Turin 2026: Two Rules Bite — ZTL Mornings, Diesel Bans

Turin traps drivers twice over: a permit-based ZTL Centrale that closes the baroque core on weekday mornings, and a citywide anti-smog order that bans older engines from the whole city on a completely different timetable.

Two rules, two timetables. The ZTL Centrale bans circulation and parking inside the historic core 07:30-10:30 on weekdays, Saturdays excluded, and only permit-holders may pass; a permit needs the vehicle to be Euro 3 or higher. Separately, the anti-smog order stops petrol and diesel Euro 0-2 across the city, 24 hours a day, all year, and from 15 September to 15 April adds diesel Euro 3 and 4 on weekdays 08:00-19:00.

Turin — the ZTL Centrale

The zone sits inside a perimeter of corso Vittorio Emanuele II, piazza Carlo Felice, corso Re Umberto, corso Matteotti, via Vittorio Amedeo II, corso Palestro, corso Regina, piazza della Repubblica, viale Primo Maggio, viale Partigiani, corso San Maurizio, lungo Po Cadorna, piazza Vittorio Veneto, lungo Po Diaz and corso Cairoli — those boundary roads themselves are excluded. Between 07:30 and 10:30 on weekdays, Saturday aside, only authorised vehicles may circulate or park there.

Authorisation means one of two things: a permit issued by the city or by GTT, or one of the categories allowed to circulate without a permit. Where a permit is needed, the vehicle must be type-approved Euro 3 or above, or Euro 2 or above if it runs on LPG or methane — including vehicles converted after first registration.

The cameras

Access is controlled by cameras at 27 points around the city, with a further 11 covering areas inside the zone that carry their own restrictions and 3 more at the Statuto, Valperga and Valentino areas. Every plate that crosses is photographed and matched against the permit database. There is no barrier to warn you.

Hotels and after-the-fact exemptions

Give your accommodation the plate, make, model and your arrival and departure dates before you travel. Turin also operates a system of after-the-fact exemptions for specific cases — regular and occasional suppliers to businesses on reserved streets, among others — but the notification must reach GTT within a strict ten days from the day of the crossing, weekends and holidays included.

The anti-smog rules — a different problem

These apply to the whole city, not just the centre, and they are about what your car is rather than where you park it. Under ordinance 2537/2025:

• All year round: petrol Euro 0, 1 and 2 and diesel Euro 0, 1 and 2 are stopped every day, Saturdays and holidays included, 00:00 to 24:00. LPG and methane vehicles Euro 0 and 1 are stopped on the same terms.
• 15 September to 15 April: diesel Euro 3 and 4 are added, on weekdays from 08:00 to 19:00. Mopeds and motorcycles Euro 0 and 1 are stopped all day.
• When the orange or red level is triggered: diesel Euro 3, 4 and 5 are stopped every day, Saturdays and holidays included, 08:00 to 19:00.

The city explains the focus on diesel bluntly: these vehicles emit the most particulates and nitrogen dioxide, and Euro 5 diesels are included because their NOx output remains high even though their particulate emissions fell. Exempted vehicle types and exempted through-routes are published as separate documents, and the Regione Piemonte “semaforo” shows which level is active on any given day.

Fines

Turin publishes no figure of its own for an unauthorised ZTL entry. The national rule sets it: under article 7 paragraph 14 of the Codice della Strada, entering a restricted traffic zone without authorisation is penalised at EUR 83 to 332, before administrative costs. A notice can reach a foreign address, because authorities use commercial address-tracing services — what does not exist is automatic EU enforcement, since Directive 2015/413 covers only eight road-safety offences and emission-zone violations are not among them.

Where visitors go wrong

Checking one rule and not the other. A Euro 4 diesel can be perfectly legal in the ZTL Centrale with a permit and still be illegal on the same street at 09:00 in January.

Trusting GPS. Navigation apps route through varchi without comment, and one wrong turn can trigger several cameras.

Telling the hotel too late. Registration works in advance; after the photograph it rarely does.

Skip the car

Turin’s metro runs under the spine of the city and the tram network covers the rest. Buy tickets before boarding, at a tabaccheria, newsstand or metro station — not on board. The parcheggi di scambio at metro stops are a far saner option than hunting for space inside the zone, and the bike-share scheme ignores every rule on this page.

More on driving rules, speed limits, and equipment requirements: Driving in Italy. For seasonal tyre regulations: Italy tyre laws.

Driving in Turin — Quick Reference

National speed limits apply on Turin’s roads, though urban areas have additional restrictions.

Speeding fines in Italy start at EUR 42-173 for minor violations (1-10 km/h over) and increase steeply. Going 30+ km/h over the limit can result in EUR 532-2,127 + licence suspension 1-3 months.

Navigating Turin by car means adapting to local traffic culture.

• Rush hours: 7:30-9:30 and 17:30-19:30
• Watch out for: ZTL varchi, winter diesel limits, scooters, cobblestones
• One-way streets: Historic centres often have complex one-way systems with camera enforcement

Traffic in Italy drives on the right side of the road.

Save these numbers before you start driving in Turin.

When driving in Italy, your vehicle must carry: Warning Triangle, Reflective Vest, First Aid Kit (recommended), Fire Extinguisher (recommended), Spare Bulbs (recommended).