Electric scooter laws in Spain (2026-2027): everything you need to know

Which laws regulate electric scooters in Spain?

Five national regulations and each town's bylaw. Each one covers a different part:

• Royal Decree 52/2026, of 28 January: creates the DGT register for scooters (registration, number and label) and sets until when non-certified scooters can be ridden. It amends the General Vehicle Regulations (Reglamento General de Vehículos).
• Law 5/2025, of 24 July: makes third-party liability insurance compulsory for scooters.
• Royal Decree 518/2026, of 24 June: traffic rules from 1 October 2026 (helmet, age, lights and where you can ride). It amends the General Traffic Regulations (Reglamento General de Circulación).
• Traffic Act (Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015): fines and the deadlines for paying or appealing them.
• VMP Characteristics Manual (DGT, BOE of 21/01/2022): what a VMP is, which technical requirements it must meet and how it is certified.
• Local bylaws: where you can ride within each town and, sometimes, rules of their own.

You don't need to read them: below you'll find what they require from you, with a guide for each topic and the official sources at the end.

What is an electric scooter in Spanish law?

A personal mobility vehicle (VMP, vehículo de movilidad personal): a single-seat electric vehicle with a maximum design speed of between 6 and 25 km/h, a power output of up to 1,000 W (2,500 W if it is self-balancing) and a weight of under 50 kg. The electric scooter is the most common VMP.

If it exceeds those limits, or has been tampered with to go faster, it is no longer a VMP. It cannot be registered as a moped, because without a seat it can't be type-approved, and it cannot be ridden on public roads.

In addition, since 22 January 2024 the models on sale must be certified by an authorised laboratory. The certificate number (a letter and 4 digits, such as B1134) is on the manufacturer's black plate, and you can look it up in our certified scooter finder. If you're about to buy one, here is what to check before you pay.

What does a scooter need to be ridden legally?

Three things for the scooter and two for the rider. To be ridden on the road, a scooter must be registered with the DGT, carry the identification label and have third-party liability insurance (Law 5/2025). And from 1 October 2026, whoever rides it must wear a helmet and be at least 15.

Is registration compulsory? What happens if you don't register?

Yes. Registration in the DGT Vehicle Register has been compulsory since 30 January 2026 (Royal Decree 52/2026). It doesn't matter when you bought the scooter: if you want to ride it, it must be registered. If you buy a used one that is already registered, it isn't registered again: a change of owner is done instead.

Royal Decree 52/2026 does not itself set a fine for not registering a scooter. But without registration and the label, the scooter cannot be ridden legally or insured, and the DGT fines €250 to €800 for riding without insurance (€202 to €610 for not having a policy in place). The scooter can also be immobilised. You'll find all the amounts, with their legal basis, in scooter fines.

Registration is requested by the owner (or their guardian) on the DGT online office, with Cl@ve, an electronic ID card (DNIe) or a digital certificate, or in person, with an appointment. A gestoría or an insurance agent can also submit it. The fee is €8.67 (how to pay it). With us it costs €35 including the fee and VAT and, with a Spanish driving licence, you don't need Cl@ve or a digital certificate (how it works). Step by step in how to register your scooter with the DGT, and the full costs in how much it costs to register a scooter.

What is the identification label and where does it go?

It is the reflective sticker with the scooter's registration number (format M 0000 AAA), and carrying it is compulsory. The number is black on a white background and, underneath, the certification number appears in a blue strip, with security marks.

Only authorised number-plate processors (manipuladores de placas habilitados) registered in Spain's National Vehicle Register can issue it. ITV stations and workshops don't make it, and sticking on labels that don't meet the standard is prohibited.

On certified scooters it goes in the rear label holder (porta-identificador), under the light, tilted at 30° and at least 50 mm off the ground. On non-certified scooters, somewhere visible.

You can order the identification plate (the identification label the DGT requires, which many people call a number plate or sticker) from us for €15 + €4.95 shipping, VAT included, or from another authorised number-plate processor. We print it ourselves: NT Cars is an authorised number-plate processor (manipulador de placas habilitado) registered in Spain's National Vehicle Register (no. 038001272). If you need everything, the registration + plate pack costs €45 + €4.95 shipping. More details in what the label looks like and where it goes and in where to get it.

What insurance does a scooter need?

Third-party liability insurance, compulsory under Law 5/2025 and enforceable since 30 January 2026. It covers damage you cause to other people or their property, with a minimum of €6,450,000 for personal injury and €1,300,000 for property damage, and only in Spain.

It is taken out for a scooter that is already registered and labelled. Not having a policy is fined €202 to €610, and riding without one €250 to €800, and the scooter may be immobilised. If your scooter weighs more than 25 kg and goes faster than 14 km/h, it counts as a motor vehicle for insurance purposes: it had to be insured before 26 January 2026.

