FAQs Driving Tips Driving the Amalfi Coast means navigating the SS163 Amalfitana, Positano ZTL cameras, hotel whitelist procedures, and rental-car insurance gaps that can turn a short transfer into a €165–€434 penalty plus agency fees. This guide covers the legal no-go points for Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, and Capri, with practical routing advice from Naples Capodichino (NAP), Rome Fiumicino (FCO), and Salerno Costa d'Amalfi. Two rules matter first: ANAS Ordinance 340/2019 can activate the alternating plate system on the SS163 Amalfitana between 10:00 and 18:00 on designated dates, and Codice della Strada Article 7 governs the camera-enforced ZTL in Positano, Amalfi, and other municipal centres. A rental car in violation can trigger municipal fines of €120–€350 plus agency handling fees, with notices usually processed through the rental desk and later charged to the card on file. These rules apply to rental cars from Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise, Goldcar, Locauto, InterRent, Firefly, Sicily by Car, Primerent, King Rent, Hire Car Positano, Positano Vintage, Positano Car Service, Positano Rent, Rental Car Positano, and Positano.com. Scooters and motorcycles are generally exempt from the plate-restriction system, but they are not exempt from ZTL camera enforcement if they enter restricted urban zones. 💡 Tip: If you are landing at Naples Capodichino (NAP) or Rome Fiumicino (FCO), compare the rental desk’s plate assignment before you commit to the SS163 route; the same booking can produce an odd or even plate, which affects whether you can legally drive at 10:00–18:00 under ANAS Ordinance 340/2019. ⚠️ Warning: A rental company can still bill you for the municipal fine, a notification fee, and its own administration fee even when the traffic offense happened days earlier; under Article 7 and Article 142, the ticket often arrives after your trip and the car hire operator—Avis, Hertz, or a local broker—recharges the card later. ANAS Ordinance 340/2019 is the core traffic restriction on the SS163 Amalfitana, designed to reduce congestion on the coastal route between Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Amalfi, Atrani, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Praiano, and Positano. On even-numbered calendar days, even plates may circulate; on odd-numbered days, odd plates may circulate, usually from 10:00 to 18:00. The restriction covers the coastal axis from Vietri sul Mare to Positano, while access routes such as the A3 Napoli–Salerno motorway, the SS145 Sorrento Peninsula road, the SR 366 Agerolina, and the Provincial Road Valico di Chiunzi are commonly used to bypass the most restricted stretch. In practice, drivers heading to Ravello, Amalfi, or Montepertuso often choose inland routing to avoid a plate mismatch. Period Enforcement Frequency Hours Notes March 30 – April 6 Daily Peak spring restriction window April 24 – May 2 Daily Holiday-period enforcement June 1 – July 31 Weekends & public holidays Coastal traffic increases around Spiaggia Grande August 1 – September 30 Daily Highest-risk summer period October 1 – October 31 Weekends & public holidays Shoulder-season enforcement Official exemptions include residents of the Amalfi Coast municipalities and Agerola, vehicles with a valid disabled permit, taxis, NCC chauffeured vehicles, police, emergency vehicles, and public utility vehicles. A rental car from Positano Rent, Rental Car Positano, or King Rent does not qualify for a special exemption unless the plate is already exempt by status. 💡 Tip: If your rental car is blocked by plate parity, wait until 18:00, then drive after the restriction ends, or use the off-hours window before 10:00 to reposition through the SR 366 Agerolina toward Ravello or Amalfi. ⚠️ Warning: Hotel guests can sometimes use a temporary whitelist, but the hotel must submit the plate to the municipal portal in time; under the operational practice used by Comune di Positano and Polizia Stradale checkpoints, a paper reservation confirmation is safer than a phone screenshot. The Positano ZTL is a camera-enforced Limited Traffic Zone governed by Codice della Strada Article 7, and it is designed to keep non-resident traffic out of the historic centre near Via Pasitea, Via G. Marconi, Via dei Mulini, Spiaggia Grande, and the walkways leading toward Fornillo and Montepertuso. A vehicle entering the zone without authorization can be photographed automatically at the access gates. The fine structure typically includes a municipal penalty of €83–€332, an administrative notification charge of about €42, and a rental agency surcharge of roughly €40–€60, which can bring the practical total to about €165–€434 per entry. Comune di Positano and Polizia Stradale enforcement can be reviewed under the ZTL signage