Patentino at 14: what you can ride with the patente AM and what the limits are

With the patente AM you can ride three types of vehicles (Codice della strada (Highway Code), article 116):

• two-wheeled mopeds (ciclomotori), that is scooters: maximum design speed up to 45 km/h and an engine up to 50 cc. If the engine is electric, the power goes up to 4 kW;
• three-wheeled vehicles of the same type;
• light quadricycles (quadricicli leggeri), small four-wheeled vehicles, up to 350 kg unladen.

Before you ride a vehicle, check that it falls within these limits. If you have a doubt, ask an adult or a driving school.

Until age 16, the patente AM has two extra limits (Codice della strada, article 115):

• you can ride only in Italia;
• you cannot carry other people: no friends or brothers or sisters on the scooter.

When you turn 16, these limits end and the patente AM is valid without these restrictions.

There is also the rule of the foglio rosa, the document with which you practise driving before the practical exam. With the foglio rosa for the patente AM, you can never carry passengers, at any age (Codice della strada, article 122).

The speed limit for mopeds is 45 km/h (Codice della strada, article 142). It applies to every moped, always.

There is a difference to understand. The maximum design speed is the one the vehicle was designed for. The limit of 45 km/h is the one you must respect on the road. For the patente AM both count: the scooter must be built to stay within 45 km/h and you must not exceed it.

When you ride the moped or the motorcycle you must wear the helmet while riding, and the same applies to the passenger. The helmet must be:

• approved, that is, it follows the safety rules;
• properly fastened.

It is not needed on three-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles with a closed body (Codice della strada, article 171).

For the theory exam it is useful to review exactly these topics well: vehicles, age limits, speed and the helmet. To practise you can use PatenteInTasca, practice material with simple explanations and exam simulations. Review one topic at a time and redo the quizzes you get wrong.

PatenteInTasca is not affiliated with the Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (MIT) (Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport) or with the Motorizzazione (the vehicle licensing office), and it is not a driving school.

If your son or daughter got the patente AM at 14, remember that until age 16 they can ride only in Italia and without passengers. On the moped, the approved, fastened helmet is compulsory while riding.

Before you buy or lend a vehicle, check that it falls within the limits of the patente AM: up to 45 km/h, an engine up to 50 cc or 4 kW, and up to 350 kg unladen for light quadricycles. Talking about these rules together, without hurry, is the simplest way to get off to a good start.