UK E-Scooter Law: How to fix the problem 

Hi Guys. I'm originally from Hungary where totally legal to ride a e-scooter, but I living in the UK. Many people using this form of transport to commute to work or simply just for fun. After my last visit in Hungary, after I came back to UK, I decided to buy one from my hard earned money, than I got a Shocking news, IT IS ILLEGAL to use it!! You can buy it legally, but NO WAY TO USE IT LEGALLY!! WE MUST LINE UP and force the government to change this ridiculous law. WE are not criminals and don't treat as a criminals if we use it. End of the day IT IS JUST A SCOOTER!!

Electric scooters should totally be legalised in the UK. It shouldn’t even be a debate, considering the ambitious carbon reduction programme the UK aims to achieve in the car sector for 2030. E-scooters blatantly offer everyone a greener alternative to ‘the last mile’ journeys we all face, be it for work or personal travel. I also feel e-scooters ought to be considered no different to a bicycle as they share so much in common; similar footprint on the road, similar mass, likely to be travelling at a similar velocity, and in my view no safer or more likely to be involved in an accident.

When you have a Government that spends the majority of its time, money and effort trying to hide or put out the fires caused by its own incompetence and corruption, how do you expect anything of use to actually get done?

I wrote to my MP about pushing for changes to the legislation. They mentioned the e-scooter trial extension to May 24, and that police do not have the tools to stop the estimated 750,000 private e-scooters being ridden illegally on UK roads. The horse has bolted and the government are standing around trying to decide if they should lock the door.

I can't help but feel the pressure on the government, and the overall momentum the eScooter cause had at one point, has ebbed away. I own two eScooters and I'm too afraid to risk using them. I bought them 2 years ago because I foolishly assumed the UK would've caught up with the rest of the world by now. Frustrating...

My personal view is the reason that the Government keep extending trials is that the hire companies are giving them back-handers. The longer it remains illegal for us to ride our OWN E-Scooters on the road, the more the hire companies laugh all the way to the bank!

One thing you have yet to learn is that the Uk loves to tax us citizens that's why its so hard for them to legalise scooters so many people will use them instead of buses taxis and cars etc

The problem with hire scooters are that they are not looked after and left in the street to be vandalised.This gives a poor perception to the public. If you had to purchase your own its not going to be left thrown on the ground and less likely to be ridden badly and become damaged. Anything hired gets mistreated.

Safety is not the concern it’s simply just about money. Car companies, rails, buses, all would be impacted. They can’t legalise the use of them until government donors get their fingers into every possible pie before it’s rolled out. Same with marijuana legislation, until the alcohol companies can monopolise and own the market for themselves it won’t happen.

Im in cardiff UK. I still ride my emove cruiser. I use a fullface helmet, got a body armour jacket too, did have a full UK driving licence. Had a seizure a few years ago, gave my licence up on medical grounds. And use the scooter as my way of transport. Not had any issues with riding it anywhere, been stopped to ask about it, but never been stopped by police to issues fines/warnings. They see i ride with caution (and geared up) so they tend to leave me alone

In Charleston South Carolina they are treated like bicycles. No age restriction. The only rule is you have to go in the direction of traffic. -living the dream.

What’s crazy is I have a family member who is a police officer and friend and both have said if they seen someone riding an e-scooter properly and not acting like an idiot then they would leave them to it. I rode my e-scooter this evening with a friend for our first time with our first e-scooters and guess who we bumped into…….. the police and they just drove straight past us, I have been led to believe they will leave you alone on the pavement and if your being tidy and not an idiot. Another point to everyone make sure you buy an e-scooter now because as soon as they are made legal that’s when they will cost an arm and a leg I am looking to own three.

Rental scooters are a menace. If those companies want to make it work they need to offer places to drop them off that is not the bloody sidewalk or more often than not the next best river. Privately owned scooters are fantastic and must be sensibly regulated.

I'm genuinely convinced they're just leaving up to the next (likely Labour Party) Government, only to then say it's their fault for any issues despite almost a decade of back and forth legislative time-wasting from the Conservative Party.

