Italy's driving rules (the Codice della Strada, the Italian Highway Code, originally established by DPR n.393/1959, revised by the D.Lgs. n.285/1992, and most recently reformed by the DL 150/2024 (the specific "Riforma del Codice della Strada" that entered into force January 14, 2025)) are broadly similar to the other EU member states' road rules (the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic harmonization) but contain specific elements that differ substantially from the UK, US, or German driving context and that every foreign driver in Italy needs to understand before picking up the rental car.
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Italy Driving Rules: Speed Limits, Priority, and the 2026 Reforms
Speed Limits
The specific Italian speed limits (limiti di velocita): urban roads (strade urbane, within any inhabited center (the centro abitato, marked by the specific blue sign with the town name)): 50 km/h. Secondary extra-urban roads (strade extraurbane secondarie, the SS and SP roads outside inhabited centers, 2 lanes): 90 km/h. Primary extra-urban roads (strade extraurbane principali, the wider multi-lane state roads outside inhabited centers): 110 km/h. Motorways (autostrade): 130 km/h (110 km/h in rain (the specific "pioggia" speed reduction mandatory in wet conditions), 110 km/h for drivers with less than 3 years' license history (the neopatentati, the specific Italian license restriction for the first 3 years after obtaining the B license)). The specific speed limit exceptions: the residential zone (the zona 30, the specific 30 km/h zone in the Italian residential areas whose specific frequency (approximately 600 Italian municipalities have implemented zona 30 by 2025) is the most significant single speed reduction in Italian urban driving). And the school zone (the zona scolastica, the specific 10-20 km/h zone in the specific school entrance areas during school hours).
Priority-to-the-Right. The Foreigners' Trap
The diritto di precedenza (the right-of-way rule) is the most consistently misunderstood single Italian driving rule for the foreign driver: in Italy (Article 145 of the Codice della Strada), at any intersection where no specific priority sign is present (no "STOP" sign, no "DARE PRECEDENZA" (yield) sign, and no traffic light), the vehicle coming from the RIGHT has absolute priority. This rule (the "precedenza a destra", the priority to the right) is the default Italian intersection rule and is specifically different from the UK "major road has priority" rule, the US "first-to-arrive has priority" rule, and the German "right-of-way generally follows the road class" rule. The specific Italian intersection where the precedenza a destra most frequently catches the foreign driver: the roundabout (the rotatoria, in Italy, the vehicle INSIDE the roundabout has priority ONLY if the specific "DARE PRECEDENZA" sign is present at the roundabout entry (the sign isn't always present in the older Italian roundabouts)). And the specific Italian town center crossing (the incrocio cittadino, the grid-pattern intersection in the Italian city center where the right-of-way isn't obvious from the road width).
The DL 150/2024 Reforms. What Changed in 2025-2026
The specific DL 150/2024 (the "Nuovo Codice della Strada" reform that entered into force January 14, 2025) introduced the most significant single Italian road traffic changes in 30 years. The specific changes relevant to the foreign visitor: mobile phone while driving (the new sanzione (the administrative fine): 422-1,€697 (up from €161-647 under the previous rules) + 5 license points deduction + the specific new automatic license suspension (30 days) for the repeat violation within 2 years, the most heavily increased single Italian traffic violation penalty in the 2025 reform). Alcohol limits (the specific 0.5 g/l BAC (blood alcohol concentration) limit maintained for standard drivers; 0.0 g/l for neopatentati (drivers with less than 3 years' license), professional drivers, and drivers under 21, the specific 2025 reform has introduced the specific enhanced BAC testing program (the random test at the specific police checkpoint (the autovelox-integrated BAC test) that the reform authorizes for the first time)).
Q&A: Italy Driving Rules
Is my UK driving license valid for driving in Italy in 2026?
Yes, the UK driving license (the pink photocard license or the older green paper license) is valid for driving in Italy in 2026 (the specific Italy-UK driving license mutual recognition agreement that the UK and Italy concluded as a bilateral post-Brexit arrangement): the UK driving license holder doesn't need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive in Italy with a UK license. The specific paper license caution (the pre-1998 UK green paper license): the Italian police accept this license but may request additional documentation (the specific Italian codice fiscale (the tax identification code) or the Italian translation of the paper license (the traduzione giurata, the certified Italian translation)): carry the specific DVLA driver record printout (available at dvla.gov.uk) alongside the paper license to satisfy the Italian police identity verification requirement.
