From 2027, an Italian motorcycle of any engine size may qualify for relief from bollo, the annual vehicle tax. That does not mean every rider will stop paying. Giorgia Meloni presented the measure on 11 November 2026, but the practical result depends on all vehicles registered to the individual owner. Only one vehicle per person is covered, and when the same person has a qualifying car as well as a motorcycle, the car takes priority.

A framework already exists for 2027 payments, while the permanent version remains part of the budget process. Decree-law 162/2026, approved on 16 September 2026, covers ordinary payments falling due between 1 January and 31 December 2027. On 28 October, the 2027 budget bill was approved with Article 2 proposing to make the exemption permanent under the same core rules. Parliament must approve the budget by 31 December. Until that vote is complete, the long-term arrangement is not final.

Which vehicle receives the exemption

The simplest case is a person who owns only one motorcycle. It may qualify regardless of engine size, provided it is registered to a private individual and has regular insurance cover. Motorcycles have no equivalent power ceiling under the plan. The rule also covers motorcycles powered by petrol or diesel, including vehicles that combine one of those fuels with another propulsion source.

The outcome changes when a car is involved. If the owner has a car producing up to 80 kW and one motorcycle, the car receives the exemption and the motorcycle remains liable for bollo. The 80 kW figure is approximately 109 CV. If the car produces more than 80 kW, it is outside the qualifying limit and the exemption can move to the motorcycle. The owner cannot simply choose whichever vehicle carries the larger annual tax.

People with several motorcycles face a separate ranking system. Where there is no car that qualifies, only one motorcycle is exempt: the one with the lowest power in kW. If two motorcycles have equal power, the lower-bollo vehicle is selected. For several mopeds, the priority goes to the one with the oldest first registration. The absence of a motorcycle power limit therefore does not allow an owner of several bikes to select the most powerful or most expensive one.

What changes in 2026 and 2027

Bollo payments that fell due during 2026 are unaffected and remain payable. The exemption begins with payments falling due from 1 January 2027. The September decree supplies the initial one-year framework, while the October budget bill seeks to turn it into a permanent measure. The final vote can still retain or modify that proposal.

The financial stakes are substantial because bollo has been a regional tax since 1999, producing roughly €7.5 billion in annual revenue for Italy’s regions. For 2027, a transfer of €2,293.5 million to the regions and autonomous provinces is planned. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti has committed to full compensation, meaning regional budgets are not intended to carry the first-year revenue loss on their own.

Of the €2,362 million in forecast 2027 costs, €1,460 million is covered by confirmed PNRR savings, with the remainder coming from ordinary budget resources. The longer-term picture is less straightforward. PNRR savings are estimated at only €38 million in 2028, while the permanent measure is expected to cost approximately €2.4 billion each year. Exempting every vehicle would cost about €6 billion. Eugenio Giani has criticised the use of funds intended for investment to finance current spending, highlighting the political dispute over the arrangement.

How many motorcycle owners will benefit

The headline figures suggest a much broader benefit than the detailed estimates support. Matteo Salvini had referred to seven million exempt motorcycle owners, but the government’s calculation puts the total number of exempt vehicles at 14.5 million. Cars account for 13.2 million of that total, leaving between 1.1 and 1.3 million motorcycles and mopeds. Istat figures for 2023 counted just under 5.2 million motorcycles and quadricycles actually in circulation, plus about 2.6 million registered vehicles that were not circulating.

On those figures, the motorcycle exemption reaches roughly one vehicle in five if the circulating fleet is used as the comparison, or about one in six if all registered vehicles are included. The average saving is estimated at €59 for a motorcycle, compared with €168.40 for a car. Motorcycles and mopeds account for approximately €60 million of the relief, less than 3% of the measure’s overall cost.

The 80 kW asymmetry

The plan creates a clear imbalance. A car above 80 kW cannot qualify, while a motorcycle has no equivalent power limit. Yet the one-vehicle rule and the priority given to a car up to 80 kW sharply narrow the practical effect. Someone with an ordinary car below the threshold and one motorcycle will generally continue paying the motorcycle tax. Someone with two motorcycles will normally receive relief on the less powerful one.

An average saving of €59 is unlikely on its own to decide between a middleweight naked bike and a larger motorcycle. It could, however, prompt questions about how vehicles are registered within a family. A transfer of ownership brings administrative costs and may affect insurance arrangements, so it is not an automatic tax workaround.

For Italian riders, the practical conclusion is narrow. From 2027, a motorcycle of any engine size may escape bollo only when it is the owner’s qualifying vehicle. A car up to 80 kW takes priority, while multiple motorcycles are ranked by power and the least powerful one is selected. The one-year relief for 2027 has been provided for, but permanent application depends on Parliament’s final approval of the budget.