😮i ride my escooter to work everyday. Taxi cost £8.70 i get to work in 8mins using my scooter for 6 months i bought for £235 i get to wokr in 11 mins. Whe. I corss the road i look around carefully. Even some careless bicycle and patdestrians bump into me while plugging earphones and being distracted. I see the danger and i slow down. They end up apologising to me as it was their fault. WhY is important is too ride carefully

Here in the UK, we drive on the left...sorry...on what's left! There will be shitloads of claims against various councils because of the shitty state of the roads!

got stopped in edinburgh last month, took them 15 minutes 3 police officers and a van to clock, My scooter doesn't have a motor on it (its a swifty kick scooter).... They never asked. They asked if I knew why I was being stopped, I had lights, a helmet and was keeping up with cyclists in the cycle lane, (not hard edinbugh being hilly). I was reassured when I was told I was not riding dangerously... A further 15 minutes and a flier on how best to submit a complaint. Waste of everyone's time.

The very first time I rode my scooter on the public highway I was stopped by the police. He gave me a bollocking and told me to push the scooter home. I had only gone to the local shops to get something for dinner. The scooter has sat in the shed since then unused. I am hopeful for a change in the law soon.

escooter rider from Singapore here, a few years ago before the government introduced a hefty fine for riding escooter on the roads and foot paths, the streets were full of escooters and you could buy them at any electronics store, now its almost nowhere to be found. You have to be very careful and ride it on bicycle paths only and dismount and push when riding on a foot path. I hope the government could change the laws and allow escooters to be on the road, like how they allow ebikes on the road.

Meanwhile, I'm just sitting here in the United States where it takes five police cruisers and ten cops in full tactical gear to stop someone for a burned out tail light. And don't get me started about car search and on-site body cavity search.

eScooters might be ok in theory but let’s face it too many d heads around riding them too fast, weaving in and out of traffic, going through red lights, riding the wrong way up roads,etc etc.

I got told by a copper in grimsby if he caught me on my scooter he'd take it off me, i laughed n told him he can't catch a chav on 2 feet so he's got no chance of catching me on my scooter 😂😂

The ban in paris was because the scooters were being dump wverywhere and became a problem, nothing to do with the riding aspect, privately owned scooters are still very much legal and encouraged

Is there an organised lobby to get the question raised in the Commons? It seems nothing has been done since May 2022.

All this crap aside.....They are dangerous. They should be required to use helmets and move as traffic and not be able to cross pedestrian crossings.....as a car driver, it's bloody difficult to avoid them....they should have a license as half of the riders are on their phones whilst crossing Infront of cars

Great presentation! In Montreal, it's still illegal, but there are still many people riding. Whether you get a ticket or not is a matter of whether the police has a bad day or not.

Im from Cardiff UK.Round these parts people are going to ride them no matter if they are legal or not it seems.The real problem around here is Ebikes like sur ron's etc blasting around at 40mph + doing wheelies etc. The government should be cracking down on them and leave the 15mph e scooters alone

Thankfully in Melbourne, Australia they have recently extended the E-scooter trial to include privately owned E-scooters so now it's legal to ride an E-scooter in Melbourne as long as you keep to 20km/h and don't ride on foot paths at all or roads where the speed limit is above 60km/h. The interesting thing is that you can ride an E-scooter that is capable of no more than 25km/h, which is perfect because that's exactly what I own (and I wouldn't dream of riding it around at 25km/h). It's great being able to ride my E-scooter without having to look out for the cops. Common sense would say that an experienced rider with their own E-scooter is less of a risk than a noob who has never ridden an E-scooter and decides one night to give it a go. I would say you need weeks of use before you become a competent E-scooter rider. If they ever do ban E-scooters I think it should just be the rental scooter because most of the complaint are due to inexperienced people renting them, doing stupid things with them and then leaving them lying around blocking footpaths etc. privately owned E-scooters are not the problem and never have been.

