Electric Scooter Laws in the UK

Please visit my new and more up to date article on electric scooter laws in the UK for 2023.

I’m always getting asked about the electric scooter laws UK. So here is everything I know about them, Please be aware I’m by no means an expert on the electric scooter laws here so this is my little disclaimer. This is just what I’ve found out so far.

Electric scooter laws in the UK

Because electric scooters are powered by a motor (an electrical one), they’re classed by the Department of Transport as mechanically propelled vehicles, and therefore as motor vehicles.

Motor vehicles with less than four wheels, and less than 410kg are then classed as motorcycles. This is defined in Section 185 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Due to their low speed they then end up in the subcategory of moped.

So officially in UK electric scooter laws, your scooter is classed as a moped.

electric scooter laws in the uk

What does that mean for commuters?

In order for an electric scooter to be legal for road use in the UK, they must comply with construction regulations and they must be officially registered.

Before you buy any electric scooter intended for road use, ensure the seller will provide you with a valid certificate of conformity.

The only electric scooter supplier I’m aware of that supplies road legal electric scooters is Evo Scooters (click here). Evo give you a certificate that you then need to use to register your scooter to use on the roads.



You’ve got your certificate, how do you then register it?

To register your electric scooter to ride it on the roads you then need to visit:

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/new-registrations

And order yourself a V55/5 form (I know it’s a lot of hoops but worth it!)

Scroll down to “making an application”, then click on “DVLA’s form ordering service”. Then click “start now”.

https://www.gov.uk/dvlaforms

Fill in your details and select the V55/5 form.

You then send in your form along with a cheque for £55 to the DVLA to register your electric scooter.

Currently you don’t pay road tax for an electric scooter.

Can you ride an electric scooter on the pavement in the UK?

Under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 it’s classed as an offence to ride a vehicle on the pavement.



What about a driving license?

So you’ve got your road legal electric scooter, you know how to register it. But are you even allowed to ride on the roads in the first place? If you’ve not passed your driving test, you do have to be road safe and that means doing some compulsory basic training (or CBT).

https://www.gov.uk/cbt-compulsory-basic-training

If you don’t take your full motorcycle test, you have to repeat your CBT every 2 years.

Prices for a CBT course varies depending on where you live in the UK but the average price seems to be between £100-£120.

In the CBT training you’ll have an eye test, learn some basic road theory and do some practical on road training as well.

Do you need insurance to ride an electric scooter in the UK?

You will need adequate motor insurance according to the government website. As we discussed at the start of this article, electric scooters are classed as mopeds, and you do need ‘adequte motor insurance’ to ride a moped in the UK. Please ensure you do take out some sort of moped insurance when you ride on the UK roads.

https://www.gov.uk/ride-motorcycle-moped/overview

Summary

I hope this short guide to electric scooter laws in the UK has helped you decide whether a road legal electric scooter is the right decision for you.

Once you’re registered with the DVLA, got your insurance and you’ve done your basic road training, you’ve got a lot of freedom to commute on your electric scooter so it is worth the bit of hassle getting set up in my opinion.

Visit Evo Scooters for a road legal electric scooter that supplies a compliance certificate.

If you know of anywhere else in the UK that sells road legal scooters, please do get in touch and let me know.

My road legal scooter reviews:

Road legal Evo 1000W Electric Scooter

Evomotion Electric Moped Scooter

46 thoughts on “Electric Scooter Laws in the UK”

  1. Thanks for the detailed blog post! I was considering getting the Chaos 48 volt 1000w to commute the last 0.5 mile.

    The last 0.5 part of the commute would be a cycle path down the side of a river, away from roads and pedestrians have there own ‘section’ of the path.

    Do you think it would be ok to travel down it?

    Also, do electric bikes fall into the same legal category as electric scooters?

    Reply
  2. Hi I like your scooters but I also like the ET folding scooters also the K1 if your scooters are legal why are others are not seems a very grey area to me a scooter is a scooter some designs are better than others so all scooters should be legal if you have a current driving license and are competent to ride up to 20 mph

    Reply
  3. I thought I would comment as this looks like a primary source on Google.

    This article raises a few questions for me and I think would be super helpful to understand the whole picture and these items are getting more popular.

    Push bikes with electric motors that aid your cycling. Do these need to be registered with the DVLA too. Electric buggys the elderly use, their on pavements and have a motor is that illegal?

    If a push bike is supported by an electric motor but don’t directly drive the engine would that be legal?

