E-Scooters And The Law Surrounding Them
Electric scooters can also be called Personal Light Electric Vehicles or PLEVs. The Road Traffic Act of 1988 says that a motor vehicle is “any mechanically powered vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads”. Private e-scooters come under this description and must be compliant to motor vehicle laws.
The laws says motor vehicles have to be taxed, however PLEVs are exempt from this, so private -scooters fall into a grey area of law. Private powered vehicles are illegal on pavements and footpaths and must only be ridden/driven on private land and this with the land owners consent. If ridden on the public highway this will be considered a criminal offence.
Rental e-scooters
On July 4, 2020, new regs were publicly announced letting e-scooter trial schemes in England begin. This is to see if e-scooters help reduce traffic and also see what benefits, if any, they have on safety for their users and other road users. Users must have a full or provisional driving licence. These trials have come about quicker than expected. Probably due to their popularity.
Regulations
Recently there has clearly been a need for e-scooter legalisation. Some days before rental e-scooters became legal in Great Britain the government released the Escooter trials guidelines. These outline that e-scooter trials are intended to operate for 12 months, with a possible extension on the legislation. Also written are the changes to legislation that are required to introduce rental e-scooter trials. Rental e-scooters are to be treated very similarly to electrically assisted pedal cycles or EAPCs, they will still be categorised as motor vehicles.
As of March 2025, the United Kingdom government is making its way towards legalizing and also regulating the use of privately owned electric scooters on public roads. The Transport Secretary has acknowledged the need for regulatory legislation to introduce e-scooters into the UK transport system. As of April 2025, only e-scooters rented through official trial schemes are allowed to be used on public roads. Privately owned electric scooters are still illegal on public roads, pavements, and also cycle lanes. You are allowed to ride them on private land but only with the land owners permission.
The move for electric scooters to be legal is being driven by the increasing numbers of e-scooters seen on our streets and the need to address safety concerns both for the riders and members of the public. During 2022, there were 12 deaths and 1,480 injuries that involved e-scooters. Almost 800 children aged 13 to 16 have been given endorsements for uninsured electric scooter use since 2020. This shows the need to urgently highlight the need for clear regulations.
The government has expressed intent to legalize private e-scooters. Particular details regarding the legislation such as speed limits, tech. standards and competency requirements for riders are still under discussion. Safety campaigners are advocating for things like speed limiters to ensure public safety and also the riders.
To summarise, while private e-scooters are now restricted to private land use, legislative changes may permit their use on public roads together with regulations for ensuring safety for all road users.
Key points
E-scooters must have an electric motor with a maximum power rating of 500W
Riders of e-scooters must hold a valid provisional driving licence
15.5mph is the maximum permitted speed
Helmets are not required to be worn
A motor vehicle insurance policy must cover rental e-scooters
They are able to be used in designated cycle lanes and the road
It may be possible that these changes in legislation and rental e-scooter trials could lead to the
legalisation of private e-scooters on the public highways.
https://www.rospa.com/media/documents/road-safety/factsheets/e-scooters-factsheet.pdf
