Electric or petrol car: what does it really cost to own in Italy?

Italiano

Ecobonus 2026 (Italy's EV purchase incentive): the state incentive for buying a new electric car has exhausted its allocated funds and is therefore effectively unavailable. The resources of the Fondo automotive (the national automotive fund) are fully committed: reservations are closed and no new applications are currently possible, pending a possible refinancing or a new scheme. That's why we present the Ecobonus separately and do not include it in the total costs above — with the funds exhausted, counting on it would be misleading. If you still find pages presenting it as active, always check the current state of the budget before basing a purchase decision on it. Source: MIMIT / Ecobonus.gov.it, as of 2 July 2026. Check the actual availability of funds and your eligibility before buying.

Road tax (bollo auto) and annual costs: Italy has no recurring annual incentive to deduct for an electric car — the EV's advantage comes mainly from its running costs (charging, maintenance). Electric cars are, however, exempt from the bollo auto (road tax) for the first 5 years after registration nationwide, and in several regions (for example Lombardia and Piemonte) they enjoy a permanent exemption; they are also excluded from traffic restrictions and often from ZTL (limited-traffic zone) charges. The Ecobonus purchase incentive, by contrast, has exhausted its funds: if you still read that it's available, at present it is not. We fold every running-cost saving directly into the running cost — never as a cash payment. As of 2 July 2026.