As electric scooters are a relatively new invention and seeing as there are many, many types of scooter with various sized motors and a huge range of features, it may be quite difficult to understand what scooters abide by the laws and regulations in your area. But that’s why AltRiders are here. We’ve broken down this hugely complex subject into manageable chunks to help you best understand what you need to do to be abiding by the laws where you live. Not only this but we’ve also ended with a list of some of the best electric scooters that are the mostly widely street legal.
Disclaimer: The following information does not constitute legal advice and is here as a guide only. The information may not be current or comprehensive and ultimately it is down to you to ensure you are obeying the laws in your area.
What does Street Legal Actually Mean?
This will be a theme throughout the whole article but it’s very dependent on where you live and where you want to ride the scooter. Therefore our description of street legal will be very general.
Electric scooters are rarely classed as full motor vehicles and therefore it is unusual that they will be required to have any form of registration, or licence to use. This is generally based on how powerful the scooter it and it’s top speed. The Federal Law of 2002 in the US states that if an electric bike has a top speed of no more than 20 mph and a motor power of less than 750W it will be classed as street legal. If your electric scooter falls into this range then it will also be street legal and will not require licence or registration in most states.
Electric Scooter Laws in the US
California
In California the term they recognise is “motorised scooter”. This is classed as any vehicle that has a deck, handlebars, an electric motor and is designed to be stood up when ridden. These are not classed as a motor vehicles and therefore do not need licence and registration.
Electric scooters can only be operated on a trail, bicycle path, or bikeway. You are not allowed to operate an e-scooter on the sidewalk. They can be used on roads that do not have bicycle lanes as long as the speed limit for that road is no more than 25 mph. Unless turning left or passing, the scooter must be ridden close to the right hand curb. The driver must be at least 16 years old and must wear properly fitted bicycle helmet meeting regulated safety standards.
A lot of new electric scooter start ups are based in California so it makes sense that their laws are the one of the most lenient.
New York
On the other end of the spectrum is New York. The laws are quite a bit more strict in New York. Electric bikes and scooters are completely illegal for use in public. That doesn’t stop people from doing it though.
Wherever you live, we highly recommend checking your state’s DMV website to find the exact rules and regulation you have to abide by.
Electric Scooter Laws in Canada
Electric bikes and scooters are generally legal in Canada. These vehicles are also known as power assisted bicycles, electric scooters, e-bikes and e-scooters, and the laws for them are very similar to traditional bicycles. They require no license, plates or insurance to own or operate. In Canada, these motorised bicycles and scooters are classified under federal law and each province can make minor changes such as age requirements and each municipality can make changes as to where they are permitted to be used.
Again we recommend you check for exactly where you live, especially if in a city, but we generally expect you to be able to ride your electric scooter freely.
Electric Scooter Laws in the UK
The laws in the UK are are technically a little stricter. No electric scooter is street legal. You can use electric scooters on private land but when it comes to using them in public things gets a little stricter. As they have no pedals they aren’t able to be used on the pavement and as they low powered they can’t be used on the road.
With that said, if you’re riding responsibly and respect pedestrians and other road users we find it unlikely that you will be stopped by the police.
For a much more thorough breakdown of the legalities of riding electric scooters, head over to our Complete Guide to Electric Scooters post.
Best Electric Scooters for Adults that are Street Legal
As you can tell, it’s not an easy job to find a street legal scooter that can be used anywhere in the world. The various laws are all very different and no one electric scooter will be street legal in all locations. Therefore we have done some of the work for you and have found the best street legal electric scooter for adults. Some require a licence, some don’t, but again this is very dependant on where you are. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what to expect.
Ojo Electric Scooter
The OjO Electric Scooter is a striking example of what the possible future of electric personal transportation could hold. Designed and built in Santa Monica it fits perfectly between a standard kick scooter and a full sized motorized scooter/moped. It’s fully legal to be ridden in bike lanes and doesn’t require a licence.
The OjO has a huge range of very interesting features. For example, it has a fully aluminium chassis that is fully waterproof with a headlight, tail light, horn and both front and rear disc brakes and full suspension. The motor is a 500W motor hub motor that allows the rider to reach speeds of 20 mph and the battery allows a range of roughly 25 miles on a single charge. It also has a patented onboard charger with a retractable cord and plug that can fit any 110V wall socket. Included is a non glare screen for all the information you need when riding and even two waterproof Bluetooth speakers and a USB port for charging your phone.