I had this whole idea it was so simple me and my friends get electric scooters so we can get to high school easier and now I have to read a whole law book just to figure out if I can get to school comfortably 😅

Sadly cars are just too expensive for alot of people now and public transport cost is also ridiculous! I just invested in an e bike that's legal on the roads because of this stupid law but I'd love an e scooter for work commutes!

I think this issue is just so low on the governments agenda they don't care. Me personally though think they should have a speed limit and maybe do a small test like the bicycle one. This should affect any driving licenses and e-scooters should be in the same class as e-bikes. Meaning they should be able to use the cycle lanes as well since they're popping up everywhere now in London.

Another thing to note is that e-scooters are being banned from carriage on trains in the UK. Chiltern Railways was promoting this earlier this week. Partly due to the fire risk of unregulated imports it seems.

Great video. Love your style bruh

All for them on roads and cycle lanes, just not on pavements.

Jest wrap them like rental ones, youre Good To go

I've been looking for hours to find the difference between a e-scooter and a mobility scooter other than the size ect. Basically I'm struggling to walk most days and want something to get around on. I don't want a mobility scooter for loads of reasons. Now I was looking at a e scooter cos I can stand up and some you can fit a seat if needed. I don't want to risk points if the police stop me. Why can't I use a e scooter for mobility. Does anyone know?

Why not at least let UK car licence holders ride them who have taken a test and understand traffic regulations that's what i do not understand.

Been watching the UK situation for a while, very dumb, I'm lucky to be here in "Sunny" Vancouver, Canada, where we have an e-scooter pilot program in a few cities, we have a few docked rental programs too (Richmond, BC) which somewhat solve the mess issue (but are pricey, just like the UK ones). We also have a decent illegal e-skate / EUC scene here too, with a legal challenge going to court to get EUCs included in the e-scooter trial. Vancouver didn't allow rentals, but may this summer - this seemed the right way round, as personal owners tend be less drunk and more responsible than renters on a bender do ....

They don't know how to TAX it... That's the only reason why we don't have them in the UK

You can ride up to a 125CC Motorcycle on a Full Car Licence it should figure that on that same Full Driving Licence you should be permitted to ride an eScooter.

One more things from GOV.UK. Quote "Given how powered transporters are motorised and designed, they fall within the legal definition of a “motor vehicle”. Therefore the laws that apply to motor vehicles apply to powered transporters. OK, then what about the RIde On Electric toy cars then??? Are there "motor vehicle" as well?? Could a 5 years old get £300 fine and 6 point on his/her licence?? It has a battery in it and propelled by electric motor same like in an e-scooter.

A more mature discussion would be more effective than a video full of swearing perhaps. Any lawmakers would turn off way before the end.

10yo Kids can buy one of those toy ones from Argos though and ride them

Keep up the pressure, but none of us will be holding our collective breaths.Personal Electric Vehicles could help in so many ways and yet there is no mandatory training requirement or any insurance available.Instead we have the ludicrous hire schemes which allow anyone with an idiot-phone to rent a scooter with no prior knowledge of how to ride safely or any protective gear. Meanwhile people who have spent out hard earned dosh on their own scooter and have presumably gained some proficiency are totally banned. The police have already caused three deaths due to the failure to deal with the situation sensibly when it comes to young lads on ebikes. In my area we had an old lady knocked down by a scooter rider while speeding, for which he was severely punished but what was not reported was the reason he was speeding - the police were chasing him and presumably he was afraid he would lose his expensive scooter. We need a sensible way of dealing with these new forms of transport, an outright ban is making matters worse.

belgian outlaw running mantis v2 and king gt here. The toys are legal, mine should run at max 25 km/h. While i have a drivers license allowing me to roll 125cc motorcycles and fast mopeds. If the politicians where to get off their lazy arse, they can copy/paste most of it, slight editing et voila but nooooo ...

It's certainly a discussion to be had as the law on bikes is you can't ride them on pavements in the UK but I've not seen anyone stopped on a bike and fined or cautioned for doing so. Also not seen anyone stopped riding an e-scooter here in the North East where i live plenty using them. So i think the concensus is the more people riding them it seems like to much hardwork on the police to stop them. The worst effected City is London from knowledge because the met are trying to set the example but it isn't working e-scooters will be legal to ride or they will just be rode illegally but police will stop all action.

