Alex Trelinski
ELECTRIC scooter owners in Spain will need civil liability insurance from next January to ride in public areas.
Changes to the Automobile Insurance Law were recently approved by Congress which will also see the DGT Traffic Agency create a registry of scooter owners.
The civil liability measure will apply to all personal mobility vehicles.
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The current situation is that when scooters are in an accident and the rider is considered at fault, a third party and their vehicle is left unprotected.
There have been cases where a scooter owner has declared himself insolvent to avoid paying out a high compensation figure.
To eliminate such a possibility, a personal mobility element has been introduced into the insurance law.
Such electric vehicles are classified as single-seaters that can reach a maximum speed of between six and 25 km/hour provided that their weight is less than 25 kilos.
Scooters are frequently spotted travelling at high speed due to modified motors and extra power for batteries allowing them longer run times.
More than one person riding on scooter- especially young people or even children- is another common sight.
The exact details of civil liability insurance for scooters will be drafted and the DGT register will be created no later than January 2, 2026.
DGT sources speaking to the El Pais newspaper said they have not formally be asked to set up the register.
The number of scooters in circulation is unknown while the Spanish Federation of Personal Mobility Vehicles said there were around five million at the end of 2023.
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