Italy E-Scooter Laws: Helmet, Contrassegno, and Insurance Rules (2026)

This article is general information about e-scooter (monopattino elettrico) rules in Italy and is not legal advice. If you have received a fine or been involved in a collision, a local avvocato or your comune's polizia locale can confirm how these rules apply to your situation. Information last verified on 23 July 2026.

Italy regulates e-scooters nationally, not through a patchwork of regional rules. The framework sits inside a 2019 budget law rather than the Codice della Strada, and it was substantially rewritten in late 2024. Three of its biggest obligations, the all-rider helmet rule, the identification sticker, and mandatory insurance, took effect on three different dates, and the most recent one is only days old.

The legal position

Where the rules come from

Monopattini elettrici are not defined in the Codice della Strada. They are regulated by art. 1, commi 75 to 75-vicies quinquies, of Legge 27 dicembre 2019, n. 160 (the 2020 budget law), which treats a compliant e-scooter as a velocipede (bicycle) for anything not specifically addressed. Legge 25 novembre 2024, n. 177 (the same reform our Italy highway code reform guide covers for phone use, drink driving, and new-driver rules) rewrote most of this comma series through its art. 14. Private use of a compliant device is legal nationwide; it is the technical requirements, minimum age, helmet rule, and now a sticker and insurance that make a scooter compliant.

Device requirements for private use

A compliant monopattino under comma 75 has an electric motor no stronger than 0.50 kW continuous nominal power, no seat unless its height is under 54 cm, an acoustic signal, a speed regulator that can be set to 6 km/h and 20 km/h, and CE marking under Directive 2006/42/CE. Since 30 September 2022 for newly marketed devices, and 1 January 2024 for scooters already in circulation, turn signals and brakes on both wheels are also mandatory under comma 75-bis. A rider does not need a driving licence to use a compliant device.

Minimum age and helmet

The minimum age to ride is 14, confirmed by official municipal guidance from Comune di Milano and Comune di Modena. The exact sub-comma stating the age was not isolated in this research, so the rule is cited here to the comma 75 series generally rather than one pinpoint sub-lettering. A helmet meeting UNI EN 1078 or UNI EN 1080 is now mandatory for every rider regardless of age. Before the 2024 reform, comma 75-novies required a helmet only for riders under 18; Legge 177/2024 replaced that language, extending the requirement to all conducenti dei monopattini, effective 14 December 2024.

Where you can ride

Comma 75-terdecies, as rewritten by the 2024 reform, now limits monopattini to "strade urbane con limite di velocità non superiore a 50 km/h" (urban roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less). Before the reform, the same comma also allowed circulation on cycle paths and routes running outside the centro abitato (built-up area); the 2024 reform removed that specific access, not in-town cycle lanes generally. Within the built-up area, cycle lanes on a qualifying urban road remain usable, since comma 75-quinquies still equates a scooter to a bicycle for anything the specific commas do not otherwise cover; Comune di Milano's own official guidance confirms this practice, with rental apps geofencing permitted streets. Pedestrian areas are allowed at a reduced 6 km/h, and sidewalks are banned outright, before and after the reform, with only hand-pushing permitted. Motorways and extra-urban main roads are banned under CdS art. 175 comma 2, the same rule that excludes bicycles, and riding the wrong way (contromano) is banned outright since the 2024 reform struck the previous exception for streets with a two-way cycle contraflow.

Speed limits

The speed regulator required by comma 75 must be configurable to two figures set out in comma 75-quaterdecies, unchanged by the 2024 reform: 20 km/h in general circulation areas such as urban roads and cycle lanes, and 6 km/h in pedestrian areas.

The contrassegno: in force since 16 May 2026

Since 16 May 2026, every monopattino must carry a contrassegno, a non-removable, laminated identification sticker printed by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato and requested online through the Portale dell'Automobilista using SPID or CIE, at a cost of roughly 33 euros. The Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (MIT) is explicit that the contrassegno is not equivalent to a motor vehicle plate ("Il contrassegno non è assimilabile alle targhe previste per i veicoli a motore"), so it carries no reflectivity or positioning rules beyond being visible and exposed. By 30 June 2026, MIT reported 133,135 contrassegni issued nationally, led by Milan (33,316) and Rome (27,900), followed by Bari, Turin, Palermo, Verona, Bergamo, Bologna, Naples, and Brescia, with Milan and Rome together accounting for roughly 46 percent of the national total.

Insurance: in force since 16 July 2026

Third-party liability insurance for monopattini has been mandatory since 16 July 2026, just over a week before this article was last verified, so enforcement data for it is still thin. The legal basis is comma 75-vicies quinquies together with art. 2054 of the codice civile and Title X of D.Lgs. 209/2005 (the Codice delle Assicurazioni Private), per MIT and MIMIT guidance. The mandate was delayed two months from an original May target at the request of ANIA, the insurers' association. In practice, the insurance duty is conditioned on already holding a contrassegno, since third-party liability cover requires a uniquely identified vehicle.

