Scooters & UK Law | Where Are Kick & E-Scooters Legal?

Feel a little in the dark over scooter law? Here’s our rundown of the current situation.

Read the various articles online about the relationship between scooters and UK law, and you could be forgiven for being left a little confused. Whether one wishes to use a kick scooter or an electric scooter on British roads or pavements, no one seems to know exactly what’s legal, and what isn’t.

So, What Are The Kick Scooter Laws In The UK?

A great example of the confusion about whether kick scooters are legal or not in the UK can be found in a BBC News article from 2006. It states that “unpowered scooters and skateboards cannot legally be used on pavements, footpaths or cycle tracks as they have no right of way, but the DfT [Department for Transport] admits it is not very practical trying to enforce the law.”

The article continues: “Local bye-laws can be created banning them.”

That doesn’t paint a very clear picture about the status of the push scooter in UK law. What’s more, it isn’t even necessarily very accurate.

Let’s consider that ‘right of way’ element, for instance. This seems clear enough – it means pedestrians have right of way on pavement. However, it doesn’t necessarily automatically follow from this that kick scooters are illegal on pavements.

English law, after all, is historically based on the principle that anything is legal unless a law specifies otherwise. There’s nothing in the law in England and Wales stipulating that scooters are prohibited from sharing the pavement with pedestrians, although a local bye-law could theoretically specify otherwise.

Is Your Push Scooter A ‘Carriage’... Or Something Else?

So, given that explicit law on scooters in the UK barely seem to exist, what can we go on?

Well, let’s take a look at the law that renders bicycles illegal on pavements in England and Wales – The Highways Act 1835 Section 72. It’s as ludicrously out of date in its wording as you’d expect from an early 19th-century law, stating:

“If any person shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot passengers; or shall wilfully lead or drive any horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge, upon any such footpath or causeway; or shall tether any horse, ass, mule, swine, or cattle, on any highway, so as to suffer or permit the tethered animal to be thereon.”

That ‘carriage of any description’ text is the key one. Bicycles were classified as ‘carriages’ in 1888, followed by cars in 1903. The text sounds like scooters could also count as ‘carriages’, but in the absence of any clarification in the law, this is down to our own interpretation.

In reality, though, as long as you are respectful towards pedestrians and are not involved in any accidents with a pedestrian while using your scooter, you shouldn’t have much to worry about as far as the legality of your scooter on the pavement is concerned.

What About The Status Of The Electric Scooter In UK Law?

Unfortunately, the laws on electric scooters in the UK make for even more dire reading. According to a recent BBC article in 2020, Electric-powered scooters and self-balancing Segways were made illegal on public pavements in the UK in 2006, when Dft invoked the aforementioned Section 72 of The Highways Act 1835.

Nor can you even use such a self-balancing scooter on the roads in the UK, because it does not comply with EU vehicle certification rules. This means that you can only legally ride an electric scooter in the UK on private land, and even then, only with the landowner’s consent.

This might all seem rather unfair, given that an electric scooter is basically just a kick scooter with a low-power motor, and doesn’t even go much faster.

For a long time, the DfT said there were no plans to alter the situation of the e-scooter in UK law. Again, though, as long as you are responsible for the use of your electric scooter and don’t endanger or inconvenience any pedestrians or road users, you probably don’t have to fret much about the possibility of the police pulling you over.However, in July 2020, the British government said there were plans in place to make e-scooters will make e-scooters available to rent and legal on UK roads...

How Does The Law Stand In Other Parts Of The World?

The good news for travellers is that many areas of continental Europe have much more up-to-date laws with regard to scooter use.

Electric scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles, or PLEVs, which are permitted to travel as fast as 25 kilometres an hour in a cycle lane in France. In Austria and Switzerland, this also applies to using one on a road. As for pavements, the maximum allowed speed for a PLEV in France and Germany is six kilometres an hour.

If you are an electric scooter enthusiast frustrated by the position of the self-balancing scooter in UK law, you might also want to consider the US state of California for your next holiday. There, you can ride a PLEV in cycle lanes, pavements and roads, as long as you are over 16 and wearing a helmet.

Naturally, the legal situation with regard to how you use your scooter is liable to differ from one country to the next. That’s why we recommend that you keep firmly abreast of what the current law is, wherever you take your pride and joy.

Scooters & UK Law FAQ

Are kick scooters legal in UK?
In short, there is currently no legal definitions or advice regarding kick scooters in the UK. defined as “A human-powered light land vehicle with a handlebar, deck, and wheels propelled by a rider's foot pushing the ground or ‘kicking’”.In a general sense, UK transport laws are incredibly outdated and it does seem like with every new innovation in mobility, the rules follow how society uses them. So while it’s important to be safe, both for you and any oncomings walkers, as careless or dangerous riding which causes injury to another person could be liable to prosecution under the Offenses Against the Persons Act 1861.

Can I ride a kick scooter on the pavement?'
You can, because there is no law saying you can’t. Kick-scooters can be ridden on the pavement, footpath or a segregated cycle lane. Although Kick-scooters should be ridden on the pavement or footpath, they do not have right of way of either of these surfaces. If you are on a scooter, always be prepared to stop or slow down to give way to pedestrians. As previously stated, if an accident were to occur, there may be legal implications on the scooter-rider, as pedestrians always have right of way.As they have no mechanical propulsion, kick scooters must not be ridden alongside motorised vehicles on main roads.

Where can I ride an e-scooter?
Legally...not many places. While anyone can own an e-scooter, the only place you are legally allowed to use one in the UK is on private land. Classed as Personal Light Electric Vehicles, (or PLEV), they required for MOT, tax, licensing, and specific construction, much like other motorised vehicles. But as they do not feature number plates, visible rear lights, or signaling ability, e-scooters are not currently allowed to be driven on roads. If you are caught doing it, could face a fine, points on your license, and your e-scooter could be impounded.

Do I need a driver’s license for an e-scooter?
To legally drive an e-scooter, you will need the category Q entitlement on your driving license. If you have a full or provisional UK licence for categories AM, A or B, it will include entitlement for category Q, and you are legally allowed to ride an e-scooter. If you have a provisional licence, you will not need to show L plates when using an e-scooter. If you are not a UK resident and have an overseas driving licence, you can use an e-scooter if you have a valid full licence from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country (just as long as this does license does not stop you from driving low-speed mopeds and motorcycles).

When will e-scooters be made legal on UK roads?
As mentioned further up, the UK government announced in July 2020 that they had begun trials across the country to make rental e-scooters legal to ride on roads. Taking place across 27 UK areas, the consultation will look at whether e-scooters traveling at a maximum speed of 15kmph, can be done safely on public roads as in other countries, such as France, Italy, and the USA. Although this has been planned for a while, the COVID pandemic has meant it will now become part of the government ‘Green Recovery’, hoping that it will make towns and cities both more accessible and with cleaner air.