The electric scooter has become in recent years much more than a simple fashion phenomenon. It offers many advantages and the French are changing their transportation habits.
Daily practice, the electric scooter allows you to move easily and the government had to adapt to this NVEI (new individual electric vehicles).
End of legal uncertainty for EDPM on public roads
After a period of legal uncertainty regarding the circulation of electric scooters in urban traffic, the State adapted to include this electric two-wheeler in the highway code.
The latest regulation of the July 1, 2020 regarding EDPM (motorized personal mobility devices) which include electric scooters, as well as unicycles, gyropods, and hoverboards, states that a electric scooter insurance is mandatory for these vehicles on public roads.
Yes, electric scooter insurance is mandatory!
This legislation was implemented following dangerous behavior of EDPM (personal mobility devices). If you are considering buying an electric scooter, we invite you to consult our pre-purchase guide, to learn more about the regulatory points for riding legally.
Mandatory equipment for electric scooter
Regarding equipment, it is mandatory to wear a retroreflective clothing and to have front and rear headlights in low light conditions. (This is convenient, the safety pack at Weebot provides a reflective vest)
Know that your electric scooter must be limited to 25 km/h on public roads in order to reduce serious accidents. The electric scooter must also have a bell as a sound warning device.
It is possible to unlock your electric scooter to enjoy its maximum speed on private property only. In this case, the vehicle can no longer be covered by an electric scooter insurance limited to 25 km/h (NVEI: new individual electric vehicles) if you inform the insurer that the scooter's speed exceeds 25 km/h as provided by the highway code.
More and more insurances offer a limit up to 45 km/h but this does not make it legal to ride on the road. You will simply be covered in case of an incident.
The helmet, on the other hand, is not mandatory, although we can only advise you to wear one for your own safety. Most serious injuries occur to the skull during falls.
Mandatory civil liability insurance
It is therefore mandatory to subscribe to a civil liability insurance on EDPM. The law states that all motorized EDPM vehicles must have a civil liability insurance obligation.
Indeed, in case of an accident, civil liability insurance can be engaged and your insurance will cover, if necessary, the victim's damage costs. Thus protected, you can ride with peace of mind knowing that this insurance obligation helps avoid many troubles during a traffic accident.
This electric scooter insurance is an extension of the standard civil liability included in home insurance. So don't hesitate to consult your insurer to see if they offer this type of service for NVEI new individual electric vehicles.
It should be noted that if you own several EDPM, it is mandatory to have a individual insurance for each. It is the serial number that matters for electric scooter insurance.
Can you be fined if you don't have electric scooter insurance?
In case of lack of an insurance contract, one can theoretically be fined by the national police because this constitutes an offenseA fine of 135 euros can therefore be given to you in this specific case.
Nevertheless, it is still unlikely that law enforcement will ask for insurance papers during a check.
If you comply with traffic rules on bike lanes, they should show leniency regarding your lack of mandatory electric scooter insurance.
However, they are much more strict regarding the mandatory equipment to ride an electric scooter as well as compliance with the highway code.
So avoid riding on sidewalks, outside bike lanes, or at high speed (where the speed does not exceed 25 km/h), if you want to avoid fines on an electric scooter.
What is the price of insurance for an electric scooter?
There are several rates on the electric scooter insurance market. They depend on what you want to cover. How many EDPMs does it concern in your household? Insurance against theft? Against material damage and bodily injury? Being able to benefit from legal defense?
With WeeClub Premium, your electric scooter is covered from 3.5 euros per month. With this, it allows you to to be at ease while riding your electric scooter.
Protected at the civil liability insurance level, you benefit from legal defense and recourse up to 13,500 euros. Enough to be able to ride peacefully at a low cost!
The amount of the different coverage limits that this insurance covers may justify an increase in the rate from your insurer. The higher the limits, the more expensive the insurance.
Allianz also offers this type of offers at a roughly equivalent price. It is also wise to contact your insurer to include your electric scooter insurance in an all-inclusive package to benefit from a better overall rate.
The MAAF or even the Matmut only offer this type of insurance to their clients who have another contract with them.
Not all insurers are yet up to date with mandatory electric scooter insurance. So take your time to subscribe to the right plan. This does not concern motorcycle or scooter insurance, which are classified as mopeds.
How to insure an electric scooter?
To subscribe to a civil liability insurance contract, an insurer will need some information in order to offer you a rate. Here is the information to provide in order to subscribe to mandatory scooter insurance:
- The brand as well as the model of your electric scooter (or EDPM)
- The value of the electric scooter
- The technical specifications of your vehicle. That is to say the motor power, which can be found on the certificate of conformity of the electric scooter. Remember to ask the seller (even in the case of a second-hand one)
- Your contact details as well as your age (it is not possible to use an electric scooter under 12 years old)
With this information, you will be able to get a quote right away. The goal is to find the best value for money to protect you effectively on the road.
How to insure for bodily injury and material damage?
Some additional coverage can be taken out to better protect you from life accidents, although they are not mandatory. Only civil liability is mandatory for electric scooters.
An extension to your home insurance including a driver's insurance can then insure you for bodily injury in case of accident or fall with personal mobility devices. The driver's insurance covers hospitalization costs if you are injured while using your electric scooter and complements social security.
So remember to buy a helmet, but also some gloves which will protect you in case of a fall.
Electric scooter reimbursed in case of accident?
It is also possible to benefit from a damage and collision warranty which cover the repair costs of electric scooters. These can extend to the full reimbursement of the vehicle's price. This is the case with the insurer Ecencial which reimburses up to the purchase price if your electric scooter is no longer repairable.
Is it useful to insure your electric scooter against theft?
Theft and vandalism can also be covered by electric scooter insurance. But this seems interesting to us only if the price of your device exceeds a certain amount or if you cannot "park" it in a secure place.
The advantage of the electric scooter is to be foldable and lightweight. This allows it to be easily stored at your home or workplace and therefore well less prone to theft risk than a bike.
However, some fast electric scooters, like the Dualtron Thunder, or the latest Dualtron X-II and Dualtron Storm, although foldable, are difficult to store indoors if you do not have a garage.
But they are especially very heavy to be moved easily. A weight between 40 and 70 kg is clearly not easy to handle.
Given their price, it may be wise to invest in an extended warranty covering theft in order to sleep soundly when one of your personal motorized vehicles is not inside your home. There are many lock models but this may not be enough.
What is the best insurance for electric scooter?
WeeClub Premium insurance was one of the first on the market to specialize in insurance for electric scooters at a very low price. That is why we mainly talk about their offer because we believe they offer a very good quality-price service ratio.
Allianz also has a very reasonable annual rate for a recognized insurer but does not cover theft.
Electric scooters equipped with a seat
For insurance, an electric scooter with a seat falls into the same category as an electric scooter. Liability insurance does not cover this category. So keep this in mind before adding a seat to your vehicle.
For law enforcement, the seat is easily noticeable so you expose yourself to a check on the road. It is therefore important to be well informed and to be perfectly compliant in such a situation.
Conclusion
If you are still wondering whether insurance for electric vehicles is mandatory, do not hesitate to contact your insurer. It is essential to take out liability insurance for your electric scooter. Relatively inexpensive, these specific insurances offer good protection in case of an accident.
We haven't talked about it until now but know that it can be very useful in case of an accident make a report, as with a car, to have as much evidence as possible to be in your right.
The electric scooter is not a toy and is currently revolutionizing our way of getting around. By using it daily, although this vehicle does not have a registration certificate, insurance is clearly not a luxury to provide you with assistance.