Italy — testing automated vehicles

Who authorises testing?

Testing under the decree requires authorisation from the Ministero delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti (MIT), preceded by the relevant road manager's or owner's consent (nulla osta). Manufacturers, universities and public or private research bodies may apply.

Authorisation is tied to specified vehicles, systems, road sections and conditions. Article 9 addresses vehicles already approved in their version without automated technology and preserves the separate prototype-validation route under DPR 474/2001.

• Decreto 28 febbraio 2018, n. 70 — Smart Road · Art. 9
• MIT — Guida automatica: documentazione e modulistica · Autorizzazione alla sperimentazione

What is the supervisor's role?

The regime uses an onboard supervisor (supervisore). The supervisor must be able to take manual control in time, with their intervention overriding automated commands. The decree assigns the supervisor responsibility for circulation in both manual and automated modes.

Article 10 requires the appropriate driving licence held for at least five years, relevant training and documented experience. This is a supervised-testing profile, not general permission to operate with nobody on board.

• Decreto 28 febbraio 2018, n. 70 — Smart Road · Art. 1(1)(j), 10, 12

What evidence must support the application?

The application describes the technology, vehicles, intended road sections, traffic and weather conditions, previous tests, scenarios and differences between simulation and real traffic. It includes risk analysis and safety measures, including cybersecurity.

MIT may request further evidence. A manufacturer's statement that a vehicle is technically capable of automated driving does not replace authorisation. The evidence must address the particular testing proposal.

• Decreto 28 febbraio 2018, n. 70 — Smart Road · Art. 11–14

What applies during testing?

The Highway Code and the individual authorisation conditions apply. The decree requires safe interaction with other road users, including vulnerable people, manual takeover and data recording. The holder must meet notification and reporting duties, including for safety-relevant events.

Authorisation lasts one year and may be renewed on application. Data must be retained during the authorisation and for a further 12 months. Safety risks may lead to suspension or revocation.

• Decreto 28 febbraio 2018, n. 70 — Smart Road · Art. 12, 15–16, 18

What insurance is required?

Article 19 requires specific civil-liability insurance for the automated vehicle under test. The minimum cover is four times the limit set by applicable rules for the same vehicle without automated technology. The contract must expressly record the insurer's awareness of automated operation on public roads. This does not itself resolve liability allocation for every accident.

• Decreto 28 febbraio 2018, n. 70 — Smart Road · Art. 19

How do the sandbox and appropriate-speed rules relate?

Sperimentazione Italia is a separate, project-specific and time-limited experimentation route. The 2022 official announcement concerning autonomous shuttles in Turin illustrates its use; it does not establish a present general licence for autonomous passenger transport.

Constitutional Court Order 218/2005 concerns a human driver and speed appropriate to the circumstances. ROAT uses it as interpretive context: compliance with a traffic duty can require more than observing a numeric limit. The order does not approve an ADS or any specific automated operation.

• Dipartimento per la trasformazione digitale — Sperimentazione Italia · Sperimentazione Italia · Art. 36 DL 76/2020
• Innovazione: via libera alla sperimentazione di navette a guida autonoma su strada · 17 February 2022
• Corte costituzionale — ordinanza 218/2005 · Ordinanza 218/2005 · Art. 141