Alicante has regulated scooters since August 2020 with its own bylaw governing personal mobility vehicles: it requires a helmet, sets speed limits by type of road and expressly bans riding on the Explanada de España or on the promenades of the Postiguet, Avenida de Niza and Urbanova. National law adds to this: DGT registration has been compulsory since 30 January 2026 (Royal Decree 52/2026) and, from 1 October 2026, the rules of Royal Decree 518/2026 apply.
| Topic | What applies in Alicante | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and insurance | DGT registration compulsory since 30/01/2026. Insurance is compulsory too: the 2020 bylaw only recommended it, but Law 5/2025 now requires it, as the City Council website points out, and the DGT fines €250 to €800 for riding without it. | RD 52/2026; Law 5/2025; Alicante City Council |
| Minimum age | The 2020 bylaw says 16 (or younger with the AM moped licence); the City Council website, updated in September 2026, already gives 15, the national minimum from 1/10/2026. Riding under the permitted age is a serious offence (€101 to €200). | Bylaw, arts. 5 and 15; Alicante City Council; RD 518/2026 |
| Helmet | Compulsory since 2020 under the bylaw; riding without one is a serious offence (€101 to €200). From 1/10/2026 national law requires it too: approved or certified, and fastened. | Bylaw, arts. 5 and 15; RD 518/2026 |
| Carrying a passenger | Banned: single rider only. Serious offence (€101 to €200). | Bylaw, arts. 5 and 15 |
| Lights and equipment | Scooters must have brakes, a bell, front and rear lights and approved reflective elements; without them, a serious offence. | Bylaw, arts. 5 and 15 |
| Phone and headphones | Riding with headphones or using your phone is banned: a serious offence (€101 to €200). | Bylaw, arts. 5 and 15 |
| Pavements and promenades | No riding on pavements, pedestrian areas or promenades such as the Explanada de España or those of the Postiguet, Avenida de Niza and Urbanova, or on pavement cycle lanes either. | Bylaw, art. 6 |
| Fines under the bylaw | Minor offences, up to €100; serious, €101 to €200; very serious (alcohol or drugs, recklessness or riding more than 50% over the limit), €201 to €500. | Bylaw, arts. 14 to 17 |
Where can you ride a scooter in Alicante?
The bylaw sets out where and at what speed:
- Cycle lanes and cycle tracks: up to 20 km/h.
- Cycle paths and dirt tracks: up to 10 km/h.
- The carriageway in 30 zones, cycle streets and streets limited to 30 km/h: up to 25 km/h, in the centre of the lane.
- One-lane, one-way streets: up to 25 km/h.
- Residential streets and parks with a cycle path or route: at walking pace, and never on green areas.
You cannot ride on pavements, pedestrian areas or paved promenades, such as the Explanada de España or the promenades of the Postiguet, Avenida de Niza and Urbanova. Nor on pavement cycle lanes, bus lanes or tram tracks, or on streets with two or more lanes in the same direction if any of them exceeds 30 km/h, unless there is a signposted cycle street. Where you share space with pedestrians, leave at least 1 metre from them and from building fronts.
Where can you park a scooter in Alicante?
In bicycle parking areas. If there isn't one free within 50 metres, you can leave it elsewhere on the public road, under the same conditions as bicycles. Parking it on pavements, promenades or pedestrian areas in a way that blocks the way, or locking it where it's banned, is a minor offence, and it's taken to the pound under the same rules as bicycles.
Does Alicante have a municipal scooter register?
Yes, a voluntary one, since 2020: the bylaw lets you register your scooter with the City Council, giving its make, model and frame or serial number, so it can be identified. It is different from the DGT register, which has been compulsory for riding since 30 January 2026 and is the one we handle. Non-certified scooters, sold before 22 January 2024, can also be registered and may be ridden until 22 January 2027 (what to do with a non-certified scooter).
Can you take your scooter on the bus, the TRAM or Cercanías in Alicante?