You won't change anything until you figure out what the city of London corporation is and who owns it.

And yet mobility scooters can whizz around at speeds up to 20mph……..on the pavement!!!!!

I ditched my scooter when the crackdown started and went ebike. I’ve had plod try and stop me a few times but being a bearded 50yo I’ve just pinned the 1500w motor and fled.

I went on a ride with my e scooter in Kent... saw few police cars they didnt gave two effs about my scooter

These contraptions are hazards to pedestrians and road vehicles in general. In Britain our roads and pavements are not designed to accommodate E Scooters safefly.Even if the infrastructure was set up for them it would be logical for the people who would ride them to need full insurance and also to pass an approved road test.People and property have already been hurt and damaged through their use and fatalities have also been known.

You can ride YOUR e scooter on the road legally , first its you need a motorbike licence if it exceeds a certain amount of power, then you need insurance and number plates.

As someone who lives in one of the trial hire zones, I tried one out; and initially thought it was a good idea. But now, I'm not so sure. Many e-scooter are abandoned in dangerous places, and thhey seem to often be ridden recklessly, causing anxiety and real risk for other road users. But the real issue is that most seem to be ridden by kids who are too young to drive, rather than actually getting drivers out of their cars. Not exactly great for the planet, and if youngsters are riding these instead of getting exercise then we may see a huge increase in the burden on the NHS in 20-40 years time. Add in the frequent fires, caused by cheap e-scooter battery packs, and it's really is debatable whether these things are such a good idea, given that a bicycle is cheaper, faster, safer, and would help keep these youngsters active in later life. And one final thing - why do these e-scooters have such tiny wheels? Surely it would be much safer to have 20" wheels, that would provide better stability, and be able to better cope with potholes.

I would use my e scooter but points on a professional driving licence is a big no so have to use the car to put down the shop

I was hit by one in Cambridge the other week when I was helping to set up Strawberry Fair, There were approx 5 of us standing at the 4 lamps (if you know, you know) with a lot more people on the paths, including young kids, when this idiot fly's past doing at least 20mph. I was on my bike and he hit my back tire, he nearly came off after hitting me and going into a speed wobble, unfortunately, he did not fall, but he was about to have a go at me when I shouted at him you are going too fast. |he gave the bird and scooted off. These people have no interest in keeping others safe, the issue is not if they are street legal but why are they behaving like such utter cvnts.

They should remain illegal unless riders pass a CBT wear helmets regulated and the riders should be heavily fined for riding on the pavement. I have been nearly knocked down 3 times by speeding scooters and they are a menace to blind or partially-sighted people.

just got back from norway where i was holidaying. Used rentede e-scooters and i can confirm they are brilliant for short urban journeys. especially if the area is hilly. no problems encountrered what so ever and everyone seemed responsible. why can't the UK get with programme, so infuriating. The more i go on vacation the more i despise the uk and its luddite ways

i am your european neighbor The netherlands and we got even worse situation with e-scooters. they are entirely illegal and no options for rental either.

2:30 - Inokim Quick 4. That's what I have. Had to waterproof it myself (sealant in all the seams), and I covered the whole deck in grip tape. Can be unlocked to 26MPH. It's a good way to get to work and back.

Why does it say this on the electroheads website? Because it's not true every scooter has rear lights Because escooters don't (usually) comply with road traffic laws - in particular they don't have rear lights or registration plates - it's not legal to use a privately-owned scooter on a UK road. This is why it's often said that they are legal only on private land with the landowner's permission.

Someone may wonder if someone is getting something in the back pocket to keep a monopoly for the large companies..

the problem with escooters sadly is the people that tend to ride them. it is so common to see dickheads bombing along the pavement on them or riding them 2's up

Grant Schnapps 😂 pull your finger out Grant!

Why, in some EU countries are e-scooters allowed a throttle but ebikes are not even if max speed and Kw motor is the same?!

