We have seen it with the V-16 lights and it will be repeated in the future. A standard arrives, makes a lot of noise and is forgotten. Until a few days before it comes into force, noise is made again and those affected run out to get their papers in order.
It is the same thing that has happened with electric scooters.
January 2, 2026. It is the date chosen by the DGT so that all electric scooters that circulate in Spain have three obligations:
- Owner’s liability insurance
- Electric scooter registration
- Electric scooter certification
As with the V-16 lights, it is not something that was decided yesterday. It is something that It was approved in 2024 (to comply with the transposition of the Directive 2021/2118) so users have had more than a year and a half to complete all the procedures. Furthermore, the decision can be applied by City Councils for years as in Córdoba that has been active since 2023.
What are the procedures? The one that can give us the most headaches is civil liability insurance. All users who use the electric scooter they must have insurance to cover our damages in the event that another driver is responsible for an accident in which we are involved or to cover damages to third parties if we are to blame.
In addition, the electric scooter will have to be registered and have a certification confirming its approval. The latter is mandatory for all electric scooters that have been sold in Spain as new since 2024. But, in addition, it will be mandatory from 2027 for those that were purchased previously.
The “registration”. This license plate is actually a plate that must be visible on the electric scooter with the relevant information that certifies its approval. The plate, like the approval, must be included in all electric scooters sold from 2024.
If you have an electric scooter that does not have said plate and that does not have the certification, you must request a test in one of the four laboratories that have the approval of the DGT to carry out these certifications. You can do the procedure request from the Traffic website but only one of them, IDIADA, is located in Spain.
What is certified? Electric scooters have been, for a few years, considered in a category of their own. Specifically, they are personal mobility vehicles and these are the most important criteria they must meet:
- Maximum speed of 25 km/h
- Weigh less than 50 kg
- Maximum power of 1,000 W if they do not have a self-balancing system
- Maximum power of 2,500 W if they have a self-balancing system
- Maximum handlebar height of 70 centimeters
What if I don’t comply? Whoever does not comply will have to prepare the portfolio. And with the obligation to have civil liability insurance for the electric scooter also comes the obligation to pay a fine if we do not comply with it.
Specifically, the penalty can range from 200 to 1,000 euros since in the reformulation of the Automobile Insurance Law It is established that electric scooters, classified as light personal vehicles, will face penalties of one third of those registered for cars. That is, a third of the penalty of between 600 and 3,000 euros that is established for those who drive a car without insurance, depending on the seriousness of the facts.
Photo | Michel Grolet
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