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Are electric scooters legal according to the UK law?

You can legally buy an electric scooter in the UK but it’s illegal to ride an e-scooter on the UK roads. Find out where you can use an e-scooter legally.

Nimisha Jain

Words by: Nimisha Jain

Last updated on 14 June 2022 | 0 min read

E-scooters are growing in popularity, both within and outside the UK. But there’s still a lot of confusion about whether e-scooters are road legal or not.
You can be fined and receive points on your driving licence if you’re found riding an e-scooter illegally, so keep reading to learn all about the laws around riding an e-scooter legally.

Are electric scooters legal in the UK?

You can buy an electric scooter in the UK, but you are not allowed to legally ride it on public roads, cycle lanes or pavements. Anyone who rides a privately-owned e-scooter in a public place is committing an offence.
At the moment, the only place you can legally ride an e-scooter is on private land, with the permission of the landowner. You can, however, rent an e-scooter that’s part of a government scheme and ride it on the public roads in the UK. To rent an e-scooter, you need a category Q entitlement on your driving licence which is included in a full or provisional category AM, A or B driving licence. An overseas provisional licence can’t be used to rent an e-scooter. You can check whether you’re eligible to rent an e-scooter on your licence or not online on Gov.uk. You can also check if there’s a government trial for rental e-scooters in your city on Gov.uk.

Why are private electric scooters not allowed on public roads?

Electric scooters are subjected to the same laws that apply to cars. Your e-scooter needs to be taxed and insured, have the relevant safety equipment and conform to the technical standards set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988, just like a car, to be able to legally use it on the UK roads.
You also need the relevant driving licence and registration to drive the vehicle. Electric scooters lack registration plates, clearly visible rear red lights or the ability to signal to other road users. Since e-scooters don’t comply with the rules, they’re not allowed to be used on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements. Rental scooters part of a government-backed trial are legal on the UK roads as special regulations have been drawn up which makes these rental e-scooters exempt from following the requirements of the Road Traffic Act 1988. To ensure safety, the speed on these rental electric scooters is capped at 15.5mph (24.9km/h). In ‘go-slow’ areas, the speed limit for electric scooters is capped at 8mph to make the roads safer for other road users. You don’t need motor insurance when riding a rental electric scooter as it’s provided by the rental company. To rent an electric scooter in London, you need to complete a one-time mandatory in-app training first to unlock and ride the e-scooter.

Fines for using an e-scooter

If you’re caught using a privately-owned e-scooter on any public road, cycle lane or pavement, you could be fined £300 and get six points on your driving licence. You may even have your e-scooter seized by the police.
It’s also illegal to carry an e-scooter on any of the TfL services – including the tube, overground, Elizabeth line, DLR and the tram. You could face a £1,000 fine for doing so. While you can legally rent and use an e-scooter part of a government trial, you still need to comply with road traffic regulations. You can ride a rental e-scooter only within its trail area – you could be fined £300 fixed-penalty and get six points on your licence for riding outside the trial area. It’s also illegal to ride the rental scooter on motorways – you could get a fixed Penalty Notice for doing so, while a £50 fine can be charged for riding on the pavement. Only one person is allowed on the e-scooter at a time and you must follow the traffic lights at all times. You’re not allowed to use your mobile phone while riding the electric scooter. You may only use your mobile as a sat-nav, and that too when it has been set up before you start riding your e-scooter. The fine for breaking this law is £200 and six penalty points on your driving licence. You’re not allowed to hang anything from the handlebars of the e-scooter. It’s also illegal to ride an e-scooter in an incapacitated state – you could face court-imposed fines, a driving ban or worse – imprisonment for doing so.

Electric scooter UK law change 2022

Government trials of e-scooters, ongoing since July 2020, will end in Spring 2022.
The data collected from these trials will shape policies and legislation around using e-scooters on UK roads. There have been suggestions that the government may regulate e-scooters similarly to battery-assisted pedal cycles in the future.  

Why are electric bikes legal but not e-scooters?

Electric scooters are regulated by the Road Traffic Act 1988, while electric bikes need to comply with EAPC (electrically assisted pedal cycles) requirements which is why electric bikes are legal on the UK roads.
You can read the full rules and laws around EAPS on Gov.uk. While e-scooters may not be legal just yet, there are various e-bikes available on Auto Trader to browse through.

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