Recent updates on mandatory vehicle inspection

Since the coming into force of Circular No. 33287 from the Directorate General of Motorization at the  beginning of 2024 – which introduced changes to vehicle inspection procedures – and Legislative Decree No. 184/2023 on mandatory insurance, car inspections have gained renewed attention.

The mandatory vehicle inspection, governed by law and regulated by Article 80 of the Highway Code, according to the Circular No. 33287 now requires that the operator carrying out the inspection acquires and checks all data downloadable from the vehicle through the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) port. The OBD provides a self-diagnosis of any faults related to errors occured when the engine light was on.
The purpose is to obtain a “historical reading” of the vehicle’s “behaviour” and further aims at preventing potential fraud during sales.

The Legislative Decree No. 184/2023  introduced a new provision in Article 122-bis of the Private Insurance Code (CAP), granting an exemption from insurance obligations for vehicles that have been withdrawn from circulation for scrapping and vehicles whose use is -temporarily or permanently- prohibited.