When a monopattino becomes a moped

A device with a seat higher than 54 cm is no longer classed as a monopattino at all. Under Regolamento (UE) 168/2013, a seat at that height reclassifies it as a ciclomotore (moped, motor under 4 kW) or a motociclo (motorcycle, motor 4 kW or more), which brings the full moped or motorcycle regime into play: licence, plate, registration, insurance, and helmet type all follow the motor vehicle rules rather than the e-scooter-specific ones.

Rental (sharing) scooters

Comma 75-ter requires rental operators, including free-floating services, to run under a municipal deliberazione della Giunta comunale, which sets the number of licences, the maximum number of devices, mandatory service-level insurance for the operator, permitted parking arrangements, and, since the 2024 reform, mandatory automatic geofencing that slows or stops a scooter that enters a street outside its authorized zone. Comune di Milano's official guidance describes exactly this mechanism in its rental fleets.

Fines and penalties

The 2024 reform doubled the non-compliant-device fine (previously 100 to 400 euros) and extended it to missing turn signals or brakes, a violation that previously carried no sanction. Whether the scooter-specific fines above get the same reduced early-payment treatment confirmed for the separate non-scooter micromobility fine is unconfirmed, so no reduced figure is stated here.

Italy's general drink driving framework is a separate topic from the e-scooter rules covered on this page; for the rules that apply to motor vehicle drivers, see our Italy drink driving guide.

Enforcement in practice

Enforcement patterns described below do not change what the law requires, and a quiet week in one city is not permission to ignore a rule that applies everywhere.

MIT's own contrassegno count, 133,135 issued nationally by 30 June 2026, is the clearest official enforcement-adjacent statistic available, and shows compliance building quickly after the 16 May 2026 deadline. Beyond that official count, mainstream Italian outlets have reported city-level enforcement operations without an underlying police-published statistic to independently verify: Rome police reportedly ran over 1,000 checks with 400-plus irregularities in the first week the May 2026 rules took effect, rising to roughly 8,000 checks and 3,200 violations by two months in, concentrated in Marconi, Aurelio, and the centro storico and mostly for missing helmets. On 16 July 2026, the day the insurance mandate began, police in Milan and Sesto San Giovanni reportedly stopped 139 scooters and sanctioned 68 (40 for no insurance, 15 for no helmet, 12 for no plate), with Cormano police reportedly issuing 11 sanctions plus one seizure the same day. These figures come from press reporting rather than a primary police statistic opened directly for this article, and read as illustrative of activity, not a national compliance rate.

Italy in context

For how these rules compare with other countries, see our world guide to e-scooter laws. Italy's all-rider helmet mandate plus registration sticker and compulsory insurance is stricter on paper than Germany's private e-scooter regime, which requires an operating permit and a liability sticker but no adult helmet mandate; see our Germany e-scooter rules guide. For Italy's other driving law topics, see Italy driving laws, and for the country's full coverage, the Italy hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are e-scooters legal in Italy?

Yes. Private use of a compliant monopattino elettrico is legal nationwide under art. 1, commi 75 and following, of Legge 160/2019, as rewritten by Legge 177/2024, provided the device meets the technical requirements and the rider follows the age, helmet, contrassegno, and insurance rules.

Do I need a driving licence to ride an e-scooter in Italy?

No. Official municipal guidance confirms no driving licence is required to ride a compliant monopattino elettrico. The minimum age to ride is 14.

Is a helmet required to ride an e-scooter in Italy?

Yes. Since 14 December 2024, a helmet meeting UNI EN 1078 or UNI EN 1080 is mandatory for every rider regardless of age. Before that date, the helmet requirement applied only to riders under 18.

Do I need a licence plate for my e-scooter in Italy?

Not a conventional vehicle plate. Since 16 May 2026, every monopattino must display a contrassegno, a non-removable identification sticker requested through the Portale dell'Automobilista, which the Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti describes as distinct from a motor vehicle plate.

Is insurance mandatory for e-scooters in Italy?

Yes, since 16 July 2026. Third-party liability insurance is now required, with its legal basis in comma 75-vicies quinquies together with art. 2054 of the codice civile and the Codice delle Assicurazioni Private.

Can I ride an e-scooter on the sidewalk in Italy?

No. Riding a monopattino on the sidewalk (marciapiede) is banned, both before and after the 2024 reform. Only hand-pushing a scooter on a sidewalk is permitted.

Can I still use cycle paths on my e-scooter in Italy?

Within a town's built-up area, cycle lanes on a qualifying urban road with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less remain usable. The 2024 reform ended access specifically to cycle paths and bike routes that run outside the built-up area.

What happens if my e-scooter is missing the contrassegno or insurance?

A missing or invalid contrassegno, missing insurance, or a failure to report a change of the owner's residence carries a fine of 100 to 400 euros under the rules as amended by Legge 177/2024.