Urgently regulate e-scooters

We are calling on the government to urgently legislate for: a ban on e-scooters for under-18s; mandatory e-scooter licencing, insurance, helmets and safety equipment; a ban on carrying passengers; and stricter punishments for those breaching or allowing breaches of laws related to e-scooters.

We think there is insufficient regulation around the sale and use of e-scooters. We believe the law continues to be broken without sufficient punishment and more collisions. Currently, e-scooters can be sold to people of all ages, leaving open the possibility that they may be used by children.

E-scooters meet the definition of a ‘motor vehicle’ under the Road Traffic Act 1988. This means that private e-scooters are already illegal to use on the road for people of all ages.

When selling e-scooters, retailers must make it clear that they can only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Market Surveillance Unit (DVSA MSU) carries out surveillance of e-scooter retailers to ensure they are being sold lawfully and that the purchaser is made aware that they can only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission. In 2023-24, the DVSA MSU investigated 46 suppliers, and of those, 24 were found to have some elements of non-compliance. Of those found to have non-compliance, 22 suppliers made corrective action once contacted and the other two suppliers removed non-compliant advertising after referral to the Advertising Standards Agency, the UK’s independent regulator of advertising.

The Department for Transport is running national trials of rental e-scooters to assess their benefits and wider impacts, and to inform options for future regulations. These are due to run until May 2028.

Within the trials, e-scooters are limited to 15.5 mph and are permitted in cycle lanes. The vehicles must have a unique identification number on them and any user is required to have a provisional or full driving licence so the minimum rider age is 16. As a condition of running a trial, each e-scooter operator must provide third-party unlimited liability insurance. Trial e-scooters are required to meet minimum standards on e-scooter design and each e-scooter model used in the trials is assessed for compliance.

A second national evaluation of the e-scooter trials is currently underway, focusing on user and public safety, accessibility impacts and how e-scooters can be safely and effectively integrated into the wider transport network.

The Government recognises however that some e-scooters are not used in accordance with the law and enforcement of illegal or dangerous use lies with the police. Enforcement of illegal and/or irresponsible e-scooter use is a matter for the police. Users can face fines and fixed penalty notices, criminal prosecution, points on their driving licence and have their e-scooter impounded. The Government is giving the police stronger powers to stop vehicles being used disruptively, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing illegally owned private e-scooters. This will allow them to deal swiftly with dangerous e-scooters on pavements. New Respect Orders will give the police and local councils powers to ban persistent offenders from certain areas where they are causing harm, and failure to comply with Respect Orders will be a criminal offence. They will be piloted prior to a national rollout to ensure they are as effective as possible.

Currently, the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) is covering the personal injury and property damage costs generated by private e-scooter riders at fault for a collision, as part of their ‘Uninsured Drivers Agreement’. The Government is committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility. As announced in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, we will create a new vehicle category for a more proportionate and agile process for regulating vehicles like e-scooters. Any new regulations will be consulted on before they come into force.

Department for Transport