“Are there incentives for vans?” In Italy in 2026, the honest answer is: there were, and the main window closed in an hour. On 29 July 2026 the Ministry (MIMIT) opened the low-emission commercial vehicle grants for SMEs on the Ecobonus platform — the measure funded by the DPCM Automotive — and the €40 million set aside for 2026 ran out in roughly sixty minutes. Anyone who wasn’t ready that morning, with the order lined up and the dealer in position, was left out.
This guide does two things: it sets out what actually happened and what remains today for fleets that need to renew — because it isn’t true that nothing is left. And it explains why the lesson from 29 July isn’t “get to the next window faster,” but something more useful: a fleet renewal shouldn’t be planned around a click-day lottery. It should be planned around total cost of ownership.
⚠️ Amounts, deadlines and fund availability change constantly and depend on implementing decrees. The figures below are verified against official sources (links at the end) as of the update date, but should always be re-checked on the portal before signing an order. This guide helps you get your bearings; it doesn’t replace the text of the call.
What happened on 29 July 2026
The DPCM Automotive of 10 June 2026 programmed the Automotive Fund through 2030. The line item that concerns fleets — €180 million for N1 and N2 commercial vehicles used by freight-transport SMEs — was made operational by MIMIT director’s decree no. 56604 of 27 July, which opened bookings on the Ecobonus platform (run by Invitalia) on 29 July at 12:00.
Here’s the point that causes the most confusion: the “Commercial Vehicle Ecobonus” and the “DPCM Automotive for N1/N2 vehicles” are not two different measures — they are the same thing. The €40 million in the 2026 tranche (€16 million of it reserved for electric and hydrogen) was disbursed through the Ecobonus portal. And it ran out in about an hour. Grants of up to €20,000 for the heaviest, cleanest vehicles with scrapping — for beneficiaries (freight-transport SMEs), many of whom didn’t manage to complete the booking in time.
Through the same window, on 29 July, the LPG/CNG retrofit measure also opened (€4 million for 2026): €400 for an LPG conversion and €800 for CNG, extended to business vehicles and to vehicles up to Euro 3.
What’s still open today
If you have a renewal to make now, the N1/N2 commercial channel for 2026 is closed — but you’re not without tools:
- Nuova Sabatini — the most solid lever right now, and it works on a different plane: it doesn’t cut the price, it cuts the cost of financing. Refinanced with €650 million for 2026-2027, it covers part of the interest on the loan or lease you use to buy the vehicle, business commercial vehicles included. The window is open, first-come-first-served until funds run out. We cover it in the guide to Nuova Sabatini for commercial vehicles.
- LPG/CNG retrofit — open since 29 July on the same Ecobonus portal, with a small budget (€4 million for 2026): check the remaining capacity, but for anyone weighing a conversion it’s an active channel.
- Regional calls — many Italian regions run their own commercial-vehicle renewal schemes, often stackable within their own limits. They change constantly: we map them in the guide to regional commercial-vehicle grants.
What’s coming (and when)
The DPCM is a multi-year programme: 2026 was only the first tranche. If you can plan a renewal a few months ahead, this is the calendar to watch:
- N1/N2 commercial — 2027 tranche: of the €180 million total for 2026-2030, roughly €40 million is programmed for 2027 (and the same for 2028 and 2029), with 40% reserved each year for electric and hydrogen. This is the next real window for the measure. There is currently no announced refinancing for 2026: anyone who missed out is looking at 2027.
- Social leasing for private individuals (€50 million, ISEE income below €30,000): not yet open; it needs an implementing decree and an EU tender to run it. It doesn’t concern businesses.
- Home charging points (€68 million): not yet open, awaiting the implementing decree.
- Electric motorcycles, scooters and quadricycles (€90 million): stated start date 1 January 2027.
The PNRR micro-enterprise measure is closed
The PNRR channel for road-haulage micro-enterprises — up to 30% of the price, capped at €20,000 per vehicle, electric N1/N2, micro-enterprises in functional urban areas — closed on 30 June 2026, with no reopenings or refinancing. If you missed it, the channels to look at are the ones in the previous section: Nuova Sabatini today, and the 2027 commercial tranche tomorrow.
The picture at a glance
| Measure | Status today | Who | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Ecobonus N1/N2 (DPCM) | 🔴 Sold out 29/07/2026 | Freight-transport SMEs | Next tranche ~€40m in 2027 |
| LPG/CNG retrofit | 🟠 Open since 29/07 (limited funds) | Business vehicles too | €400 LPG / €800 CNG |
| PNRR micro-enterprises | 🔴 Closed 30/06/2026 | Micro-enterprises in urban areas | No refinancing |
| Nuova Sabatini | 🟢 Active (window open) | Businesses buying on credit | Cuts interest, not the price |
| Social leasing | ⚪ Not yet open | Private individuals (ISEE < 30k) | Not for businesses |
| Home charging points | ⚪ Not yet open | Private/condominium | Awaiting decree |
| Motorcycles/quadricycles | ⚪ From 1 January 2027 | — | Category L |
The measures aren’t necessarily stackable on the same vehicle: each call sets its own rules. The exception is Nuova Sabatini, which works on financing and — within the applicable limits — adds to the purchase grant. We cover this in the guide to stacking incentives and the de minimis rule.