    If you have a motor and don’t use it are you still confined to the law, like with a scooter you can use your feet, would you have to prove it was broken or ran out of electric to be on the pavement?

    I wanted to get an electric scooter for commuting, hopping on and off pavements would be safe and super convenient. Now i’m thinking of using the car again due to the confinements of the law which isn’t clean, fun or as friendly as an electric scooter.

    FYI your article was v helpful but raises a few questions.

    Reply
    • Hi, I’m not an expert on elderly electric buggys and push bikes I’m afraid, I’ll have to do some researching and get back to you. I would guess that if it has a motor you would have to be very careful saying you don’t use it because why would you have that as opposed to one without that’s far cheaper and lighter. It would look a bit dodgy.

      Thanks for your comment! Steve

      Reply
      • Sorry I put this response in the wrong place so here it is for you again.

        I own an electric scooter one I bought from evo, they are good but they do have to by law be registered, regardless of the size of the scooters motor they must ( if you want to be legal and not worry about losing your license and getting points) be registered and insured.
        Bicycles come under a different law which says they can be used so long as they meet the requirements of electrical assistive bicycle law.
        The sole reason why electric scooters are considered moped/motorcycles is simply because they do not have pedals that are their main form of propulsion. Some scooter manufacturers tried getting around this law by fitting pedals, however the dpt of trans declared them illegal as the pedals were not the main form of propulsion.
        Electric bikes must have a motor no bigger than 250 watts and cut out at 15.5 mph any faster and it is considered a moped/motorcycle.
        There is no weight restriction and one or two people have taken this to extremes by turning what used to be a car into a four person pedal cycle, youtube has these videos.
        As for using these electric scooters on the pavement, you could end up with a huge fine for endangerment driving on the pavement with a motor vehicle.
        Disable scooters are exempt and have to follow strict guidelines, ie pavement use 4 mph road use 12 mph.
        An able bodied person riding a disabled persons electric scooter could be fined and lose their license under the UK law.
        The mayor of London could pass a by law allowing Londoners the right to use all London roads or pavements with electric scooters but it’s doubtful that will happen.
        People need to lobby their MPs for a change in the law to allow these vehicles, not only would it promote cleaner air quality but would provide a huge new industry which means jobs.
        Just as an outside note, the EVO scooter is quite expensive to insure if you don’t already have other vehicles to add it to, and so far there is only one company in the whole of the UK willing to insure them as far as i’m aware, the range is low unless you get better batteries which cost quite a bit.

        Reply
        • According to the Cambridge Dictionary a ‘scooter’ is a child’s vehicle with two or three small wheels joined to the bottom of a narrow board and a long vertical handle attached to the front wheel. It is ridden by standing with one foot on the board and pushing against the ground with the other foot.

          My point being if a standard ‘scooter’ is powered by your foot as is a bicycle, by adding electrical power shouldn’t it come under the same legislation ?

          It certainly isn’t a Motorcycle or a car why does what in essence is a ‘toy’ come under the same rules ?

          Reply
          • These are certainly not toys. They can go up to 30 miles per hour and should be respected.

          • To be fair some of the razor electric scooters do 18-20mph. It says max weight 100kg – 12 years plus through to big kids on Toys R Us website

        • Hi I own a Evo powerboard road legal and have been trying to get insurance for its use on roads and cannot find anywhere…..can you help me out, where is this 1 company ?
          Thanks A

          Reply
      • hi about electric legal pavement vehicles there are lots of disabled electric vehicles on pavements ime not completly disabled i can stand cant walk much at all ive used a razor 300 without anyone questioning me i need to upgrade just to get greater range and dont wont a cumberson official mobility scooter costing loads when a two wheeled suits my mobilities and ime using balance and body do you know if the law alter if one is disabled i would appriciate anything you can offer as this would help make decision

        Reply
        • It’s unfortunate but they tar everyone with the same brush if it’s electric and had less than three wheels it’s nit an “invalid carriage” that is legal to use on the path I’m in the same position needing something smaller and easier than a big mobility scooter that can not fit on public transport

          Reply
  4. Hello. Thank you for bringing this up. With the rise of this new, should I say, high tech rides, traffic laws has become even more confusing. It usually differs from once place to the next so I guess it is safe to say, that we have to check first in our locality first before getting one.

