Italy's Car Inspection Overhaul in 2026: ADAS, EV Batteries, Mandatory PEC and New Inspectors, What It Means for Used-Car Buyers

Car inspections in Italy are changing more than the headlines suggest

For years, the periodic roadworthiness test (revisione) was a box to tick: a sticker, a queue, a fee nobody thought twice about. In 2026 that picture has shifted. Between May and August, at least four changes stacked on top of each other: an EU-level reform widening inspections to ADAS and high-voltage batteries, an Italian proposal that would make a certified digital mailbox (PEC) mandatory for inspection and ownership transfer — with the public consultation closing on 13 September 2026, just weeks away — a new national inspectors registry (RUI) that, since 2 January 2026, ties every inspection to a named, certified technician, and a fee increase still wrapped in confusion. For anyone buying or selling a used car, where inspection history is often the only reliable clue to a vehicle's real condition, none of this is a bureaucratic footnote. It is information worth having before signing anything.

The EU reform: ADAS, batteries and odometers under scrutiny

The periodic inspection as we know it was designed for a mechanical car: brakes, suspension, emissions, lights. The reform discussed at EU level in 2026, approved by the European Parliament's Transport Committee and reported by Rinnovabili on 11 May, brings that checklist up to date [2]. Among the most significant changes, confirmed by Sky TG24 on 20 May, are dedicated checks on driver-assistance systems: automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping, sensors, radar and cameras, whose real-world effectiveness today is verified only indirectly [1]. Electrified cars get their own chapter: battery condition, the integrity of the high-voltage system, and the battery management software, known as BMS, officially become inspection items [1][2]. The reform also adds verification that manufacturer recalls have actually been carried out, plus anti-tampering measures against odometer fraud, one of the most common scams in the used market. One reassuring detail for anyone dreading a blanket crackdown: the interval stays biennial for cars already on the road, rather than shifting to annual checks as some early drafts floated [2].

Mandatory PEC: the consultation closes on 13 September

The change generating the most discussion right now, though, is administrative rather than mechanical. Italy's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport opened a public consultation, due to close on 13 September 2026, on a proposal that would make a digital domicile (PEC) a precondition for a range of vehicle procedures, from the inspection itself to the ownership transfer of a used car, as both TuttoTech on 17 August and Automoto.it on 21 August report [3][4]. For cars already registered, the plan is not an immediate, blanket requirement: the PEC would only be demanded at the next relevant procedure, meaning whenever the owner books an inspection or sells the car. In practice, anyone planning to sell a used car in the coming months could find themselves needing to activate a PEC mailbox just to complete the ownership transfer, if the proposal is confirmed as drafted. Since this is still a consultation, the final text can still change, so it is worth tracking before treating an obligation that is not yet law as a foregone conclusion.

What it will actually cost, and why nobody is quite sure

On pricing, the picture is messier than headlines suggest. An amendment discussed in parliament, per L'Automobile-ACI's reporting, would raise the inspection fee by 9.18 euros, from the current 79.02 euros to 88.20 euros, a figure that bundles the base fee, 22 percent VAT, motor-vehicle-office charges and a PagoPA processing fee: it would be the second increase in five years, after the 2021 rise from 66.88 to 79.02 euros [5]. The catch, per the same reporting, is that the increase had been announced and debated but was not yet formally in force through a published regulation: the Ministry's own official page, last updated in late November 2025, still listed the old rates of roughly 79 euros at private garages and 45 euros at the public motor-vehicle office. If you have just bought a used car and need to book its next inspection, the practical move is to confirm the exact fee directly with the garage or inspection centre at booking time, rather than trusting the first number you find online.

One registry, one named inspector per sticker

Less talked about, but arguably more useful for used-car buyers, is the national Register of Inspection Inspectors, or RUI, the telematic system established by decree 198 of 9 June 2025 and operational since 16 June that year. After an extension that pushed the registration deadline to 1 December 2025, an inspector who is not registered with the RUI, or whose records are not up to date, can no longer act as an authorised inspector as of 2 January 2026, as the Namirial portal explains [6]. The stated goal is uniformity and traceability in a sector that, until recently, was managed unevenly across different regional bodies: every inspection is now attributable to a certified technician who is personally accountable for it. For a buyer, that means the logbook and inspection report now carry a signature that is harder to fake or route around than in the past.

What it means if you are buying or selling a used car, especially electric or hybrid

Put the four threads together, ADAS, batteries, PEC, RUI, and the practical picture for the used market is fairly clear. Anyone selling a used electric or hybrid car should expect the next inspection to include a closer look at the battery pack and the high-voltage system: a car with a battery in poor health may no longer sail through as easily as before, which makes it more valuable to show a prospective buyer the maintenance history and, if available, a battery state-of-health report. Buyers, in turn, gain an extra tool: a recent inspection report passed under the stricter new criteria is now worth more as an indirect guarantee of a vehicle's condition, safety electronics included, than an equivalent report from a year ago. On the odometer front, the new EU-level anti-fraud measures should make it harder, over time, to sell a car with tampered mileage without it surfacing at the next inspection.

The practical takeaway before you sign

Before closing a deal on a used car, especially an electric or hybrid one, ask the seller for the actual inspection report from the last test, not just the date but the document itself, and check that it lines up with the declared mileage and the car's overall condition. If the seller cannot produce it on the spot, the record can still be retrieved through the government's driver portal using the plate and logbook details. And if the PEC proposal becomes law by year-end, it is worth setting up a digital mailbox a few weeks ahead of time, rather than discovering the requirement on the day a ready buyer shows up to sign.

Sources / Further reading

1. Sky TG24, Revisione auto UE, in arrivo controlli più severi: cosa cambia, 20 May 2026
2. Rinnovabili, Revisione auto, nel 2026 cambiano le regole: ecco cosa, 11 May 2026
3. TuttoTech, PEC obbligatoria per revisione e passaggio di proprietà: cosa potrebbe cambiare con il nuovo Codice della strada, 17 August 2026
4. Automoto.it, Auto, arriva la rivoluzione digitale: obbligatoria la PEC per revisione e passaggio di proprietà, 21 August 2026
5. L'Automobile - ACI, La revisione obbligatoria costerà di più, 6 February 2025
6. Namirial Focus, RUI Registro Unico Ispettori Revisioni, proroga scadenza iscrizione, August 2025