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Spain is planning to tighten up the rules for electric scooters with new controls on manufacturers and riders.
Credit : Nigel Jarvis, Shutterstock
If you use an electric scooter in Spain – or you’re thinking of buying one – things are about to change in a big way.
What began as a cheap, quick and flexible way of getting around Spanish cities has now moved into a much more regulated area. Spain’s traffic authority, the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), is preparing to take direct control over who can manufacture electric scooters, who can sell them and which models are allowed on public roads.
After a change to Spain’s General Vehicle RegulationsThe update is a quiet one that places electric scooters in a new category, which looks more like a car than a personal gadget.
For many riders, this could mark the end of the ‘anything goes’ scooter era.
Electric scooters soon will be tracked and registered to a specific owner
The most important change is the creation a national register specifically for electric scooters. Light personal Vehicles. Up until now, scooters were largely outside the system of traditional vehicles. This is about to change.
According to the new regulations, electric scooters are entered in the National Vehicle Register of Spain, the same database as used for motorbikes and cars. Each scooter will have a unique owner, and a technical and administrative record.
According to the new regulation, these details will include the registered owner’s identity and the address of the registered owner, the circulation certification number, technical characteristics for the scooters, including the manufacturer, brand and model as well as the certification laboratory.
Ownership changes are recorded. The change of ownership will be officially recorded if a scooter has been sold, transferred, taken out, etc. In practice, scooters won’t be anonymous vehicles cruising through the city.
Industry sources say this move brings scooters closer to ‘car-style’ regulation, making it easier for authorities to identify responsibility in the event of accidents, fines or misuse.
On Spanish roads only DGT-certified scooters are allowed
It doesn’t only affect users. The new regulations place heavy responsibility on the manufacturers and sellers.
Electric scooters must now pass a formal testing process, overseen by DGT. The DGT can request this certification from the manufacturer, a representative, or in rare cases, a private owner. It is the stated goal to only allow models that meet specific safety and technological standards on public roads.
Testing will be done in authorized laboratories by the DGT to verify that the model meets the requirements of this vehicle category. Once approved, manufacturers will be allowed to register the model and display the label ‘DGT certified’, including the use of the DGT logo in promotional material.
Simple: This gives DGT the right to decide which scooters can be legally built, marketed, and sold in Spain. Models which fail certification can be removed from stores.
This could be a major change in the market that will affect the prices, the availability and the range of scooters.
What will not be affected by the speed limit?
The law confirms this electric scooters The maximum speed will be 25 km/h. This reinforces existing restrictions that are designed to reduce serious accident in urban areas.
But not all vehicles will fall under this new framework. There are several categories that are specifically excluded. These include scooters intended exclusively for private land use or competitions, vehicles designed for people with limited mobility, high voltage vehicles exceeding certain electrical limits, toys up to 6 km/hr, military vehicles and electric pedal assist bicycles.
Scooters are no longer considered informal devices for personal use, but vehicles that must be traceable, certified, and accountable.
Supporters argue that the new rules will improve safety and reduce the number poorly-built scooters on roads. They also claim it clarifies responsibilities. Critics claim that it will push out smaller manufacturers and make scooters expensive for consumers.
In either case, Spain has drawn a line. Electric scooters are staying – but they will now do so under rules that look far more like those governing cars than casual urban transport.
This shift will arrive sooner than anyone would expect for those who ride on Spanish streets.
