Old vehicles and high CO₂ emissions keep Italy behind EU targets. UNRAE calls for urgent reforms to revive the sector
The market shrinks again: ninth monthly drop
April 2025 marked the ninth consecutive monthly decline in Italy’s light commercial vehicle market, down 8.1%with 15,140 new registrations. The first four months of the year saw a 13.6% decrease, confirming a trend of consistent weakening.
The green transition remains out of reach, with fully electric vans stuck at just 3.4% share, despite a slight improvement from April 2024.
CO₂ emissions: the gap with Europe widens
Italy’s average CO₂ emissions from commercial vehicles hit 189.5 g/km in early 2025 — still far from the EU target of 153.9 g/km. The EU average was already at 180.8 g/km in 2023, highlighting Italy’s lag.
Passenger car emissions are even worse, with Italy exceeding the EU average by 12.3%.
A dangerously old fleet
Italy’s vehicle fleet is ageing fast: over 37% of light commercial vehicles are more than 19 years old. That’s over 1.6 million outdated, unsafe and polluting vehicles.
UNRAE urges the reallocation of the €100 million in unused incentives to renew the fleet and improve safety and sustainability.
UNRAE’s proposals: urgent action needed
President Michele Crisci welcomes the EU’s more flexible CO₂ regulation, but calls for concrete measures:
- A fiscal reform aligned with the EU’s zero-emission fleet goals
- Investment in charging infrastructure for vans
- A 50% tax credit for fast-charging stations over 70 kW in 2025-27
Market dynamics and engine types
Private buyers gained market share (16.4%), while short-term rentals fell to 4.7%. Long-term leasing also declined, and public entities remained the dominant channel (40.9%).
Diesel still rules but shrinks to 80.8%. Electric BEVs rise to 3.4%, hybrids reach 9%, and plug-in hybrids hit 0.4%. Gasoline, LPG, and methane remain negligible.
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