We think the OjO sets a benchmark for new electric scooters with its ingenuity, design and feature set. The fact that it can be ridden in bike lanes and doesn’t require a licence means that it’s road legal and is therefore competing with traditional gas powered scooters. The advantages of the OjO over a traditional scooter are numerous and we’d recommend it every time. The OjO also made it onto our list of the best electric scooter for adults due to its excellent set of all round features and quality.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
GigaByke Groove
The GigaByke Groove is for all intents and purposes an electric scooter, but it uses a clever addition of pedals to be classed an electric bicycle and therefore become fully street legal. This means it can be ridden in most US states, Canada and the UK without a licence, insurance or registering it.
The GigaByke is capable of holding two riders with foldable pegs for the passenger. It has a steel frame and uses a chain driven motor system. The pedals are rather uncomfortable and seems to be an addition to simple enable this to get through some loopholes. However, it has a decently smooth ride and is well equipped. It has lights, solid fenders, mirrors and front and rear suspension. Considering that this is competing with traditional gas powered scooters and mopeds we think this is a very good deal. It’s a proper vehicle, and despite not needing the licence or insurance like a moped, we greatly encourage you to ride it as responsibly as you would a moped.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Jetson Electric Scooter
In the same vein as the GigaByke Groove comes the Jetson Electric Scooter/Bike. This uses the same trick of including pedals for it to be able to be ridden without a licence, insurance or registering it in most of the US, Canada and the UK. However, this is a slightly more premium version of the GigaByke and costs almost twice as much.
It’s limited to a top speed of 20 mph but has a very respectable range of 40 miles on a single charge. It takes 4 hours to charge up, but best of all, includes a removable battery to make charging super easy. It has full headlights and sidelights, an ergonomically designed dashboard and handlebars and even a USB charging port to keep your phone battery topped up on the go. The price puts this very close to the OjO which is a little worrying for Jetson as we think the OjO is without a doubt the better scooter. If you can find a good deal on this, it could well be worth it so keep an eye out for offers.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Swagtron Swagger
The Swagtron Swagger is a little different to the other scooters mentioned so far. This is much more like a traditional stand up kick scooter, and because of this it makes it much more likely to be street legal in your area. It has a top speed of around 15 miles per hour and has a 250W motor. It can do up to 15 miles on a single charge and has a fantastic charging time of 1.5 hours. The Swagger also has built in cruise control, a built in digital crystal display and an LED headlight.
If you’re looking to (almost) guarantee that you’ll be able to ride your electric scooter in public then the Swagtron Swagger is a great way to go. It’s great value for money and one of the best ways to get into electric personal transportation. It also made it onto our list of the best electric scooters for kids due to the fact that it’s lightweight and very accessible. For more information on the Swagtron Swagger, check out our full review.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Glion Dolly
Like the Swagtron Swagger, the Glion Dolly is more like a traditional kick scooter than a moped. It was designed specifically with adults in mind and is aimed at the commuting market so has been designed to be compliant with as many laws as possible. It’s an electric stand up scooter that has the ability to be folded down quicker than any other scooter we’ve tested and even pulled along like a suitcase for super easy commuting. The design is patented and also includes the ability for it to be stood upright so you can store it anywhere you like with ease. Both of these features work like a charm and truly make this e-scooter unique. It has a 250W DC brushless motor with an electronic anti lock maintenance free braking system. This allows it to reach speeds of 15 mph. The battery is large enough for a range of around 15 miles and has a full charge time of 3.25 hours. What makes this battery really stand out is the fact that it can be fully charged and discharged over 1000 times, which is said to be 3 to 5 years, before it needs to be replaced or a new scooter bought. The Glion Dolly is also incredibly light, at just 28 lbs as it’s made from an aircraft grade aluminum alloy.
We love the Glion Dolly. It’s incredibly well made and has some rather ingenious design features. It’s fun and easy to use, store and transport. It’s fairly well priced, generally coming in at right around the recommended spend point we think is suitable to spend on a commuter scooter. We even included it on our list of the best electric scooters for commuting. We’ve written a full Glion Dolly review that goes into much more detail the good and bad aspects of the scooter that we’d recommend you reading if you’re interested in buying one.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
Wrapping Things Up
In most parts of the world electric scooters can be classed in the same category as e-bikes and won’t require a licence or registration. If the scooter has a motor of less than 750W and a top speed of no more than 20 mph then there’s a good chance that it’ll be fine for you to use. But if you’re planning to take your e-scooter on the road then we highly recommend you familiarise yourself with your local legislation. The best place to start will be with your local department of motor vehicles or equivalent.
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