On city buses, yes: according to the FAQ from Vectalia, the company that runs them, the scooter must be folded and inside its cover, measure less than 100 × 60 × 25 cm folded, and stay with you in the standing area; there's no extra charge and a maximum of two per bus. The City Council is updating the bus regulations to state that they travel by hand, folded and in their bag. On the TRAM, however, no: its travel rules ban electric scooters and other personal mobility vehicles across the whole network. And Renfe's Cercanías has accepted them since 7 September 2026, with conditions.
| Transport | Scooters allowed? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| City bus (Vectalia) | Yes | Folded, inside its cover and carried by hand, under 100 × 60 × 25 cm; no extra charge, maximum two per bus. |
| TRAM d'Alacant | No | Electric scooters and other VMPs are banned in the stations and on the trains. |
| Renfe trains (Cercanías, Media Distancia and Larga Distancia) | Yes, since 7/09/2026 | Only certified scooters, registered with the DGT, with the label visible and insured; folded, switched off, in the luggage area and not charged on board. |
What does Royal Decree 518/2026 add from 1 October?
In Alicante little changes, because the bylaw already required a helmet and banned pavements. National law adds having the lights on at all times (in daylight, from 1 October 2027, as the City Council website already notes) and, after dark or in poor visibility, a light or reflective item visible from 150 metres, as well as signalling turns with your arm. And the minimum age becomes 15 across Spain. All the changes from 1 October.
How do we register your scooter from Alicante?
Everything is done remotely: you fill in the registration form, upload your documents and the scooter's (which documents you need) and we file the registration with the DGT. You pay €35 with the DGT fee (€8.67) included and receive the registration certificate in PDF in under 24 hours once your documents are complete, with no appointment at a traffic office. It works the same whether you live in Alicante or anywhere else in the province.
You need legal residence in Spain and your DNI or NIE, and the DGT requires you to identify yourself with one of these three methods: Cl@ve PIN, a digital certificate or a Spanish driving licence. If you have a Spanish driving licence, you don't need Cl@ve or a digital certificate: we identify you with your licence and handle the whole procedure for you. The licence is only used to identify you; you don't need one to ride a scooter (more about registering without Cl@ve).
Registration does not include the identification plate (the identification label the DGT requires, which many people call a number plate or sticker). You can order it separately for €15 + €4.95 shipping or choose the registration + plate pack for €45 + €4.95, and we send it to your home in 3 to 7 working days; we make it ourselves as an authorised plate manufacturer. With the certificate you can take out insurance: we send you a partner's link, from €44 (compulsory insurance). And if you're ever in Barcelona and would rather do it in person, book an appointment at our office at Calle Rosselló, 216, 6th floor (Eixample), Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, on WhatsApp (+34 634 434 485) or by email (patinetes@ntcars.es).
Sources
- Royal Decree 52/2026 (BOE, 30/01/2026): the obligation to register your scooter and the deadline for non-certified models (in Spanish).
- Royal Decree 518/2026 (BOE) and DGT press release of 23/06/2026: helmets, age, lights and pavements across Spain from 1/10/2026 (in Spanish).
- Law 5/2025 and DGT press release of 27/01/2026: compulsory insurance and the fines for riding without it (in Spanish).
- Alicante bylaw governing personal mobility vehicles on the city's urban roads (Alicante Provincial Gazette (BOP) no. 146, 4/08/2020), articles 5 to 8 and 14 to 17 (in Spanish).
- Alicante City Council: FAQ on personal mobility vehicles (updated 17/09/2026): age, helmets, insurance, registration and lights (in Spanish).
- Alicante City Council (20/01/2026) and Vectalia: FAQ: scooters on city buses (in Spanish).
- TRAM d'Alacant: travel rules: the ban on electric scooters across the TRAM network (in Spanish).
- Renfe (4/09/2026): which trains accept scooters from 7/09/2026 and on what conditions (in Spanish).