro (article 186 bis, paragraph 2, of the Codice della Strada), and the points deducted are doubled because she is within the first three years.
Do the rules keep changing?
Article 117 has been amended several times, most recently by law 177 of 2024. Before choosing a car, check the text in force and any exemptions on the site of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport or on Normattiva.
Legal source: Articoli 117, 126 bis e 186 bis del Codice della Strada. The consolidated text of the Codice della Strada is on Normattiva.
Which other questions are related?
- What is the minimum age for a category B licence in Italy?
- How long is the foglio rosa valid?
- How does the category B practical test work?
The full list is on the driving test questions page.
For information only, not a substitute for the law: legal notes.