    Reply
  5. Electric scooters and wheelchairs for disabled use have specific regulations covering their use. They’re officially ‘Invalid carriages’ (the law is old). ‘Class 2’ invalid carriages are restricted to pavement use and 4mph max, while ‘Class 3’ are legal on the road, given appropriate lights, horn etc, with a max. on-road speed of 8mph (4mph on pavements). The class 3s have to be registered with DVLA.

    I had a small folding class 2 mobility scooter but had to sell it. Now I’d like a non-disability electric scooter (cheaper, doesn’t shout “Disabled” & looks fun) for use on pavements but I’m shocked to find none are pavement ok, and only some are road ok. But you can use an electric bike with the governments blessing? How is this fair?

    Reply
  6. I own an electric scooter one I bought from evo, they are good but they do have to by law be registered, regardless of the size of the scooters motor they must ( if you want to be legal and not worry about losing your license and getting points) be registered and insured.

    Bicycles come under a different law which says they can be used so long as they meet the requirements of electrical assistive bicycle law.

    The sole reason why electric scooters are considered moped/motorcycles is simply because they do not have pedals that are their main form of propulsion. Some scooter manufacturers tried getting around this law by fitting pedals, however the dpt of trans declared them illegal as the pedals were not the main form of propulsion.

    Electric bikes must have a motor no bigger than 250 watts and cut out at 15.5 mph any faster and it is considered a moped/motorcycle.

    There is no weight restriction and one or two people have taken this to extremes by turning what used to be a car into a four person pedal cycle, youtube has these videos.

    As for using these electric scooters on the pavement, you could end up with a huge fine for endangerment driving on the pavement with a motor vehicle.

    Disable scooters are exempt and have to follow strict guidelines, ie pavement use 4 mph road use 12 mph.

    An able bodied person riding a disabled persons electric scooter could be fined and lose their license under the UK law.

    The mayor of London could pass a by law allowing Londoners the right to use all London roads or pavements with electric scooters but it’s doubtful that will happen.

    People need to lobby their MPs for a change in the law to allow these vehicles, not only would it promote cleaner air quality but would provide a huge new industry which means jobs.

    Just as an outside note, the EVO scooter is quite expensive to insure if you don’t already have other vehicles to add it to, and so far there is only one company in the whole of the UK willing to insure them as far as i’m aware, the range is low unless you get better batteries which cost quite a bit.

    Reply
    • By this logic, a scooter with a motor <250 W and limited to 15.5mph should be legal since the primary form of propulsion, as with the electric bicycle, is still there (pushing with your leg!). I thought that's why most of them don't start from zero, you need to get them going by their "primary form of propulsion" before the motor will kick in.

      Reply
  7. There is one vehicle type that is exempt from the law as the law is pedantic in implementation.

    That type is the Electric unicycle, the law pertaining to electric bikes and scooters state two wheels or more, the electric unicycle has but one wheel therefore does not fall under the same laws as the bikes or scooters.

    From my understanding these machines are classed as toys, there are no laws pertaining to one wheel toys restricting them from using the pavement, you are not allowed to use the road.

    However the dpt of trans has left the rules up to each individual police chief to interpret in relation to the 1800s law regarding the use of pavements, basically if you ride it with care and do not cause a nuisance with it you are likely to be left alone, just the same as riding a kick scooter is left alone, though technically illegal the police have no interest so long as you ride with care.

    Reply
    • Hi G, I hope you’re right. I’ve got one arriving in a few days. I know they’re not legal & I don’t really have any interest in making it road legal. Partly because London roads are damn dangerous. If I was going to go to all that trouble then I may as well get a big electric motorcycle & not a kickboard.

      I was hoping to just keep a low profile & keep my speed to a minimum. I mean, I see cyclists riding on the pavement every day in London. I’ve seen ’em ride straight past cops dozens of times, all the time in fact & they don’t bat an eyelid. I think they’re just glad to have less traffic on the roads in rush hour. Well I’m hoping anyway but I’ll find out soon enough lol. I’ll choose my routes carefully & hope for the best. Pray for me

      Reply
  8. Do we need some kind of test for my husband to ride a pavement only electric scooter?
    He had a stroke 7 months ago able to walk in aided but use of one arm and hand only.
    His speech and language are affected , he has aphasia and dyspraxia. He has used them on day trips and in supermarkets but in told need permission from his OT ?
    Can’t find any info anywhere only if in the road
    Many thanks

    Reply
    • I’m not sure what you mean by pavement only electric scooters. Which model have you got in mind? You only need a basic test to ride the road legal ones on the main roads.

