In January 2026 it cost 0.33% more to insure the car than in the previous month. A figure that, read like this, seems almost reassuring. The problem is the comparison with a year ago: compared to January 2025, the price of the car insurance policy rose by 4.38%, while general inflation in the same period stopped at 1%.
The data comes from the Istat survey of car insurance prices for January 2026, processed by Ania. The picture that emerges is not immediately dramatic, but tells of a trend that has lasted for years. In the two-year period 2024-2025, Motor TPL premiums grew by an overall 11.5%, compared to general inflation of 2.5%. Even before that, in the two-year period 2022-2023, the opposite had happened: general prices had risen by almost 14%, while car insurance policies had remained almost at a standstill. The companies have made up for lost ground, and perhaps even a little more.
The new taxes of the 2026 budget
Two measures introduced by the Meloni government in the latest budget law also weigh on price trends. Neither directly increases the cost of the policy, but both increase the tax burden on insurance companies, with predictable repercussions on customers at the time of renewal.
The first is a 2% increase in IRAP, the same measure imposed on the banks after months of negotiations. The second concerns driving accident policies: the government has resolved a tax dispute that has dragged on for decades, establishing that a rate of 12.5% instead of the previous 2.5% applies to these covers. A 10% jump which should bring around 115 million euros to the state coffers.
In January, the impact was not felt as brutally — the monthly increase was lower than in the previous two years (0.54% in January 2025, 0.77% in January 2024). Over the course of the year, as the policies are renewed, it will be understood whether the companies will transfer the new tax burdens to the premiums.
Where you pay less: the five virtuous provinces
In 2026 the average national rate exceeded 420 euros, according to Ania data, even if behind this figure lies an insurance geography that clearly divides the country.
In fact, there are some provinces where the premium remains well below average. Enna leads this savings ranking with an average policy of just over 300 euros – almost a mirage for those who live elsewhere. Potenza confirms itself as a low accident rate area with rates among the most competitive in Italy. In Sardinia both Oristano and Nuoro stand out, where the low traffic density and a low accident rate keep premiums stable. Pordenone closes the group, the only representative of the North among the five most convenient: virtuous claims management rewards its motorists with costs significantly below the national average.
The black list: where insurance weighs like a boulder
On the other side of the peninsula — both geographically and economically — the situation is very different. In some provinces the average premium easily exceeds 600 euros, double that of the most convenient areas.
Naples remains the absolute black jersey: despite some slight percentage drops in recent months, the Campania capital firmly maintains the negative record. Caserta sits next to it, forming a cost-intensive bloc with Naples, exacerbated by a high incidence of reported insurance fraud. The surprise – if it can still be called such – comes from Tuscany, which places three provinces in the top 5 of the most expensive: Prato, which firmly confirms itself on the national podium, Pistoia, with one of the most aggressive price increases in the last two years, and Florence, confirming that the region is going through a critical phase for urban tariffs.
Between Enna and Naples, therefore, the gap is almost double. Insuring the same small car with the same driver profile can cost radically different depending on the zip code. The reasons are known — vehicle density, frequency of accidents, scams — but knowing them doesn’t lighten the premium.
How long will this ride last? The renewals distributed throughout the year will provide the answer. For now, the numbers say the worst may not be here yet.
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