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DRIVING

Can I drive a minicar in Italy without a driver’s licence?

The new Fiat Topolino minicar is being advertised as a vehicle that "doesn't need a licence". Is this true and could it benefit Italy’s international residents who need to retake their test?

Published: 1 December 2023 11:44 CET
Fiat, vintage car
Vintage car restorer Giovanna Parascandolo is pictured at the wheel of an old Fiat 500 in March 2019. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

The Fiat Topolino, a fully electric two-seat minicar that’s set to hit the market in January of next year, is currently being advertised by a number of national media outlets and car magazines as a “vehicle that can be driven without a licence”. 

The announcement hasn’t gone unnoticed among some of The Local readers, who have asked us whether there is indeed any truth to the statement. 

Some have also pointed out how much of an advantage a ‘licence-less’ vehicle would be for non-EU residents whose countries of origin (US, Canada, Australia and South Africa, just to name a few) don’t have licence-exchange agreements in place with Italy, meaning that they must retake their driving tests in order to get an Italian licence. 

So, is the upcoming Topolino (literally, ‘little mouse’) really a potential game changer for foreign nationals living in Italy?

Well, not quite, unfortunately. 

Under Italian law, the Topolino is a quadrociclo leggero (‘light four-wheeler’) as it weighs less than 425 kilograms and ‘only’ reaches a maximum speed of 45 kilometres per hour. 

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who needs to exchange their driving licence for an Italian one?

The same goes for two other compact two-seaters that have already been in the market for a while now, namely the Citroen Ami and the Opel Rocks-E.

This means that while you won’t need a patente B (the licence needed for most types of cars and motorcycles up to 125 cc) to drive these minicars, you’ll still have to hold a valid patente AM (Italy’s licence for light two-, three- and four-wheel vehicles) to get behind the wheel.

If you’re wondering whether getting a patente AM (also known as ‘patentino’) may be significantly easier (or quicker) than getting a patente B, that isn’t really the case as the steps to obtain either licence are mostly the same.

Candidates have two shots to pass a 30-question theory test within a six month timeframe. If they pass it, they then have 12 months to complete the practical test, with a maximum of two failures allowed.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What’s in the Italian driving licence theory test?

The AM licence does however present two non-negligible advantages compared to the patente B.

While you have to be at least 18 years old to apply for a patente B, the patente AM is available to anyone aged 14 or over.

Also, while applying for a patente B through a local driving school generally costs between 800 and 1,200 euros, applying for a patente AM through an autoscuola costs around 400 euros.  

Member comments

  1. There is no way around it. Just do the Patente B theory, then practical and be done with it.

    You’ll be considered to be a new driver for three years and then it’s all behind you.

    I have recently joined a fabulous online class that teaches all the theory in English whilst highlighting every word and phrase needed to pass the 30 questions.

    Anyone interested can Google ‘Ambrish Quick Patente’ for more information.

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For members

DRIVING

Why Italian drivers are swapping their plates for Polish ones

If you’ve noticed more vehicles in Italy with a Polish licence plate, it may not be down to road trippers from eastern Europe.

Published: 3 May 2024 15:39 CEST
Why Italian drivers are swapping their plates for Polish ones

Foreign licence plates aren’t exactly a rare sight in Italy, but should you happen to see one or more cars with Polish licence plates in the country it may not be down to a wave of road trippers from eastern Europe. 

According to a recent report from public broadcaster Rai’s news programme Far West, a growing number of motorists in Italy are swapping their Italian plates with Polish ones, with the trend being particularly widespread in Naples, where some 35,000 vehicles have a foreign targa (that’s over 65 percent of the total number of foreign-plate vehicles in Italy).

But as Italian media have already dubbed Campania’s capital “Warsaw’s outskirts”, exactly what is behind the trend?

The surge in Polish-registered vehicles is reportedly down to an emerging insurance evasion tactic which sees motorists dodge Italy’s steep insurance costs by having their car or motorcycle registered in another EU country, with Poland being the most popular choice. 

According to data from Italy’s insurance supervisory authority IVASS, insurance costs in Italy have risen by some 7.6 percent over the past year, with Italian motorists currently paying 27 percent more than the average EU resident to insure their vehicle. 

And while a large number of Italians are not paying for insurance at all  – an estimated 2.6 million vehicles are currently circulating in the country without the mandatory RC (Responsabilita’ Civile) coverage – many have seemingly opted to outsource insurance to lower their yearly bill.

READ ALSO: How to pay Italian traffic fines from abroad

According to a report from Il Corriere della Sera, an increasing number of motorists are removing their cars from Italy’s Public Register of Motor Vehicles (PRA) and selling them to Poland-based rental companies only to then have them leased back to them as part of standard car lease agreements. 

This can lead to significant savings. For instance, while overall insurance costs for a scooter may exceed 1,500 euros a year in some parts of Italy, insurance on a scooter leased from Poland generally costs between 600 and 800 euros for the first year and from 300 to 350 euros a year for the following years.

But, while the tactic may be legal – as of March 2022 Italian residents can legally drive vehicles registered elsewhere in the EU as long as they’re not the owners and meet a number of conditions – it may potentially result in serious consequences further down the line, especially in the event of accidents.

READ ALSO: How can you lose your driving licence in Italy?

Insurance broker Salvatore Vitagliano told TV programme Far West that “it may take months if not years” for someone driving a vehicle with foreign insurance to receive compensation following an accident.

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