We don't sell insurance: once the registration is done we send you a partner's link, with policies from €44. What it covers and what it doesn't, in compulsory scooter insurance.

What traffic rules apply from 1 October 2026?

Those of Royal Decree 518/2026, which amended the General Traffic Regulations and has been in force since 1 October 2026. These are the ones that affect scooter riders; the details are in the new scooter rules.

Helmet

Compulsory for anyone riding a scooter, whatever their age: approved or certified, and fastened. Riding without one is a serious offence with a €200 fine (Traffic Act, arts. 76 and 80); if you pay within 20 calendar days of being notified, you get a 50% discount.

Minimum age

15. Some bylaws asked for more, such as Barcelona's (16): check your town's current bylaw before letting anyone under 16 use your scooter.

Where you can ride

Never on the pavement. In pedestrian areas, only if your town council allows it. Motorways, dual carriageways, travesías (main roads running through a town), interurban roads and urban tunnels are banned, except cycleways, bike lanes, cycle tracks, shared cycle paths and roads closed to cars and motorbikes, including outside towns. Turns must be signalled with your arm.

Lights and reflective item

The scooter's lights must always be on (in daylight, from 1 October 2027). At night or in poor visibility you must carry a light or reflective item visible from 150 metres and, if you ride for work, wear a high-visibility vest at all times, including in daylight.

Alcohol, drugs, phones and passengers

On a scooter the alcohol limits are the same as for other drivers: a €500 fine, or €1,000 if you are over twice the limit or reoffend, and €1,000 for drugs, with the scooter immobilised. Using a mobile phone or wearing headphones carries a €200 fine each. And you can't carry anyone else: it is a single-seat vehicle (there is no official national amount; in Barcelona, €100).

What about non-certified scooters?

They can be ridden until 22 January 2027, if they were sold before 22 January 2024 and are registered. They are registered with their make, model and serial number as a «vehículo no certificado» (non-certified vehicle), and after that date they can no longer be ridden, even if registered (Royal Decree 52/2026, first transitional provision).

Until then they need the same as any scooter: registration, label (somewhere visible) and insurance. If yours isn't certified, you can register it and use it until that date, sell it after telling the buyer, deregister it at an authorised treatment facility, replace it with a certified one or apply to an authorised laboratory for an extraordinary certification. The five options are in what to do with a non-certified scooter; and if you don't know whether yours is certified, in how to check if your scooter is certified.

Can I take my scooter on the train, metro or bus?

On Renfe trains, yes: since 7 September 2026 Renfe has allowed certified and registered scooters with the label visible and with insurance, folded and switched off, on Cercanías (commuter), Media Distancia and Larga Distancia trains. They are not allowed on Rodalies de Catalunya or Cercanías Euskadi, and a non-certified scooter can't board even if it is registered.

On the metro and buses, each city decides. On Barcelona's ATM public transport they have been banned since 1 February 2023 (€200 fine), although on 22 September 2026 allowing them back was being studied. In Madrid, the Regional Transport Consortium (CRTM) has banned them since 4 November 2023 and is keeping the ban until 2027, with fines of €100 to €200. Before travelling, check each operator's conditions. There is a city-by-city breakdown, with sources, in can I take my electric scooter on the train, metro or bus?

What about my town's rules?

Each town council decides where you can ride in its streets and may add rules of its own in its bylaw. Before you set off, check your town's current bylaw. These are the facts we have checked, with their source:

Timeline of Spain's scooter laws

The key dates, from first to last, with the regulation they come from:

Frequently asked questions about scooter laws in Spain

Can an electric scooter be registered as a moped?

No. A scooter that goes faster than 25 km/h or exceeds the other VMP limits can't be registered as a moped, because without a seat it can't be type-approved, and it can't be ridden either.

Do I need a driving licence to ride an electric scooter?

No. You don't need a driving licence to ride a scooter; if you have one, it only serves to identify you when registering it. What you do need is to be at least 15 and wear a helmet.

Do electric scooters need an ITV (roadworthiness test)?

No. Neither Royal Decree 52/2026 nor the VMP Characteristics Manual requires the owner to take the scooter for any inspection. What gets checked is the model: an authorised laboratory certifies it.

Since when has scooter insurance been compulsory?

It has been enforceable since 30 January 2026. It is set by Law 5/2025: third-party liability insurance with a minimum of €6,450,000 for personal injury and €1,300,000 for property damage.

How fast can an electric scooter go?

Its maximum design speed must be between 6 and 25 km/h. If it goes faster than 25 km/h or has been tampered with, it is no longer a VMP and cannot be ridden.