Alcolock car: what it is, how it works, who must install it on board, costs and penalties

With the publication (which took place on 24 February 2026) on the Motorist Portal of the list of retailers, authorized workshops and models on which the device can be installed, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has started the operational phase of the provision linked toAlcolock. Just over six months (the deed dates back to 2 July 2025) from the signing of the definitive text by Matteo SalviniMinister of Infrastructure and Transport, has received the green light for this measure which, despite some critical issues, aims to progressively reduce (and, potentially, eliminate) cases of drunk driving. It is, in fact, one of the most significant (and discussed) innovations among those introduced by the new Highway Code, in force since December 14, 2024. In particular, the law provides that all drivers already sanctioned for driving with a blood alcohol level higher than 0.8g/the can get behind the wheel, in the following two years, of equipped vehicles of the appropriate on-board instrumentation, with the engine starting which will only be guaranteed if the alcohol level is zero.

alcohollock: costs and rules

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From administrative sanctions (with a maximum amount of 3,200 euros) to arrest for up to six months, in addition to the suspension of the driving license and the deduction of points. Anyone who will be caught by the police, as part of one of the routine checks, with a blood alcohol level higher than 0.8g/the risks, even from a criminal point of view. Following the final conviction, the motorist will have the obligation (for the following two years) to install the Alcolock on board his vehicle. Of course, at the moment it is not yet possible to do this on everyone (a this linkpublished on the Motorist Portal, the complete list of vehicles on which it is already possible to operate is available). The cost is not insignificant (it comes to 2 thousand eurosall at the expense of the sanctioned person), but even the operation does not allow discounts: if, just before turning the key to start the car, alcohol is detected in the breath, the engine will not start. In short, the rate must be zero, while if it goes beyond the 1.5g/thethe obligation to have the device on board will be extended for a third year. Harsher sanctions are foreseen for new drivers and professional drivers.

alcoholock, the criticisms of the associations

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There are just under three hundred models, including cars and commercial vehicles, on which, according to what was published by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on the Motorist portalit is already possible to install the Alcolock. “But the Italian car fleet – states in a note the Federcarrozzieriparticularly critical of this provision – is, as is known, very old, to the point that the average age of the cars stands at 13 years: on many particularly old cars it will be technically impossible to install the Alcolock. Furthermore, not all body shops, even if they meet the legal requirements, will be able to fit Alcolocks on cars, but only those indicated by the manufacturer of the device and included in the MIT list: a limit which on the one hand violates the rules on competition and on the other, by reducing the number of authorized operators, will lead to an alteration of the market with a consequent increase in costs borne by motorists”. Among the most contested passages of the law is that relating to the use of the car several times a day, with the obligation to pass the test with disposable mouthpieces (to be purchased separately) in each situation, and the need to extend the provision also to other possible users (although not sanctioned) of a vehicle directly attributable to the convicted motorist. “We remind you that the estimated cost for installing the Alcolock on cars is around 2 thousand euros per car, to which must be added the costs of periodic calibration required by the decree, maintenance, and that for disposable mouthpieces – he states Davide Gallipresident of the Federcarrozzieri – Then there is the paradox of those families who have only one car: in the event of the installation of the Alcolock, all the other members of the household, in order to start the car, will also have to have a blood alcohol level of zero”. Assoutenti is also skeptical. “The risk is that a positive measure on paper turns into a limitation of freedom of movement to the detriment of individuals who have never received convictions for driving while intoxicated, giving rise to an avalanche of appeals” underlines the president Gabriele Melluso.