When and where can I ride an e-scooter legally?

London is the latest UK city to trial e-scooters – which the government hopes will be a more environmentally-friendly way to travel.

More than 30 areas – including Newcastle, Bristol and Bournemouth – are already operating rental schemes.

The Covid pandemic brought the trials forward, because they offer people a way of getting around at a social distance.

E-scooters are available to rent in four boroughs to start with:

Scooters can also be hired in Canary Wharf and ridden through the borough of Tower Hamlets. The City of London is due to join in July.

The most powerful privately-owned e-scooters can reach up to 68 mph (110 km/h) but rental e-scooters in the UK have maximum limits of 15.5mph (24.9km/h)

The London trials use technology to create “go-slow areas”, where the top speed is reduced to 8mph (13km/h) for safety.

Hire charges vary, but it typically costs £1 to unlock an e-scooter (using a smartphone app) plus a fee of 14p-20p per minute.

Rental e-scooters in London have an audible warning system, and front and rear lights.

The only e-scooters that can be used on public roads are those rented as part of government-backed trials.

If you own an e-scooter, you can only use it on private land and not on public roads, cycle lanes or pavements.

Currently, there isn’t a specific law for e-scooters so they are recognised as “powered transporters” – falling under the same laws and regulations as motor vehicles. They are subject to all the same legal requirements – MOT, tax, licensing and specific construction.

And so, because e-scooters don’t always have visible rear red lights, number plates or signalling ability, that’s why they can’t be used legally on roads.

Yes. To use an e-scooter from an official trial, you need to have category Q entitlement on your driving licence.

Full/provisional UK driving licences with categories AM, A or B include category Q permissions.

If you have a provisional licence, you don’t need L plates when using an e-scooter.

If you have an overseas provisional licence, learner permit or equivalent – you can’t use an e-scooter.

No. In London you have to complete an online course first.

Cycle helmets are recommended, but not legally required.

The Met Police say they will issue fines of £50 for riding on the footway – and £100 and six driving licence penalty points for using a mobile phone or riding through a red light.

The Transport Committee of MPs has called for e-scooters to be legalised on roads, but not pavements.

It says allowing wider use of e-scooters would:

The London Cycle Campaign (LCC) says e-scooters offer a “cleaner, low carbon alternative” for those who can’t or don’t want to cycle.

Unsurprisingly, manufacturers say e-scooters can improve mental health and balance. But the London Assembly found there could be a negative health benefits if e-scooters replaced walking or cycling.

The exact number of crashes involving e-scooters is said to be under-reported however Ch Supt Simon Ovens from the Met Police said the numbers were increasing “sharply”.

In July 2019, TV presenter and YouTuber Emily Hartridge, 35, died when the e-scooter she was riding crashed due to an underinflated tyre. And Julian Thomas, 55, died when his e-scooter hit a parked car in September 2020.

There’s concern that e-scooters are being used by criminal gangs.

E-scooters were involved 574 recorded crimes in London, such as robberies or assaults, between 1 July 2020 and 30 April 2021 – say the Met.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says incidents involving e-scooters are “underreported”, but work is being done with the police to ensure all incidents are addressed.

Caroline Pidgeon, a Lib Dem London Assembly member, is worried the “speed and nimbleness” of e-scooters now offer an attractive option for some criminals.

The needs of pedestrians and disabled people should “never be sacrificed”, she says, and it is “vital” e-scooters are not ridden irresponsibly or left cluttered on pavements.