The ban concerns Milan, Brescia, Bergamo and Monza from Monday to Friday, from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm. In Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna no structural blockade: alternative measures against smog planned
The ban on Euro 5 diesel cars starts from 1 October 2026, as expected, but only in Lombardy. Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna have chosen different paths to reduce pollution without stopping cars, while Lombardy confirms (for now) the ban in its four largest cities: Milan, Brescia, Bergamo and Monza.
Because the Euro 5 diesel block only concerns Lombardy
The crackdown on Euro 5 diesels arises from a national obligation designed to contain fine particles and nitrogen dioxide in the Padano Basin, one of the most polluted areas in Europe. The legislation, however, gives the Regions a way out: those who demonstrate they can cut emissions with alternative measures can avoid the traffic stop. Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna have chosen this path, focusing on biofuels, incentives for home heating and more severe limitations in the event of a smog alert. Lombardy, however, remained the only one to maintain the actual blockade, involving around 450 thousand vehicles.
How the stop works in Lombardy: cities, times and vehicles involved
The ban in Lombardy comes into force on 1 October 2026 and concerns municipalities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants: Milan, Brescia, Bergamo and Monza. The stop is valid all year round, from Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 7.30pm. For now the measure affects cars (category M1). The subsequent deadlines concern commercial vehicles and other vehicles: from 1 October 2027 it will be up to the M2, N1 and N2 categories, while from 1 October 2028 the block will extend to all the remaining categories. To understand if your car is involved, just check the registration document or enter the license plate on the Motorist Portal. Generally speaking, these are cars registered between 2011 and 2015, but it is the vehicle document that establishes the approval class with certainty. Anyone caught driving in violation of the ban risks a fine ranging from 168 to 679 euros.
MoVe-In: the exemption to continue circulating
However, those who own a Euro 5 diesel are not automatically forced to stop. Lombardy provides the MoVe-In system, a program that replaces the classic bans linked to days and times with a maximum limit of kilometers that can be traveled each year, monitored via a black box installed on board. Those who join the program can travel up to 10 thousand kilometers a year before falling within the standard prohibitions.
The other Regions: the alternative measures of Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna
Was Piedmont the first to avert the blockade, thanks to an update to the Regional Air Quality Plan approved in July. In Turin and Novara the measure would have affected around 307 thousand cars, now excluded from the ban. Instead of the blockade come incentives for biofuels, the strengthening of public transport and cycling, as well as traffic management systems based on artificial intelligence. Veneto followed the same direction, suspending the stop with a vote of the Regional Council in mid-September. Veneto is aiming for faster incentives to convert Euro 5 diesels to dual fuel and the possibility of resorting to smart working in public bodies on the days of the most critical PM10 alert. Also Emilia-Romagna it renounced the structural block in the nine capitals with more than 100 thousand inhabitants (from Piacenza to Rimini) which would have involved around 90 thousand cars. In its place, the Region has foreseen the postponement of the switching on of heating in lowland areas, stricter rules for biomass stoves in emergency phases. And ten million euros have been made available for those who replace old boilers with heat pumps.