      Reply
  9. Is a Folding Electric Scooter (like the Xiaomi M365) needs to be registered? They are the same than bicycles with an electric engine

    Reply
  10. I’ve just got one. I have only used it in London today for the first time. Very aware the law on this. But my reason to get a kick scooter was to stay on the pavement. The roads for bikes in london are too dangerous in my opinion.

    My experience today was one of trepidation. I was occassionally kicking to give the impression of either a kick scooter or kick assist. The latter like the Micro e-one. Maybe thays why they designed it so. I didnt buy it cos whats the point. I have a micro black. I dont want to kick!

    I note lots of people have kick scooters in london now. Which wasnt the case when i bought mine about 4 or 5 years ago. This has meant smooth surface areas which are a joy are not allowed. I’ve been told off around MORE london loads.

    My own self analysis with the electric is that i was actually more cautious and defensive. On the micro black I’m gung ho.

    Hopefully they dont make the laws chamge to affect us. Like they wiped out hover boards.

    If they do I’ll have to trade up for a unicycle.

    Interestingly ive only seen one person in London with an electric scooter – a glion. Which clearly had brakes a display and i should have asked him his experience.

    Basically let’s not ride like d!ckh3ads and hopefully we’ll be allowed to continue in this fun form of transport.

    Reply
  11. Just returned from Israel where there was a highly reported incident involving a serious injury to a top Israeli fashion model falling from her e-scooter potentially caused by a wet path. It was unclear whether she was wearing any form of helmet or padded fall-protection gear. Can I ask if there is any legislature pertaining to the use of safety helmets and/or safety equipment in the UK? I recollect in the 1970s and 1980s there was a plethora of such equipment devoted to and available for skateboarding enthusiasts.

    Reply
      • I personally wear full face helmet with goggles, elbow & knee pads as well as fox enduro gloves too.
        Every single time I ride, without exception.
        I suppose that would be considered overboard on some scooters but not the one I ride.

        Reply
  12. I am interested in purchasing an electric scooter for use on the road. but cannot find out whether one has to wear a crash helmet, and if so , what type. I have a very expensive motor cycle helmet but think I might look a little silly wearing it on a scooter! Someone’s help would be appreciated – thanks. Huggie.

    Reply
  13. I want to ask if anyone has done CBT on an electric scooter? As a motorcyclist who used to be an electric scooter rider Id be very interested to hear if anyone has done it on a vechile that in motorcycle terminology not government terminology is NOT in motorcycle terms classed as a moped, definition and terminology can vary greatly. The main thing I want to point out is to take CBT you at the very least need a provisional licence, you can’t take CBT without one, you’re licence number goes onto your CBT certificate without that It’s invalid. I’m just talking from experience…BUT if you have a full UK driving licence and passed your test before 2001 CBT is not compulsory or legal for you just recommend, that might be worth noting for some of you as you wouldn’t need a test for your electric scooter if that applies 🙂 let’s all be honest I own a Vespa motorcycle and before that I had a moped and motorbike scooter. I also own 5 electric scooters I use every now and then for fun. I could not imagine turning up to my motorbike CBT with the bikers on our motorcycles that have speeds of 90mph in full protective gear and someome turning up on an electric scooter in a bicycle helmet, vice versa I’d feel silly doing CBT on an electric scooter around bikers, it’s just how it is unfortunately. I think they’re should be a separate test for electric scooters with instructors who specialise purely in that to give them the right training as motorbikes and electric scooters are very different and should be taught accordingly, with electric scooters on the rise it makes sense they’d have they’re own rules and training rather than the government chucking them in with motorcycles lol! it would be pretty hard insuring an electric scooter as the motorcycle insurance questions ask things like is your bike petrol or diesel, what brand (all brands to select from are motorbikes so you wouldn’t be able to list your model) then they want mileage, registration, mot date etc, there should be a separate insurance to accomadate the new electric vechiles as I bet you’d find much cheaper insurance if it was directed specific to electric scooters as opposed to motorcycles which is a plus for you. it seems to be blurring things and complicating them. one thing I am interested in though is for the sake of this well say an electric scooter is a moped. a moped legally won’t pass an mot without indicators so that’s where I question the full road legal aspect of electric scooters, I don’t understand how a motor vechile to be used on the road can be legal without indicators as that could be potentially dangerous, I have seen alot of people ride electric scooters on pavements and cycle tracks and it might not technically be allowed but no one ive seen has ever got in trouble, I think it’s just about common sense 🙂

    Reply
    • Did one yesterday, instructor said it was the first he had seen, I felt very comfy in my gear and the other 50cc riders where impressed with my machine and its performance – yes I passed.

