Breakdown cover in Italy
If you’re planning a road trip to Italy, having breakdown cover helps make sure your holiday runs smoothly. It isn’t a legal requirement in Italy, but having breakdown cover means that help is at hand if you have trouble with your vehicle. With the RAC, you’ll have access to a 24/7 English-speaking helpline and we’ll cover all costs for fixing you at the roadside, or taking you to a garage for repairs – in Italy and Europe.
UK breakdown cover doesn’t usually cover you in Europe – unless you’ve bought European cover as an add-on. So if you need breakdown cover in Italy, you’ll need to buy a separate European breakdown cover policy.
24/7 English-speaking helpline
European roadside assistance in 48 countries
Five Star Defaqto rated cover
Levels of European breakdown cover in Italy
We offer two types of European breakdown cover for you to choose – read how they compare against each other below.
Comprehensive
For £5.18 a day
Roadside Assistance in Europe
We’ll pay up to £150 towards garage labour costs. Provided repairs are completed on the same working day
Get up to £500 accommodation expenses or up to £1,500 to continue your journey
We’ll pay up to the market value of your vehicle to get it back to the UK, providing it’s not beyond economical repair
If your vehicle can’t be fixed before you’re due to return, we’ll help get you and any passenger's home up to £1,500
Get 2 days’ UK Roadside Assistance before you depart, for all breakdowns over a ¼ of a mile from home
24/7 English-speaking helpline
FREE European Legal Care
Replacement train/ferry ticket for up to 1 missed connection, if the delay is caused by a breakdown
Best cover you can get1 – Comprehensive Plus
For £8.50 a day
Roadside Assistance in Europe
We'll pay up to £1,000 towards garage labour costs. Provided repairs are completed within 7 working hours
Up to £1,200 accommodation expenses and/or up to £3,000 to continue your journey
We’ll cover all costs to get your vehicle to get it back to the UK, providing it’s not beyond economical repair
If your vehicle can’t be fixed before you’re due to return, we’ll help get you and any passenger's home up to £3,000
Get 7 days’ UK Roadside Assistance before you depart, for all breakdowns over a ¼ of a mile from home
24/7 English-speaking helpline
FREE European Legal Care
Replacement train/ferry tickets for up to 3 missed connections, if the delay is caused by a breakdown
Above prices are based on European breakdown cover for a 14 day trip, in a vehicle up to 1 year old, travelling in zone 2.
What happens if I break down in Italy?
If you break down in Italy, how you get the help you need depends on whether or not you have European breakdown cover.
If you have RAC European Breakdown Cover:
- Call the RAC’s English-speaking helpline on 0033 472 4352 44 – lines are open 24/7
- Our team will arrange roadside assistance for you
- When help arrives, they’ll fix your vehicle at the roadside or tow you to the nearest garage for further repairs
- Depending on the level of cover you have, we’ll also pay towards garage labour costs, onward travel expenses and accommodation fees while your car’s being fixed
If you don’t have breakdown cover in Italy:
- You’ll have to find a recovery company to come out to you and tow you to a garage if needed
- If your car needs repairs at a garage, you’ll have to find a garage nearby
- In addition, you’ll have to pay all recovery and labour costs yourself
Important contact numbersIt’s really helpful to take a note of all the contact numbers you need when driving in Italy ahead of your visit. That way you’ll know exactly who to contact in the event of a breakdown or road emergency. For example, save these numbers in your phone’s directory:
RAC European Breakdown from anywhere in Europe
British Embassy in Rome
Emergency Services
Preparing for your visit to Italy
Once you have your breakdown cover in Italy, it’s important to start planning for driving in Italy. As a motorist, you’ll be expected to carry documents and in-car kit that you might otherwise not need when you’re driving in the UK. Here are the some of the things you can do to reduce your chances of needing roadside assistance in Italy:
Documents and paperwork
When driving in Italy – as anywhere in Europe – you should carry:
- A full and valid driving licence
- Passport
- A copy of your car insurance documents
- Your V5C (vehicle registration) document
Remember that garages are unable to provide an estimate for repair work without a valid V5 document, so make sure that you have this with you.
Vehicle equipment
You might be used to travelling light in the UK, but items that are optional at home are compulsory in many European countries.
