Estonian authorities remind: not all e-scooters are road-legal
As the new school year begins, Estonian police and the Transport Department remind parents which e-scooters may legally be used in traffic and what consequences non-compliant devices can bring.
With the start of the new school year, thousands of students are back on Estonia's streets, many of them travelling by e-scooter. On Tuesday, September 1, police and the Transport Department issued a joint statement reminding parents which e-scooters are permitted in road traffic.
An e-scooter is classified as a light electric vehicle if its factory-set maximum speed does not exceed 25 km/h. If the manufacturer's stated speed is higher, the scooter generally no longer meets the legal requirements.
According to Darja Lukašenko-Čistotina, a road safety expert at the department, speed is not the only factor — power matters too. If the motor's actual power output exceeds 1 kilowatt, a factory speed limiter does not make the vehicle road-legal. Officials advise relying on the manufacturer's official data rather than specifications listed by sellers. An exception applies to e-scooters that were already in use before January 1, 2021, for which limiting speed to 25 km/h is sufficient.
The department stressed that even a speed of 25 km/h can pose a serious risk for a child, since children's ability to react quickly and assess traffic situations is still developing.
Police also drew parents' attention to their responsibility for children's safety. If a minor operates a vehicle they are not legally entitled to use, the consequences can be both dangerous and financially serious — in the event of an accident, an insurance company may seek damages that can reach tens of thousands of euros.
Police urged parents to check, together with their children, the technical condition of the scooter, the availability of a safety helmet, and the vehicle's compliance with requirements before the school year starts, and to practise safe movement in traffic and discuss possible risks in advance.
E-scooters weighing more than 25 kilograms must have mandatory traffic insurance. Scooters lighter than 25 kilograms that are speed-limited to 25 km/h by the manufacturer do not require such insurance.
If a buyer purchased a scooter in good faith but it later emerges that the seller concealed the real power output or provided inaccurate data, the seller bears primary responsibility, and the buyer has the right to claim damages. Nonetheless, authorities urge parents to be attentive when purchasing such devices and to verify specifications before the scooter is used on the road.
