The recovery of the Italian market for trailers and semi-trailers over 3.5 tonnes continued in September 2025, with registrations rising by 55.1% compared with the same month in 2024. A total of 1,298 units were registered, up from 837 the previous year. The increase of 461 units is a positive result but, as Unrae points out, it also reflects comparison with a particularly weak September 2024. Over the first nine months of 2025, registrations reached 11,592 units, up 13.4% compared with 10,219 in the same period of 2024.
On the incentives front, the Ministry of Transport has published in the Official Gazette the decree defining the contributions for renewing the trailer and semi-trailer fleet. However, the sector is still waiting for the implementing decree required to open applications and make the measure fully operational. The 2025 budget for the sector amounts to €3.8 million, a figure Unrae considers insufficient to meet market needs. The association is calling for the urgent release of an additional €6 million already planned.
At European level, the revision of the Directive on the weights and dimensions of industrial vehicles is back under discussion. The review could allow cross-border circulation of Ems combinations, up to 25.25 metres long with a total mass of 60 tonnes. In Italy, Unrae considers it a priority to complete the process concerning Eurotrailers, combinations up to 18.75 metres, whose trials have concluded successfully. The association urges the update of the implementing regulation of the Highway Code to make this solution operational, viewing it as an intermediate step towards larger Ems configurations.
The trend observed in the third quarter therefore reflects a combination of cyclical and structural factors: on one hand, the weak comparison base of 2024; on the other, a gradual recovery in investment appetite, supported by expectations over incentives and by the need to adapt technically to new vehicle configurations. The actual entry into force of the incentives in the coming months may influence the timing of new acquisitions, potentially shifting part of demand to late 2025 or early 2026.
