The Rise of the E-Scooter

The latest trend of E-Scooters has certainly hit our streets in the last year or so. You’ve most likely seen them whizzing past you in parks and in cities, and they’re no doubt an easy and environmentally friendly way to get around – but are they legal? And how does insurance work?

With towns and cities trying to reduce the pollution that traditionally powered vehicles produce, many have introduced specialist e-scooter schemes for members of the public to hire. London has recently agreed to a 12 month e-scooter trial in a number of its boroughs, which is due to start this Spring. The hire fees will include insurance and users must have a provisional driving licence – the scooters will only be able to be used on the road and in cycle lanes, but not on the pavement. A great way to get around the Capital.

It’s quite a different story for those who purchase their own e-scooter… Current UK law states that e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads and pavements – with users facing a £300 fine and 6 points on their driving licence if caught. As a result, private e-scooters can only legally be used on private land with the owner’s permission, which depending on the size of the land, might not get you too far.

So what about insurance?

The e-scooters hired as part of a scheme in towns and cities come with insurance included in the price. Insurance isn’t yet available for e-scooters being used in public places given their illegality. However, Covea understands the ever changing market and we’ve amended our cover to include e-scooters. For policies incepting or renewing from 1 May 2021 onwards, we will provide cover under contents and liability for e-scooters providing they’re used in accordance with the law and on private land.

We expect that the government will soon change the law to allow e-scooters to be used on the public road, most likely in a similar fashion to e-bikes.

We asked what Douglas Brown (Renovation Underwriting) thought about e-scooters:

I love a gadget and an e-scooter seemed a great place to go because I don’t want the hassle, or the danger of a full blown motorbike, but want to get around London without being tied to the public transport system, especially in the summer when it’s hot and unpleasant. I support black taxis when I can, but they are very slow and expensive to use frequently.  E-scooters are faster than public transport when you factor in the walk either end, and more pleasant then cycling because you don’t arrive in a sweaty mess for your meeting.

As with any form of transport, they are only as dangerous as the person who is riding them, when using an e-scooter, I am on the cycle and bus lanes or road only, never on the pavement, similar to what you would expect with a bicycle. E-scooters in London are restricted to a maximum of 15 mph, allowing for decent progress in the same way as a bike with the same attendant risks.  Should helmets be mandatory? Yes, as should some form of reflective clothing and lights after dark, together with a bell to warn pedestrians.

So there you have it, a great piece of eco transport waiting for time in parliament for it to be legalised for private use on public roads. 

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