Codacons

Refunds for motorway delays from 1 June: new rules and the risk of toll increases

From next June, motorists will be able to get refunds for delays from construction sites and blockades, but dealers may compensate with tariff increases.

by Enrico Netti

16 May 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Everything changes on the motorway: from 1 June motorists will be able to claim reimbursement when they accumulate delays due to roadworks and traffic jams.

The provisions on reimbursements, reports Codacons, were introduced by resolution no. 211/2025 of the Transport Regulatory Authority and will become operative by 1 June 2026 but, in this first phase, as far as delays caused by construction sites are concerned, they will only affect inefficiencies on routes that insist entirely on routes managed by the same concessionaire; reimbursements for construction sites on routes managed by several concessionaires will instead be triggered by 1 December 2026.

Site repayments...

The regulations stipulate that for routes of less than 30 kilometres the right to reimbursement is independent of the delay. For routes between 30 and 50 kilometres, reimbursement is triggered if the delay exceeds 10 minutes, while for routes longer than 50 kilometres the delay must be at least 15 minutes.

The amount of reimbursement is calculated on the basis of coefficients established by the Authority, and takes into account a component relating to the impact of the construction sites on the route taken by the user as well as an incremental component calculated on the basis of the time deviation, the classic "I'll be late, I'm stuck in the queue" due to the construction sites on the same route. Refunds above 10 cents will be credited and paid from the sum of EUR 1.

...and from traffic

Then there is the whole rich casuistry of traffic blocks. If it lasts between 60 and 119 minutes, 50 per cent of the toll will be reimbursed, which becomes 75 per cent for blocks lasting between 120 and 179 minutes, and full reimbursement when they exceed 180 minutes. The refunds apply to all motorists, and those with season tickets will be able to withdraw from their contracts if the road works diminish the usability of their usual route and obtain the restitution of the part of the season ticket not enjoyed," Codacons reports.

The dealer must also ensure multiple channels for sending the claim, including at least a specific section of the website, as well as a telephone number or physical points of assistance for delivery or dispatch

Within 20 days of the request, the concessionaire shall communicate the reasoned rejection, or the acceptance of the request, and the amount to be paid as reimbursement. The Art resolution, moreover, provided for the creation of a single App for all the concessionaires where applications for reimbursement could be submitted, an application which, however, has not yet been set up.

The critical issues

The most critical aspect of this revolution, however, concerns the possibility for motorway companies to fully recover the reimbursement expenses granted by increasing toll rates, denounces Codacons.

For construction site delays, the operators will be able to recover up to 2027 100% of the expense incurred (75% in 2028, 50% in 2029 and 25% in 2030), while reimbursements related to traffic blocks will be fully recovered by the concessionaires through tolls if the concessionaire demonstrates force majeure, compliance with information constraints and the adoption of all necessary measures to overcome the event. In essence, it will be the motorists themselves, through motorway tolls, who will pay out of their own pockets the refunds granted for delays and traffic blocks, warn the consumer association.

Exceptions

There are a whole series of exceptions that make the right to reimbursement, which is not due if there is already a general toll reduction on the route. In the case of emergency construction sites such as, for example, following accidents, extraordinary and unforeseeable weather or hydrogeological events, rescue activities; in an initial period of application of the measures, mobile construction sites will also be excluded from the reimbursement mechanism. Refunds above 10 cents will be credited and disbursed from the sum of 1 euro.

This is good news considering the many 'eternal' construction sites on many motorway sections such as, for example, on the A7 Milan - Genoa, the A10 Genoa - Ventimiglia and the A12 Genoa - La Spezia or in the Marche and Abruzzo regions.

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