regime, and under Article 7 the camera record is enough to create liability. Parking option Location Access notes Practical use Parcheggio Mandara Via Pasitea 82 Near the upper town approach Good for short stays if the plate is cleared Parcheggio Di Gennaro Via Pasitea 1 Central but tight access Useful for hotel drop-offs Parcheggio Arienzo / Zarbo Arienzo side road Better for the lower coastal area Helpful for beaches and transfers Parcheggio Sirenuse Positano centre Prime central location Often fills early Parcheggio Luna Rossa Amalfi Outside Positano but useful for Amalfi plans Good base for side trips If your hotel is inside the ZTL, call before arrival, give the full plate number, and verify that reception has submitted the vehicle details to the municipal portal. For travellers who want to leave the car outside the core, our Positano parking garages guide compares garage access points and walk times to the town centre. Prefectural Decree No. 22 of 25 March 2026 prohibits most non-resident vehicles from boarding ferries for Capri during the tourism season, which matters if your Amalfi Coast itinerary includes Naples, Sorrento, or Salerno departures. The practical rule is simple: park the rental car at Naples Calata di Massa, Sorrento Marina Piccola, or Salerno and continue as a foot passenger. The decree applies to rental cars, foreign-plated cars, and vehicles not owned by a documented resident of Capri or Anacapri, with fines ranging from €430 to €1,731 for attempted boarding in violation of the ban. High-speed hydrofoils do not carry cars, so the restriction mainly affects ferry travel and port-side parking planning. 💡 Tip: Use a long-stay port garage and travel to Capri as a passenger, especially if your itinerary started with a transfer from Salerno Costa d'Amalfi or Naples Capodichino (NAP); this avoids last-minute parking and port-denied boarding problems. The SS163 Amalfitana can narrow to roughly 7 meters in built-up sections around Positano, Praiano, Furore, and Conca dei Marini, where SITA buses, delivery vans, and pedestrians compress traffic toward the wall. Common damage includes scraped alloy wheels, tire sidewall cuts, and lower-door scratches, especially near Spiaggia Grande and the approach to Fornillo. Standard CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) from a rental desk often leaves an excess or deductible, a franchise charge, and exclusions for wheels, tires, glass, and the undercarriage. A stronger policy may be sold as SCDW (Super CDW), FDW (Full Damage Waiver), zero excess, full coverage, or a third-party top-up, but the wording must explicitly cover the parts most exposed on the Amalfi Coast. Policy term Typical scope Key caution CDW Collision damage with excess Wheels and glass are often excluded SCDW Reduced excess May still exclude tires and undercarriage FDW Wider damage waiver Confirm if wheels and glass are included Zero excess No payable deductible Check preauthorisation rules at pickup Third-party top-up Refund-style extra cover Keep the rental contract and damage photos Fleet choice matters on the SS163 Amalfitana: Fiat 500, Fiat 500 Cabriolet, Fiat Panda, Lancia Ypsilon, Smart Fortwo, Mini Cooper, Fiat 500L, Volkswagen Beetle, Fiat 124 Spider, Alfa Romeo Giulia, and Morgan Plus 4 all create different parking and kerb-clearance risks, with smaller cars generally easier to place near Via Pasitea, Parcheggio Mandara, or Parcheggio Di Gennaro. ⚠️ Warning: Rental desks often place a preauthorisation on the card at pickup, and a zero-excess package does not always remove the hold; check whether the operator—Hertz, Europcar, Sixt, Enterprise, Locauto, or Sicily by Car—also requires a franchise deposit. 💡 Tip: Before leaving the lot, photograph all four wheels, the bumpers, the roof, and the undercarriage edge, then keep the images linked to the contract number in case the agency later disputes damage at Parcheggio Sirenuse or another garage. Italy’s standard speed limits are legally binding on the Amalfi Coast even when traffic makes them hard to reach: 50 km/h in towns, 90 km/h on extra-urban roads such as the SS163 Amalfitana, and 130 km/h on motorways like the A3 Napoli–Salerno motorway. Under Codice della Strada Article 142, fixed and mobile enforcement can generate tickets even on roads where the practical speed is much lower because of buses, bends, or tourism traffic. The Neopatentati rule applies to drivers with less than three years of license history, with a stricter 100 km/h motorway cap, 90 km/h on extra-urban roads, and 0.0% BAC tolerance. Under Codice della Strada Article 186, drunk-driving penalties escalate quickly, and under Article 135 foreign drivers should carry a valid home license plus an International Driving Permit (IDP). Driver category Motorway limit Extra-urban limit