There electric scooter has become in recent years much more than a simple fancy. It offers many advantages and the French are changing their transport habits.
Pdaily routine, the electric scooter allows you to move with ease and the government had to adapt to this NVEI (new individual electric vehicles).
End of legal uncertainty for EDPMs on public roads
After a period of legal uncertainty regarding the circulation of electric scooters in urban traffic, the State has adapted to bring this electric two-wheeler into the Traffic Laws.
The latest regulation of July 1, 2020 on the subject of EDPM (motorized personal travel devices) which include electric scooters, in the same way as mono-wheels, self-balancing scooters and hoverboards, declares that a electric scooter insurance is obligatory for these vehicles on public roads.
Yes, electric scooter insurance is mandatory!
This legislation was put in place following dangerous behavior of EDPMs (personal travel devices). If you are considering purchasing an electric scooter, we invite you to consult our guide before purchase, to know in more detail the regulatory points to ride legally.
Mandatory equipment for an electric scooter
Regarding equipment, it is mandatory to wear a retroreflective clothing and to have front and rear headlights in low light conditions. (That’s good, the security pack at Weebot provided a reflective vest)
Please note that your electric scooter must be limited to 25 km/h on public roads in order to reduce the possibility of serious accidents. The electric scooter must also have a bell as a warning sound.
It is possible to unlock your electric scooter to benefit from its maximum speed on private land only. In this case, the vehicle can no longer be covered by insurance for electric scooter limited to 25 km/h (NVEI: new individual electric vehicles) if you indicate to the insurer that the latter whose speed of a scooter exceeds 25 km/h as provided for in the Traffic Laws.
More and more insurance companies offer a limit of up to 45 km/h, but this does not make it legal to drive on the road. You will simply be covered in the event of an incident.
However, a helmet is not obligatory; we can only advise you to wear one for your own safety. The majority of serious injuries occur to the skull during a fall.
Compulsory civil liability insurance
It is therefore OBLIGATORY to subscribe to a civil liability insurance in EDPM. The law stipulates that all EDPM motor vehicles must have compulsory civil liability insurance.
Indeed, in the event of an accident, civil liability insurance can be incurred and your insurance will cover, if necessary, the victim's damage costs. Thus protected, you can drive with peace of mind knowing that this insurance obligation allows you to avoid a lot of hassle during a circulation accident.
This insurance for electric scooters is an extension of the classic civil liability included in home insurance. Do not hesitate to consult your insurer to find out if it offers this type of service for NVEI new individual electric vehicles.
Please note that if you have several EDPMs, it is mandatory to have a individual insurance for each. It's the serial number which counts for the insurance of electric scooters.
Can you be fined if you don't have electric scooter insurance?
In the event of default in the insurance contract, you can in theory be fined by the national police because this constitutes an offense. A fine of 135 euros can therefore be given to you in this specific case.
However, it is still unlikely that law enforcement will ask for insurance documents during a check.
If you are in compliance with traffic on cycle paths, they should show leniency regarding your lack of compulsory scooter insurance.
On the other hand, they are much more careful about the mandatory equipment for riding an electric scooter as well as respecting the highway code.
Therefore, avoid driving on sidewalks, off cycle paths or at high speeds (the speed of which does not exceed 25 km/h), if you want to avoid fines by electric scooter.
How much does electric scooter insurance cost?
There are several prices on the marketelectric scooter insurance. They depend on what you want to cover. How many EDPMs does this affect in your household? Insurance against theft? Against property damage and bodily injury? Being able to benefit from a criminal defense?
With WeeClub Premium, your electric scooter is covered from 3.5 euros per month. With this, it allows you to to be calm while riding your electric scooter.
Protected by civil liability insurance, you benefit from criminal defense and recourse of up to 13,500 euros. Enough to be able to drive peacefully at a low price!
The amount of the different ceilings covered by this insurance may justify an increase in the price from your insurer. The higher the limits, the more expensive the insurance.
Allianz also offers this type of offer at a substantially equivalent price. It is also wise to contact your insurer to include your scooter insurance in an all-inclusive pack in order to benefit from a better overall rate.
There MAAF or even the Matmut only offer this type of insurance to their customers who have another contract with them.
Not all insurers are yet up to date with compulsory electric scooter insurance. So take your time to subscribe to the right package. This therefore does not concern motorcycle or scooter insurance which is assimilated to mopeds.
How to insure an electric scooter?
To take out a civil liability insurance contract, an insurer will need some answers in order to offer you its rate. Here is the information to provide in order to take out compulsory scooter insurance:
- There brand as well as the model of your electric scooter (or EDPM)
- There value of the electric scooter
- THE technical characteristics of your machine. That is to say the engine power, which we find on the certificate of conformity of the electric scooter. Remember to ask the seller (even in the case of a second-hand item)
- 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 obtain a quote immediately. The objective is to find the best price-service ratio to protect you effectively on the road.
How to insure yourself for bodily injury and property damage?
Of the additional guarantees can be taken out to further protect you from life's accidents, although they are not obligatory. Only civil liability is applicable for electric scooters.
An extension to your home insurance including driver warranty can then assure you of bodily injury in the event of an accident or fall with personal transportation devices. There driver warranty covers hospitalization costs if you are injured while using your electric scooter and supplements social security.
So consider purchasing a helmet, but also gloves which will protect you in the event of a fall.
Electric scooter reimbursed in the event of an accident?
It is also possible to benefit from a damage and collision guarantee which cover the repair costs of electric scooters. These can extend to the total reimbursement of the price of the vehicle. This is the case of the insurer Ecencial which reimburses up to the purchase price if your scooter is no longer repairable.
Is it useful to insure your scooter against theft?
Against theft and vandalism can also be covered by electric scooter insurance. But this only seems interesting to us if the price of your machine exceeds a certain amount or if you cannot “park” it in a secure place.
The advantage of the electric scooter is that it is foldable and lightweight. This allows it to be easily stored at your home, or at your workplace and therefore well less sensitive to the risk of theft 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 above all, they are very heavy to be moved easily. A weight between 40 and 70 kg is clearly not easy to handle.
In view of their price, it may be wise to invest in an extended warranty covering theft in order to sleep soundly when one of your personal travel devices motorized is not located inside your home. There are many anti-theft models but this may not be enough.
What is the best insurance for an electric scooter?
WeeClub Premium insurance was one of the first on the market to specialize in scooter insurance at a very low price. This is why we mainly talk about their offer because we believe that they offer very good value for money.
Allianz also has a very reasonable year-round rate for a recognized insurer but does not cover theft.
Electric scooters equipped with a saddle
For insurance purposes, a scooter with a seat corresponds to the same category as an electric scooter. Civil liability does not cover this category. So think carefully about this before adding a saddle to your machine.
For law enforcement, the saddle is easily spotted so you expose yourself to inspection on the road. It is therefore important to be well informed and to be fully compliant in such a situation.
Conclusion
If you are still wondering whether insurance for electric vehicles is compulsory, do not delay in contacting your insurer. It is essential to take out civil liability insurance for your scooter. Relatively inexpensive, these specific insurance policies offer good protection in the event of an accident.
We haven't talked about it until now but know that it can be very useful in the event of a car accident. make an observation, as with a car to have as much evidence as possible in order to be in your right.
The electric scooter is not a toy and is currently revolutionizing the way we travel. Using it on a daily basis, although this vehicle does not have a registration document, insurance is clearly not a luxury to offer you assistance.