Meanwhile in Lithuania the government wants to band e-scooters from riding anywhere but on bike lanes. No streets, no sidewalks, just bike lanes. If a bike lane ends - good luck walking a few km until you find another bike lane. And on mixed walking/bike lanes, if a person is walking at 7km/h speed, you can't pass them

The problem with hire scooters in Spain is that they are left in the most stupid places, blocking pavements etc. People have started vandalising them because they have had enough. Then you get the idiots riding them 2 up, cutting up cars and giving no signals when turning. Ban them all.

Having licences and proficiency tests is all well and good but how would it be policed and how would police know if a rider had these unless the rider was riding dangerously, erratically or was involved in an incident? There are always going to be those that will ignore the laws anyway.

I understand UK legislation is prepared. It just needs Parliamentary time allocated to it, which is scarce at the moment.

You should have had a chat about Australia mate, we are like 7 or 8 different countries here, each state is different it's completely mad

It’s come to my findings, as a massive Rental user, that the scooter transport needs to be national and not localised. The local government in Birmingham have made a right phuck up with the new provider, beryl. Voi was so much better. The scheme needs to be ran on a national level as the local governments are hiring that many different companies, there’s no consistency. Birmingham has shown it cannot grasp the basics, and I’ve been told tried to ditch the whole thing, irrespective of Europe being so successful. They are clueless.

I like what Austria has done. I think the same should be here. Fact about UK is when something new comes along they want GREAT BRITTISH PURLEY 100% BRITTISH DATA. Hopefully soon.

I have my own e scooter and drive it most days in and around London not been stopped so far seems like the police have bigger things to worry about till the nxt clampdown wish they would implement whatever it is there planning to do or not do at least

you buy escooter and paint it like a rental ;-)

legislation? it's legal to buy and sell e-scooters...there is obviously soo much private land out there for all these scooters! 😂 aren't escooters (the slow ones) the same a mobility scooters?

On a green environmental pov I would much rather use my scooter on the road than my family saloon

The Singapore law at least if they enforce it, means its a pretty good deterrent 😂

I'm writing to you because I think I have a story. Escooter riders can get 6 points for riding them. I have completed freedom of information for all forces in the UK. This has told me that every police in the country is giving warnings in pocket notebooks, often no names of address and not uploaded anywhere and filed at the end of the book. If they use this as a reason to stop and search then maybe put on the system. Three times as many black Escooter riders are stopped than anyone elae and stop and searched as well. Police have been allowed to decided if they give a warning (its then filed and so no education) potentially uploaded if a stop and search. A s59 (this is a police legal caution) a written warning or six life changing points. The police have not been educating anyone. I have written to goverment and freedom of information has now be changed to a need to know basis. This a again is not what freedom of information was set up to do. I makes a mockery of the name. This is a motoring offence and a huge one. Much more financailly impactive and life changing than a speeding fine. . Every motoring offence has a clear fair and consistent process but for three years a policeman has been able to decide who and what punishment they give. This is an abuse of power and has been given by the goverment. The police as the public are aware do not always get this right. Abuse of power in every organisation. This is in my opinion a huge scandal and has allowed the police to directly/indirectly discriminate by having this power. I believe hundred of thousands have had warnings and some have had cautions. A select few have been given points. No point should be given to anyone unless a s59 (legal caution)has been given. As other Escooter riders have had this option or it has been used in a crime or in a dangerous manner that was punished at the time of the stop.

You argument is totally flawed. If it is not legal to have a throttle on an e-bike unless it’s in walk assist mode at 4.5mph. It’s ridiculous that e-bikes must be pedalled and the motor cuts out at 15mph. Too many e-scooter riders ride them with little or no regard for others.

So should I still get a scooter

What about just making your scooter look like a Lime scooter? 😂

As long as they're ridden on the road, the rider has passed a CBT and have 3rd party insurance then all good for me.

