Back in 2020 I spoke to RTÉ about electric scooters and the need to legislate. 6 years later and I’m still defending them here and even in my first print publication and speaking with RTÉ again. Am I a campaigner? Maybe. But more importantly, I’m an avid electric scooter rider. It’s my main vehicle for getting around Dublin City. I dread moving my car, but love the electric scooter. But because I use mine regularly, I also know the laws quite well. Which is why I wanted to bring the latest rules of the road for electric scooter riders to you, in one easy to read place.
Irish Electric scooter laws: A quick summary
I took to the streets for a spin to talk you through the latest key electric scooter laws.
The electric scooter laws we got in 2024
After years of inaction, we finally got some laws that made electric scooters legal for Irish roads. I didn’t agree with all of them, but at least we fell on the “legalise” side of electric scooters given the sheer quantity of them in Ireland and the number of honest people depending on them to get to work etc.
Here’s what came about in 2024, creating the category of powered personal transporter, and for the sake of clarity, still in place today.
Speed and power limits
An electric scooter cannot go faster than 20 kmph and also must have a motor that is limited to no more than 400 watts. In practice, today, when buying an electric scooter from a legitimate source like Loco Scooters, once you tell them you are riding the scooter on public roads, they will know what to offer you.
While moving is important, so to is stopping. An interesting point around braking is that electric scooters must have two braking methods. Naturally the hand brake counts but so too does the regenerative braking system.
The battery on-board must have a CE marking.
Weight and build requirements
Electric scooters can’t weight more than 25kg. One of the more vague elements of the laws are definitions like “it must be road worthy”, but generally speaking look after it. You can use either air-filled or solid tyres, once they are safe and functional, but they must be at least 20cm across. The scooter itself cannot measure more than 200cm in length, 80cm wide and 150 cm in height.
The details of the law also include that steering must not be allowed to overlock. This is not a widespread feature but the Pure Advanced Flex does have it and it makes for a much more comfortable ride, so I get it.
As with bikes, you will have to have a front light and a rear light alongside reflectors. Indicators are not mandatory but allowed, and in my experience if possible, highly recommended. Also it’s important that any lights you have are functional and maintained.
And, believe it or not, a bell or horn is a legal requirement. Given how many people step out in front of me, I can also say this is highly recommended. Less surprising was the fact the 2024 laws banned the fitting of after market seats to electric scooters too.
Usage laws
For now, you must be at least 16 years of age to legally use an electric scooter in public. However, that is about to change in the coming months to limit usage to 18 years of age. Worth keeping in mind if purchasing for someone younger.
It’s illegal to carry goods on an electric scooter, as too is the carriage of a passenger. The carriage of goods, realistically, is a little grey given people wear backpacks all the time. I beleive this is common sense to stop people carrying massive TVs or a week’s worth of shopping in a box.
In an amendment to the Road Traffic Act, it was clarified that electric scooters would take a largely similar role to bicycles. They would be allowed to use bike lanes, bus lanes and not permitted on foothpaths.
The electric scooter laws we got in 2026
Coming into law on 4 September 2026, following a spate of injuries to children, the Government enacted a range of new laws. Whether we like it or not, or whether Gardaà planned to enforce them, they must be followed.
There was some level of understanding that many being injured on electric scooters were travelling far too fast and not wearing a helmet. I’m honestly, not sure what the hi vis law is supposed to achieve beyond making it obvious who is trying to obey the rules, but let’s get into it.
What you have to wear on an electric scooter
It’s is now mandatory that electric scooters wear a helmet and a hi vis vest. The helmet must meet the EN 1078:2012+A1:201European Standard with a CE mark too. The hi vis must be on your front and back and meet the standard of EN ISO 20471:2013+A1:2016.
The points on the hi vis are really important because initially I had planned to simply wear a hi vis backpack cover on my way to the office. However, this does not meet the legal requirements. I’ve also see lots of people tying the hi vis to their back packs, but the new law states it must cover “at least the front and back of the person’s torso”. Checking that your hi vis meets the given standards is important, in case someone really wants to enforce the rules on you.
Now, my working theory on why the hi vis thing came in is simple. It lets Gardaà see who is obeying the laws. Just yesterday, I walked down the street as a guy pulled a balaclava up over his face before jumping on his overpowered electric scooter, with no helmet or hi vis. He was protecting his identity, not his cranium.
I would say there were several red flags here, but obviously as mentioned above, little appetite from Gardaà to stop someone like him. It’s the commuter that stops they’re after. But I’m just ranting now. The laws are there for you to obey, even if others don’t.
Tax and insurance requirements
I’m mentioning this purely as a point of clarification. Right now, despite individuals in Government saying otherwise, there is no requirement to register your electric scooter, or buy insurance or tax for it. In fact, it’s not possible at all.
Minimum age of 18 years of age
We are still waiting on the legal age for electric scooter usage to change to 18 years of age. Interestingly enough this delay is due to the change having to go to Europe for approval.
This is a whole other article I have to write. Irish law is trying to keep up and arguably, even though I disagree with plenty, our approach is more pragmatic than the UK which is still banning private ownership with shared systems permitted. A wild conclusion to arrive at. But he EU is completely fragmented. Speaking to PURE scooters at IFA in Berlin, I got the sense this is becoming a real headache for manfacturers who have to change settings and builds for different markets.
I called for this year ago. This question should simply be addressed on a European level but I won’t go into it now as it would confuse things to talk about the laws of other countries.
Here in Ireland, it’s massively frustrating that after months of electric scooters being demonised across the country, the laws that would have been most effective in helping police the bad apples, were dropped. Instead, weak changes were introduced which will tackle those that, as the Gardaà are suggesting, are silly enough to stop.
I will caveat this entire article with, I’m not a lawyer or legal expert. I ride an electric scooter and care about doing so legally. So I have read through the details, bypassing the headlines and the hot air. I hope this is useful, but please do your own reading and research and ride safely.