      Reply
  14. Be safe, whole and intact (سلام),

    Is it possible if you could make an option for your scooters to have a maximum speed of 12mph?

    Reply
  15. A question if i may?
    There is a german company called Scrooser that are selling kinit energy drive scroosers(www.scrooser.com)
    would this be allowable on cycle path as an electric ride on like an electric push bike??
    It is started by pushing off like a scooter(toy) then the rear wheel energy motor takes over. It has brakes and a twist grip throttle and a lithium battery pack under the centre board.
    many Thanks in advance.

    Reply
  16. hi have bought new coco electric 1000w 60v fat wheel they r all prety much the same didnt have a certificate would a mot provide acceptability for a road liscence as this does have brake indicator lights wing mirror etc

    Reply
  17. cootscootz.com also sell electric scooters. 30 mph max so 16 year old & up can ride. They will do the registration for you when you buy one so you don’t have that bother. Full certificate of conformity, certificate of newness, warranty, advice on licence requirements etc.

    Reply
  18. Hi there, There is another manufacturer ( I may be wrong) called Viper Scooters. Only really became aware of these amazing little things and I thought I’d check the market out. Becoming aware of the importance of being able to obtain a CE certificate necessary for road use & registration with DVLA after visiting this site, thank you. I really want to purchase Electric Scooter 2000W 60V Viper Blade New 2017 Model, Terrain Tyres, 70KPH. It would be perfect for me for quick trips up to the shops, instead of getting the bus. But now having read all the above interesting comments and now am aware that you have to have insurance as well, that’s if you can find it. One point no one mentioned is, all insured vehicles on the road have to display a number plate. So I think I’ll register it but blag it out & just ride sensibly. If I’m stopped Ill play dumb and just say insurance is not required just like a bike as there’s no number plate required for other mobility scooters etc. Lol, wish me luck. The reason I considered an elec scooter in the first place was that I assumed insurance was not necessary. I live in London and this would be a great bit of kit for me at 55 & wont have to use the busses, I can bring it inside my small flat. Mopeds in the streets are soon stolen around here. Tried that fore mention insurance company above and the online application form did not accommodate an elec scooter of the type that we enjoy and want. Cheers

    Reply
  19. So I’ve been looking around at models of electric scooters but what I have been noticing is that some models have a stage one and a stage two setting. Stage one entitles you to only do 5mph and stage two entitles you to do up to 30mph. And I have also noticed on some websites that sale electric scooters that they do say you don’t need a license and you don’t need to insure the electric scooter or even have road tax. The confusing part is on the DVLA website anything higher than 250w you need all off the above but how does it work if the scooter has two speed settings to choose from.

    Reply
  20. Hi
    This has been very useful and I have (looks like stupidly) just bought an Emax electric ped and they did not give me any registration documents and did not give me a certificate of conformity. If you can’t get one from the person who you bought the moped from how can you get a ‘certificate of conformity’?
    Any help would be much appreciated

    Reply
  21. All the laws in this country are shit ive travelled all over the world and all the countries ive been to there are electric scooters everywhere. You have to regester the you ride on the road or pavements. You dont need a licence ive hired them no problem. But here our bloody goverment want to get as much money as they can from everyone. So if they think there need to charge people to have a small electric scooter and take the fun out of things. I ride one all the time i wont pay anything why should i im disabled and a pensioner so up your a–s May.

    Reply
  22. Change the law. Pro cyclist’s can ride there bike in the middle of the road at speeds of upto 60+ mph. An electric scooter is no only clean cheep and fun to ride. But should be 100% free for ever. Please people of the UK. Don’t be a child of the state. Be part of the green community and save are plannet. I’m worried about the state of are plannet if we don’t change now! I’m afraid it will be to late. I’m a UK sitizen and ride a 60v 2000w stand up scooter. It dose me for my daily commute. I will never conform. ✌✌✌✌✌

    Reply
  23. Hi Steve,

    Can you tell me what certifications apply to imports from China into the UK.
    Does the CE COC certification cover both the PAS bicycles limited to 250 watt /15.5mph, and the pedal less electric motorbike/scooters going over that 15.5mph limit.

    Reply

Leave a Comment