Cars most bought by expats in Italy

Expats have different tastes in terms of cars than Italian clients. Usually there is the tendency to choose what one knows best, so if in your country of origin you drive with a small automatic car probably in Italy you will want to choose something similar.

IMPORTANT, remember that to buy a car in Italy the following identity documents are required:

  • an Italian identity card
  • fiscal code
  • residence permit
  • Italian residency

Replacement papers of these documents are not valid; original documents are required.

documents-buy-car-italy

How to choose it

When you buy a car in Italy different important elements are to be considered so to get a good buy.

In general terms it’s important to follow one’s personal taste tied to the aesthetic line of the car, and the will/wish to drive a car that one likes. This is because somehow the car that we choose becomes something that will take us wherever we go and it will become a part of our lives.

This said, one must consider important elements which can make a difference in the selection of one car instead of another.

Time of stay in Italy

Usually the less time they stay, the less they pay for the car. This is because once the person goes to sell the car, it will be hard for them to make the same amount of money to buy it.

Merchantability of the car

If you do not think you will stay in Italy for a long time you must select a car which can easily be re-sold, the small city cars are usually perfect for this aim, also bigger cars are suitable, as long as popular models are chosen.

Maintenance costs of the car

When you buy a car you must consider the maintenance costs, and the availability of the spare parts. If you choose small or average-sized cars there aren’t any specific problems, you must pay a bit more attention when you choose German cars, Audi, BMW, Mercedes. These cars have higher maintenance costs.

Use of the car

Before buying a car it is necessary to understand how it will be used. Even though it seems like it is taken for granted, it is not at all, being careful with your own needs and imagining your life in Italy in terms of movement helps to choose a more appropriate model to your needs.

Doing a test drive before buying a car

Before buying a new car, it is necessary to try to drive it to see if it satisfies your expectations and if you are comfortable with driving it. Many car models in the Italian market are not present abroad so one must drive the chosen car before buying it. This will avoid the chance of having bought something that will later be regretted.

What to buy

Based on our experiences expats in Italy choose cars based on three guidelines:

  • Reliability
  • Style
  • Affordability / user-friendliness

The cars of the Toyota group like Yaris, CHR, Rav 4 are very requested by expats. Also Fiat cars like the 500 or the Grande Punto are cars that have great popularity are in fact small cars, easy to deal with and perfect to drive in cities given their size. When you need to choose spacious cars usually you select cars which are very spacious like Volkswagen Touran, Peugeot 3008, Volvo XC, Renault Kadjar.

fiat 500

The automatic transmission is very requested by expats. However, in Italy the market of used cars with the automatic transmission is not very spread and when you look for a used car with this characteristic the possibility of selection are restricted. It is estimated that the cars with an automatic transmission in Italy are between 15 and 20%.

It is however possible to buy a car with an automatic transmission but one must be very careful with what one chooses. One must be sure that the car that one is buying does not present any problem with the transmission because in this case repairing it would be very costly and not all workshops have the necessary skills for such repairs.

How much to pay to get a good buy

We will now look at the market of small and medium-sized cars.

In the price range within 13000 euros there are mainly three market ranges.

Between 2000 and 5000 euros you can find cars in excellent conditions, and they were built between 2006 and 2012 with a mileage which ranges between 130000 and 240000 km.
Between 5000 and 7000 euros you can buy cars which were built between 2013 and 2017 with a mileage which ranges between 40000 and 180000.
Between 7000 and 13000 euros very recent cars can be found which were built between 2018 and 2022 with a mileage which ranges between 10000 and 70000.

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