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From January 2026, anyone who owns an electric scooter or other personal mobility vehicle in Spain will be required to have liability insurance.

 

The new rule was recently approved by the Congress of Deputies and will also see the creation of an official registry of scooter owners, managed by the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT).

 

Until the new law comes into force, scooters can still be used without any insurance. This has created problems in the past when accidents have occurred, leaving injured third parties without proper protection.

In some cases, scooter owners have faced large compensation claims and a few have even had to declare bankruptcy or pay directly out of their own pockets.

 

To address this, the new legislation introduces a clear definition for what it calls ‘light personal vehicles’. These are electric motor vehicles with one or more wheels, a single seat and a maximum speed of between six and 25 kilometres per hour, provided the weight is under 25 kilos. If the vehicle is heavier, its speed must not exceed 14 kilometres per hour.

 

While speed limiters are already required, the DGT realises it’s still common to see scooters zipping past much faster, sometimes reaching more than 60 kilometres per hour. This is especially the case when motors and batteries have been modified. It is also not unusual to see more than one person riding at a time.

 

According to the Ministry of the Economy, the point of the new legislation is to ensure the safety of scooter riders themselves along with other road users, while still promoting the use of this more sustainable mode of transport.

 

The law will also require a public registry of personal mobility vehicles to be in place by January 2, 2026. The responsibility for this will initially fall to the DGT, which keeps a record of all vehicles in Spain apart from bicycles.

 

Estimates suggest there may be around five million scooters in Spain, although recent rules banning them from public transport could mean the actual number is lower.

 

In addition to the insurance requirements, the reform also introduces changes aimed at improving how accident victims are compensated. Payments will now be adjusted in line with the Consumer Price Index and compensation amounts will be broadened to better cover victims.

 

Police reports will be made available free of charge and the process for medical assessments and expert reports will be quicker. The law also encourages mediation and other out-of-court settlements to speed up claims.

 

The Insurance Compensation Consortium will now cover three additional situations. These include cases where the insurance company becomes insolvent, even if it is based outside Spain, when an accident is caused deliberately and when a driver is uninsured.

 

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