It's all about attitude. Bicycles have been invented in the 19 century so made part of the transport landscape for generations. And viola - they are exempted from the 1988 Road Traffic Act. Even weak ebikes have been excluded in 1990s as extension of mechanical bicycles. Electric scooters on the other hand are less than a decade old. They simply exploded recently before our very eyes and catered their significant niche by storm. And the law is utterly unprepared for that. Like the USA for Barack Obama before Barack Obama. But the distinction between bicycles and electric scooters is almost absurd. The law should treat them equally - first and foremost as legal to use as intended ie. on the road, and with the same set of rules.

It’s pathetic the government need to sort this out. I brought mine to use as a mobility device as I am disabled Ffs come on government

Start making petitions and flood the parliament with it that should help 😊

What is truly dreadful in these video clips of escooter riders is how they don’t move their heads and watch the whole road, instead they stand looking forwards waiting for what’s round the corner to present itself instead of looking around and being prepared. These riders look like they don’t drive or have a bike license and zero road sense, riding defensively by being switched on. I have a Solar P1 so I am Pro escooter but I worry about the untrained road users.

In Lithuania, the goverment is cracking down on e-scooters and restricting their use on public roads. Previously the up to 25 kmph 1 kW ones were classified as exactly as bicycles. However, this month they made it illegal to ride them (e-scooters) on pavement and in Vilnius they even lowered the speed limit in the Old Town (the historical part of the city centre) down to 12 kmph and outright banned e-scooters and bicycles in three important streets. When I tell people I ride a motorbike they say "it's dangerous". Oh my God! People, come on! The mode of transport is not dangerous or safe - it's just a bunch of materials fused together. We, riders/drivers are dangerous. Bicycles have been in use for decades and nobody deemed them dangerous. We need to stop treating restricted e-scooters as toys and start using them as bicycles, and everything will be fine. What do we do with car drivers that break the highway code laws? We issue fines. The same should apply to dangerous hooligans on e-scooters. Sorry for the rant. I'm not even an e-scooter rider, I'm not even a fan of them (I prefer bicycles and motorbikes). But I'm for equal rights and opportunities. Electroheads, keep advocating for e-scooter normalisation.

my licence is my job, I won't ride e-scooter until the law is absolutely clear.

Less legislation, they need to be doing everything they possibly can to get folk out of cars traveling with ultra low emmisions, should be a free for all with scooters, ebikes, skateboards etc limited to 15mph, scooters, ebikes etc above 15mph up to 40mph max riders need a current UK car or bike driving license and insurance. simple.

you need some one to talk to the king directly maybe he will do something to change these unfair scooter laws or get some one who will .

in the Netherlands is still not allowed!

Spain d oes classify e-scooters as Personal Mobility devices, but it is not as simple as that. They are effectively treated like bicycles, which means that high power, high speed e-scooters may result in being classified as motorbikes, just as high power, high speed e-bikes can be. Personally, I am far from being convinced of the road worthiness of e-scooters. That is because I am a scientist at heart, and the small wheels on e-scooters makes them inherently less stable, and less capable of dealing with bumps and other irregularities.I do understand that e-scooters are much easier to store etc. than a bicycle, but the basic physical problems of stability worry me.

It’s a disgrace people need CBT helmets personal liability insurance and the government sitting about doing nothing

What next me 90 year old auntie needs a licence for her electric wheelchair "bloody" government..😝🖕

You can legally use a e scooter on the streets. You just need to know the law

Don't keep dissing the cars, they're the ones who are paying for the upkeep of the roads!

in Kyiv, Ukraine we have the best e-scooter law :) no A1 needed, no speed limit, no problem:) I drive Segway GT2 👽

Hey doing this trials and prolonging things for 1 reason. They're worried of lawsuits due to accidents caused by poor road and path conditions and they don't want to payout for lawsuits or new and better paths and roads.

Making e-scooters legal under a certain speed is the way forward. e-scooters over this limit then could only be used by adults. (Could be the same for e-bikes too)

With today's news about the ban on rental e-scooters in Paris, is that it? Is the battle for legalisation of private e-scooters in the UK totally lost?

Scooter need mandatory insurance and training and driving license. They also need to categorise scooters. The fast ones need more legislation