Summary: Without registration: 200–800 €. Without insurance: 202–610 €. Possible immobilisation. Without insurance in an accident: full personal liability.

Legal framework

Law 5/2025 (insurance and penalties) + Royal Decree 52/2026 (compulsory registration).

The specific fines

No insurance: 202 – 610 €

For not having a policy taken out, even if you are not caught riding.

Riding without insurance: 250 – 800 €

If caught riding. Plus: possible immobilisation of the scooter.

Riding without registration: 200 – 800 €

For not having DGT registration or the identification label.

Scooters >25 kg: up to 1,500 €

Classified as motor vehicles. Most standard scooters do not fall into this category.

Accident without insurance

Full personal liability. Insurance covers up to 6.45M € in personal injury. Without a policy, you pay.

Enforcement is already underway

Civil Guard and local police have been carrying out targeted checks since the regulations came into force.

Comparison

A fine: 250–800 €. Getting compliant: ~90–145 €. Up to 8x cheaper to comply.

Avoid fines of up to 800 €

Registration: 29.95 € · Fee included · No Cl@ve · 24–48h

Register now →

The complete penalty framework: what the law actually says

The penalties for electric scooters come from two different regulations that apply independently:

  • Royal Decree 52/2026: regulates compulsory VMP registration. Penalises riding without DGT registration and without the identification label visibly displayed.
  • Law 5/2025: regulates compulsory civil liability insurance for VMPs. Penalises both merely having a scooter without a policy and actively riding without cover.

This means that if you ride without registration and without insurance at the same time, you can receive two separate fines simultaneously: one for lack of registration and one for lack of insurance. The combined amount can exceed 1,600 €.

Detailed penalty table

All penalisable situations and their amounts under current regulations:

  • Not having civil liability insurance taken out: 202 € – 610 €. You can be penalised even if you are not caught riding: the obligation is to have an active policy at all times.
  • Riding without civil liability insurance: 250 € – 800 €. If an officer intercepts you riding without a policy, the fine is higher. In addition, the scooter may be immobilised on the spot.
  • Riding without DGT registration: 200 € – 800 €. Applies if you do not have the registration certificate or the approved identification label displayed on the vehicle.
  • Riding without the label visibly displayed: Additional penalty even if you have the certificate. The label must be affixed in a visible position on the scooter.
  • Scooters over 25 kg or over 25 km/h: Classified as motor vehicles. The penalty can reach 1,500 € and the penalty proceedings follow the general Traffic Act.
Important: The 200–800 € fines apply to standard domestic market scooters (Xiaomi, Segway, Cecotec, etc.). The vast majority of common scooters fall within this range.

How do officers act? Checks on public roads

Since Royal Decree 52/2026 came into force, the Civil Guard and local police have been carrying out targeted VMP checks on roads, cycle lanes and high-density scooter areas. The procedure is as follows:

  1. The officer stops the scooter rider and asks for the registration certificate (can be the PDF on a phone or a copy).
  2. They check that the scooter displays the approved identification label and that the number matches the certificate.
  3. They verify that a valid civil liability insurance policy exists in the owner's name.
  4. If any of the three elements is missing, the corresponding penalty notice is issued and, in the case of no insurance, the vehicle may be immobilised.

Officers may also check whether the scooter exceeds the technical limits of the VMP regulations (speed and power). In that case, the vehicle may be taken off the road immediately.

Accident without insurance: the most serious risk

Fines are the most visible consequence, but not the most serious. If you cause an accident without insurance, you assume unlimited personal civil liability. This means you must pay out of your own pocket all damage caused to third parties:

  • Medical expenses, hospitalisation and rehabilitation of those injured.
  • Temporary or permanent work incapacity of the victim.
  • Material damage: vehicles, infrastructure, private property.
  • In serious cases: compensation for death or severe disability.

Compulsory insurance covers up to 6,450,000 € in personal injury and 1,300,000 € in material damage per incident. Without a policy, that cover falls entirely on you. A single serious collision can result in a lifetime debt.

Penalty proceedings: what happens after the fine

When an officer issues you with a penalty notice, the process is as follows:

  1. Notification: You receive the penalty notice on the spot or by post at your home address.
  2. Voluntary payment period: You have 20 calendar days from notification to pay with a 50% reduction on the minimum penalty amount.
  3. Representations: You may submit representations within the same period if you consider the penalty is unfounded.
  4. Resolution: If you neither pay nor submit representations, the administration issues a penalty decision. From that point, the amount no longer has a reduction.
  5. Enforcement: If you do not pay the final penalty, it can be enforced through account freezing or benefit deductions.

Can I appeal a scooter fine?

Yes. You have the right to appeal penalties in two stages: first through an administrative appeal to the body that issued the penalty, and then through a judicial review before the courts.

The most common grounds for success in appeals are: formal defects in notification, error in identifying the vehicle or owner, or proving that at the time of the facts the scooter did have registration and insurance but the officer could not verify it. However, if the non-compliance is real, the probability of success is minimal.

How to avoid fines: checklist

Before taking your scooter out, check that everything is in order:

  • ✓ DGT registration certificate (PDF on phone or physical copy).
  • ✓ Approved identification label affixed in a visible position on the scooter.
  • ✓ Valid civil liability insurance policy (you can save the document on your phone).
  • ✓ You comply with traffic rules: cycle lane or road, no pavements, no mobile phone.
  • ✓ The scooter does not exceed 25 km/h or 1,000 W of power.

If you have not yet registered, the cost of getting compliant (29.95 € with NT Cars, fee included) is up to 27 times cheaper than the maximum fine for riding without registration.

Frequently asked questions about scooter fines

Can a parked unregistered scooter be fined?

The penalty for not having insurance taken out can be imposed even if the scooter is not being ridden. The one for not having registration, however, usually requires the officer to identify the rider while riding or to have access to the registered owner.

Do fines expire?

Yes. Traffic penalties generally expire after 3 months from when they become final (i.e. from when the decision is definitive). But the penalty proceedings themselves expire after one year from the facts if there has been no valid notification to the offender.

Can my scooter be permanently seized?

Immobilisation is temporary: as long as you cannot prove you have insurance, the scooter may be retained. There is no penalty of permanent confiscation for simply lacking registration or insurance, except in cases of serious repeat offending or if the scooter does not meet VMP technical specifications.

What if the scooter is not mine?

Liability falls on the registered owner of the vehicle. If the scooter is in your name and someone else is riding it, you are responsible for ensuring it is ridden with valid registration and insurance. If it is not registered to anyone, liability falls on the identified rider.

Based on RD 52/2026 and Law 5/2025. March 2026.