In Italy, you’re legally required to carry:
- Reflective jackets for all passengers if you break down. If you are not wearing a reflective jacket/waistcoat/braces you could be liable for a fine and penalty points on your licence.
- A spare tyre
- A warning triangle
- Beam deflectors for your car’s headlights
If you don’t have all of these items, take a look at our European Driving Kits, which include many of the must-have items you need when driving in Italy.
Vehicle maintenance
Give your vehicle a thorough inspection before you start your journey to ensure it’s in good condition and ready for the road.
Make sure you check:
- The state of the tyres – inflation and tread.
- Fluid levels
- Windscreen wipers (look out for any tears, even minor, and replace if necessary).
It might be worth booking your vehicle in for a service at a garage, too. Take a look at our RAC Approved Garages before setting off on your trip.
What our members are saying
What are the driving rules in Italy?
It may sound obvious, but the rules of the road in Italy aren’t the same as in the UK. Like the majority of
European countries, Italy has some road laws that motorists need to be aware of when driving there.
- Drive on the right and overtake on the left
- Vehicles approaching from the right have right of way
- Seatbelts are compulsory for everyone in the car
- On motorways with three lanes, the right-hand lane is reserved for vehicles driving slowly
For more information on road rules in Italy, read our extensive guide here.
Make sure you are insured before travelling to Italy
Of course, when travelling in Italy there are other aspects you need to consider, as well as driving. It’s worth getting travel insurance to cover you for the duration of your trip. Browse RAC Travel Insurance today.
Driving in Italy FAQs
If you’re driving in Italy, you’ll need to carry a:
- Passport or ID card
- Driving license
- Motor insurance certificate
- V5 registration document
- UK sticker (unless your number plate says ‘UK’ on it)
- Reflective jackets
- Warning triangle
- Headlamp beam deflectors (if you can’t adjust your headlamps manually)
The best way to make sure you’ve got everything is to buy a European driving kit.
Having a European driving kit is the best way to make sure you’ve got everything you need when you’re driving in Italy. You legally need to carry a warning triangle and reflective jacket (there’s a fine if you’re caught walking on the motorway without one). You’ll also need headlamp beam deflectors if yours can’t be adjusted manually, and a UK sticker if your numberplate doesn’t say UK on it. You can find all of these in your RAC European Driving Kit.
If you’re driving from the UK to Italy, you’ll need your passport, driving license, insurance and V5 documents. You’ll also need to keep all the essential kit that’s legally required to drive in France and any other countries you’re travelling through. The best way to make sure you’ve got everything is to buy a European driving kit.
Yes. You can now drive a UK-registered car for up to 6 months of the year in Italy, as long as you have a full, valid UK driving license. If your car doesn’t have a UK national identifier on either the registration plate, you’ll need to buy a UK sticker.
As long as you’re 18 or over and have a full, valid UK driving licence, you can drive in Italy. But if your license was issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, you might need an International Driver’s Permit.
You need a UK sticker, unless your numberplate has ‘UK’ on it already.
Yes, if you’re crossing north or north west into Austria, France, Lichtenstein or Switzerland, as these are covered in Zone 2 with Italy. If you’re going east, for example into Slovenia or Croatia, you may need to get Zone 3 cover, which includes these countries.
You can keep a car in Italy for up to 6 months in every 12 months (in other words, if you’ve had a car in Italy for the full 6 months, you can’t return with it for another 6 months).
If you have a full UK driving license issued in mainland Britain or Northern Ireland, you don’t need an international driver’s permit (IDP) to rent a car. But if you don’t have a British or EU driving license, or you have a driving license issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, you will need an IDP.
No, you don’t need a green card to drive in Italy. All you need is an EU or UK driver’s license, your passport as proof of ID, and your insurance and V5 documents.
The speed limit on motorways in Italy is usually 130km/h. On other roads outside built-up areas, it can range from 90 to 110km/h. In built-up areas it’s usually capped at 50–70km/h.
For more information, please refer to our speed limits in Italy article.
Italy Breakdown Cover FAQs
Yes. If your car can’t be fixed within 8 hours, we’ll get you a replacement hire car, or money towards public transport or overnight accommodation.
Page reviewed by: Andy Baker