Driving in Italy
The autostrada bills by distance, take a ticket on entry and pay on exit — never queue in a yellow Telepass-only lane without a transponder. The real trap is the historic centre of almost every old city: a camera-enforced ZTL that fines rental cars months after the trip.
Rules current as of September 2026 — verify before you go.
Before you cross
2 checks- Tolls
- Pay-per-km, ~€7–8/100km
- Winter tires
- Nov 15 – Apr 15 where signed
- Emissions zone
- ZTL in most historic centres
- Highway limit
- 130 km/h
Tolls
2 rules · 1 fine riskTake a ticket on entry, pay by cash or card on exit — roughly €0.07–0.08/km plus 22% VAT.
Never enter a yellow Telepass-only lane without a transponder — reversing out of one to avoid it is itself a fine.
Telepass lanes have no barrier for cash/card payers and no way to back out safely once committed.
Low-emission zones
2 rules · 1 fine riskZTL (zona traffico limitato) historic centres — Rome, Florence, Bologna, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Verona and most other old towns — are off-limits without a resident or hotel-issued permit.
Camera-enforced, not gated — you can drive straight in without realizing, and the fine (plus a roughly €50 admin fee from a rental company) arrives by post months later.
A hotel inside or near a ZTL can usually register your plate for temporary access.
Ask before you arrive, not after driving in.
Equipment
1 rule · 1 fine riskWinter tires or carried snow chains required Nov 15 – Apr 15 on signed stretches, mainly mountain autostrada sections.
Speed limits
km/h- 130Autostrada(110 in rain)
- 90main roads
- 50built-up areas
The "Safety Tutor" system on many autostrada sections averages your speed between two cameras, not just a single point.
Emergency
Tap to callYou won't need to remember any of this.
Routebook flags these rules on any day your route crosses into Italy — right on the day it matters, no separate check.
Plan a trip through Italy