If you take one thing from this guide: an electric scooter is not a bicycle in law, and the rules vary enormously between neighbouring countries. A scooter that is entirely legal in France cannot lawfully be ridden on a road in Germany or the Netherlands.
Why scooters are treated differently
Pedelecs have a harmonised European standard. Light electric vehicles like standing scooters do not — there is no single EU-wide framework, so each country wrote its own rules. The results diverge sharply.
France — the permissive one
France created a category called EDPM (engin de déplacement personnel motorisé). Within it, electric scooters may be used on public roads and cycle lanes subject to:
- a maximum speed of 25 km/h;
- a minimum rider age;
- third-party liability insurance;
- lighting, reflectors, a bell and working brakes;
- one rider only, and no pavement riding.
Individual communes add their own restrictions on where you may ride and park, and several French cities have tightened these considerably. Check locally.
Germany — the strict one
Germany regulates scooters under the eKFV. Public road use requires all three of the following:
- An ABE — Allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis, a type approval issued by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt. To qualify, a scooter must have a design speed of no more than 20 km/h, two independent brakes, front and rear lighting, reflectors, a bell and a handlebar. The approval number and type plate must be on the frame and the paperwork carried when riding.
- A current insurance plate. These are renewed every March on a three-year colour cycle — blue, green, black. The plate valid from 1 March 2026 to the end of February 2027 is black.
- Compliance with the eKFV's technical requirements.
The 20 km/h ceiling is the trap. Most scooters sold in Europe are built to the French and general-market 25 km/h limit. A 25 km/h scooter cannot hold a German ABE, and no amount of "StVO-konform" or "straßentauglich" in a listing changes that — those phrases are marketing, not approval.
Riding without valid insurance is an offence under § 6 PflVG, carrying a fine or worse, and the scooter can be confiscated. After an accident you are personally liable without limit.
The eKFV was amended in February 2026, with revised rules applying from 1 April 2026 and scooters being largely aligned with bicycles in the StVO from 1 March 2027. Indicators are expected to become mandatory. Check the current position before relying on any of this.
The Netherlands — the strictest
Dutch law classes electric scooters as bijzondere bromfiets, and only vehicles individually approved by the RDW may be used on public roads. The approved list is very short.
Since 1 July 2026, an approved scooter also needs a registration plate — a blue plate carrying an "E". Approved models that had not obtained one by that date may not be used on the road until they do, and online applications are no longer sufficient; the vehicle must be assessed at an RDW inspection station.
Other requirements: minimum age 16, third-party insurance, a maximum of 25 km/h, and use of the cycle path. A scooter with both pedal assistance and a throttle is not permitted on the public road at all.
Riding an unapproved scooter risks a fine of around €320 plus administration costs, and confiscation on repetition.
The practical summary
- France: a 25 km/h scooter is usable on public roads under EDPM rules, subject to insurance and local restrictions.
- Germany: only with a valid KBA ABE (20 km/h maximum) and a current insurance plate. A 25 km/h scooter does not qualify.
- Netherlands: only with RDW approval and a registration plate. Very few models have either.
- Everywhere: private land with the landowner's permission is unrestricted.
This is why our scooter range carries a country-by-country note on every product page, and why we say plainly that we sell these into France for road use and for private-land use elsewhere.
Two things that are not approval
- A licence plate bracket. Several scooters ship with one. It is a piece of metal, not a legal document.
- "Compliant lighting". Meeting a lighting standard such as K-Mark is one requirement among many. It is not a type approval.