BAC rule Standard driver 130 km/h 90 km/h 0.5 g/L Neopatentati 100 km/h 90 km/h 0.0% Under 21 / stricter profile 100 km/h 90 km/h 0.0% Rental agencies may add age-based surcharges, and local traffic enforcement can involve Polizia Stradale, Carabinieri, ACI, ANAS, or the MIT (Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti) in roadside operations. Check the booking terms before pickup, especially if the driver is under 25 and the car is an Alfa Romeo Giulia or another higher-power class. There are no fuel stations in Positano proper, so the most practical refuelling points are the Q8 in Praiano, the Tamoil in Montepertuso, and the Go Electric Stations SRLS point on Via Marconi 110 for EV charging. If your route includes Amalfi, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, or Vietri sul Mare, top up before entering the densest tourist segment. Fuel / charge point Area Notes Practical use Q8 Praiano Praiano Reliable roadside fuel stop Best westbound backup Tamoil Montepertuso Above Positano Useful for hill access Good for local returns Go Electric Stations SRLS Via Marconi 110 EV charging location Relevant for plug-in or full EV rentals April-average pricing is approximately €1.78/L for unleaded petrol, €2.15/L for diesel, and €0.15–€0.25 per litre more at motorway Autogrill service areas. Unattended kiosks can reject some U.S.-issued magnetic-stripe cards, so keeping €20 and €50 notes is a practical backup for late-night refuelling. Law / ordinance / authority What it controls Practical impact ANAS Ordinance 340/2019 SS163 alternating plates Can block circulation 10:00–18:00 Codice della Strada Article 7 ZTL creation and camera fines Controls Positano, Amalfi, and town centres Codice della Strada Article 135 License and IDP requirement Affects foreign visitors and rentals Codice della Strada Article 142 Speed limits Applies on SS163 and motorways Codice della Strada Article 186 Alcohol limits 0.5 g/L standard, 0.0% for neopatentati Prefectural Decree No. 22 of 25 March 2026 Capri vehicle ban Restricts ferry embarkation Comune di Positano ZTL administration Manages local access and camera zones ANAS Road enforcement on the SS163 Publishes coastal traffic measures Polizia Stradale Roadside and camera enforcement Handles compliance checks Carabinieri National roadside policing Supports traffic enforcement ACI (Automobile Club d'Italia) Driver assistance and road info Useful for breakdown support MIT Transport policy and regulation Oversees road framework Regione Campania Regional transport coordination Influences coastal mobility policy Distretto Turistico Costa d'Amalfi Tourism coordination area Helps explain local visitor pressure ECC-Net Italy (Centro Europeo Consumatori Italia) Consumer disputes Useful for rental charge disputes FAQs Can I drive from Naples Capodichino (NAP) to Positano in the daytime without checking the plate? No, you should check the plate before driving because ANAS Ordinance 340/2019 can restrict the SS163 Amalfitana between 10:00 and 18:00 on designated dates. The rule applies by odd/even plate number and is enforced on the coastal road, while inland routes such as the SR 366 Agerolina are often used as alternatives. If your plate is blocked, you must wait, reroute, or travel outside the restriction window. Will a hotel in Positano automatically protect me from a ZTL fine? No, a hotel stay only helps if the property successfully whitelists your plate before entry. Under Codice della Strada Article 7, the camera records the vehicle first, and the municipal system then checks whether the plate was authorized; paper reservation details and the full plate number reduce mistakes. If the hotel does not register the vehicle in time, the fine can still be issued. Do I need extra insurance for scratches and wheel damage on the Amalfi Coast? Yes, a rental desk CDW often leaves an excess and excludes wheels, tires, glass, and undercarriage damage. A better option is SCDW, FDW, or a third-party top-up policy with zero excess, but only if the contract explicitly names the excluded parts and the preauthorisation terms. If the policy wording is vague, the rental company may still charge the deductible after inspection. Can I take a rental car to Capri? No, most non-resident rental cars are blocked under Prefectural Decree No. 22 of 25 March 2026. The practical workaround is to park in Naples, Sorrento, or Salerno and board as a foot passenger, because high-speed hydrofoils do not carry vehicles. If you are driving a resident-owned vehicle, the decree still requires proof of eligibility. For arrival logistics from NAP or FCO, see our Naples and Rome airport pickup guide. For parking rates and garage locations inside Positano, see the Positano parking garages guide. Short rule-of-thumb answers are in the car rental FAQ.