Polish vehicle plates flood Naples, driving €4 million insurance fraud scheme

Thousands of drivers in Naples have been using Polish‑registered licence plates to evade Italy’s higher auto‑insurance premiums. The scheme, known locally as the “Italian practice”, involves canceling a vehicle’s Italian registration, re‑registering it in Poland where insurance costs are far lower, and then leasing the car back to the driver. This has led to a surge in accident claims paid by Poland’s road‑victims fund (PBUK), which rose from about €1.5 million in 2024 to over €4 million in 2025.

Italian authorities estimate more than 68,000 Polish plates are on the road, the vast majority in Naples, and the practice also extends to Czech and Bulgarian plates. In response, the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure plans to require photographs during vehicle inspections to prove inspections occur in Polish workshops, aiming to curb the fraud and protect insurance costs.

The scheme exploits a legal loophole that permits foreign‑registered vehicles to be used in Italy under specific leasing arrangements, allowing owners to avoid higher Italian insurance, tax and tolls while still operating the vehicles locally.