In short: when a fine arrives for a vehicle you were not driving, the question is always the same: who had the vehicle at that moment? If you know straight away, responding takes minutes. Here are the essential rules in Italy.
Three different situations
1. Rental without a driver Under the Italian Highway Code (Codice della strada, article 196), in a rental without a driver it is the customer who rented the vehicle who is liable together with the offender, instead of the owner. In practice the fine comes to the rental company, which must tell the issuing authority who had the vehicle, so the fine notice is served on that person (renotification).
2. Free loan (courtesy car, demo vehicle) Here the vehicle is lent free of charge. The fine comes to you as the owner, and you are liable together with the driver. You can then ask the driver to reimburse you (recharge), if your agreement provides for it.
3. Company vehicle assigned to an employee The fine comes to the company (or to the long-term lease company, which passes it on to the company). Who pays is set by the company car policy; either way, you need to know who was driving.
The 60 days not to forget
If the offence carries penalty points, whoever receives the fine notice must give the driver's details within 60 days of notification (article 126-bis of the Highway Code). Failing to do so risks a second penalty, for not giving the details.
The real problem: finding who was driving
The rules are clear; the work is finding the right person. The fine shows the number plate, date and time. You need to trace:
- who had the vehicle at that moment;
- their personal and driving licence details;
- the signed contract, as proof.
With a paper log or an Excel sheet, it is a search. With a digital log of every handover and return, it is one click.
Responding to whoever asks
Often the driver's details are requested not only by the local council or the police, but also by a rental company or a fleet that entrusted the vehicle to you. In these cases you may be asked for a record file (tracciato record): a file with the data in the format they use. Preparing it by hand takes time; generating it from the data you already have takes a few seconds.
How you do it with Movolab
Every rental or free loan recorded in Movolab is a Movo, with who had the vehicle, from when to when, and the signed contract. When a fine arrives, you search by number plate and date: Movolab tells you who was driving. From there you reply to the authority or the rental company, including with the record file, and choose whether to recharge the fine or name the driver.
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This article is for information only and is not a substitute for legal advice: for a specific fine notice, consult a professional. Last source check: October 2026.
Sources
- Highway Code (Codice della strada), art. 196 — Brocardi, joint liability principle (in Italian)
- Highway Code (Codice della strada), art. 126-bis — Generali, failure to give the driver's details (in Italian) · Altalex (in Italian)
- Fines on rental cars — Autovia (in Italian)