How to be ready for the next window
The 2026 tranche rewarded whoever was ready on the morning of 29 July, not whoever decided after the announcement. This holds for 2027 and for any first-come-first-served call: the work that makes the difference is done before the window opens.
- Take a snapshot of the fleet: for each vehicle, record age, Euro class, annual mileage, last year’s maintenance cost and days off the road. This is the data that tells you which vehicles to put forward for replacement — the question to answer before “how much will I get”.
- Check the requirements against your real profile: headcount, turnover, location, type of activity. They determine which measure you can actually access.
- Prepare the scrapping paperwork where required: registration document, first-registration date, Euro class, how long you’ve owned the vehicle to be scrapped.
- Line up the dealer in advance: bookings go through the seller’s platform. On a click-day, the difference between in and out is the minutes it takes for the application to be ready to submit.
To arrive ready we’ve built two free tools: the incentive check that tells you in a few clicks which channel fits your profile, and an operational guide with a checklist.
The incentive lowers the price. TCO decides whether it’s worth it
29 July is the clearest proof of a principle that incentive articles almost never address: a first-come grant is a lottery, not a plan. You can arrive ready and still be left out. The one lever you genuinely control is a different one — the vehicle’s total cost of ownership.
The grant cuts the purchase price, but the purchase price is only 30-40% of a vehicle’s real cost over its 7-10 year life. The other items — fuel or energy, maintenance, insurance, tolls, downtime, cost of capital — weigh more, and change radically between diesel, electric and gas. A generous incentive on the wrong vehicle for your routes is still a bad deal, and a vehicle with a low TCO per km is worth it even without a grant. The right choice is made on total cost of ownership, not on the discount: we cover it in detail in the guide to fleet TCO and how to calculate it.
This is doubly true for the electric-vs-conventional choice, where the incentive is higher but the payback depends entirely on your route mix: before deciding, look at the 5 fleet data points that tell you if you’re ready for electric and, if you run a mixed fleet, how to manage a mixed diesel-electric fleet through the transition. Having these numbers to hand — which requires a fleet tracking and management platform that surfaces them per vehicle — is what turns an incentive, when one comes, into a rational renewal decision rather than a scramble at the window. And if the renewal changes the make-up of the fleet, it’s the natural moment to rethink how you plan your routes too: delivery route optimisation software turns new vehicles into fewer kilometres and lower costs from day one.
The bottom line
In 2026 the main window for commercial vehicles — the N1/N2 Ecobonus funded by the DPCM Automotive — opened and closed in an hour, on 29 July. Still active today are Nuova Sabatini on the financing side, the LPG/CNG retrofit with limited funds, and regional calls; the next real window for commercial vehicles is the 2027 tranche. The PNRR micro-enterprise channel is closed.
The right move isn’t “wait for the next bonus”: it’s to reach the next window with your fleet data already in order and a renewal decision already made on total cost of ownership — so that the grant, if you get it, is a bonus and not the premise of the decision. Talk to our team: a year of operational data is enough to map which vehicles are genuinely worth replacing.
Frequently asked questions
Are there still incentives for commercial vehicles in 2026?
The main channel — the N1/N2 Ecobonus funded by the DPCM Automotive — used up its €40 million for 2026 on 29 July, in about an hour, and hasn’t been refinanced. Still active, though, are Nuova Sabatini (which cuts the interest on financing, window open), the LPG/CNG retrofit with limited funds, and various regional calls. The next window for the commercial Ecobonus is the 2027 tranche.
Are the “Commercial Vehicle Ecobonus” and the “DPCM Automotive” two different incentives?
No — and the confusion is understandable, because the press treats them as separate. The DPCM Automotive funds for SME N1/N2 vehicles were disbursed through the Ecobonus platform: they are the same measure. What “sold out” on 29 July is the 2026 tranche of those €180 million programmed through 2030.
When do applications for commercial vehicles reopen?
There’s no refinancing announced for 2026. The DPCM’s multi-year plan does provide for new tranches, though: roughly €40 million for 2027 (and the same in 2028 and 2029), with 40% reserved for electric and hydrogen. The exact 2027 opening date will depend on the director’s decree that activates it, as happened for 2026.
Is the incentive always worth it if I can access it?
Not automatically. The incentive lowers the purchase price, which is only part of the total cost of ownership. A vehicle with a high incentive but a poor fit for your missions can cost more over time than a less-incentivised alternative. The right assessment is made on TCO per km, not on the discount — and it’s also the only lever you control, whereas a first-come grant is not.
Do I have to scrap an old vehicle?
It depends on the measure. In the commercial Ecobonus, scrapping is required for non-electric fuel types (a vehicle up to Euro 4) and not for BEV/FCEV, where instead you must keep ownership of the new vehicle for at least 24 months. In the PNRR micro-enterprise measure (now closed) scrapping was the condition for the full amount. Always check the conditions of the call in force on the official portal.
Official sources: MIMIT — Ecobonus for low-emission commercial vehicles and LPG/CNG retrofit now open · MIMIT — Ecobonus automotive · ANSA — Commercial vehicle funds run out immediately (29/07/2026). Amounts, requirements and fund availability change: always check the call in force on the official portal before buying.