Italy tightens rules for electric scooters with mandatory insurance

Rome – 18.07.2026: Italy has further tightened the regulation of electric scooters. Since July 16, 2026, no electric scooter may operate on public roads without its own liability insurance. The requirement applies nationwide and supplements the obligation, in force since May 16, to display an individual identification marking. This largely completes the implementation phase of the reform of Italian road traffic law adopted in 2024.

Contrary to a widespread description, the marking is not a conventional registration such as that required for cars or motorcycles. The Ministry of Transport instead describes it as a personal, non-transferable identification code. It is assigned to the applicant and must be visibly attached to the vehicle. The state aims to end the previously extensive anonymity of these vehicles in road traffic and facilitate police checks following violations or accidents.

The insurance covers civil liability toward third parties. Damage to pedestrians, cyclists or other road users should therefore no longer have to be borne solely by the owner or driver. According to guidance from Italian municipalities, general family or micromobility insurance is not sufficient; a specific policy for the respective electric scooter is required. Proof of insurance must be able to be presented digitally or on paper during checks.

The staggered timing was not accidental. The identification marking was introduced first because it creates the technical prerequisite for clearly linking a policy to a vehicle. At the request of the insurance association ANIA, the responsible ministries postponed the start of the insurance requirement by around two months in April. The industry cited technical adjustments needed between the database of the registration authority, insurers and the system for issuing identification markings.

The stricter rules were also prompted by the accident record. According to data from ACI and Istat, 3,911 electric scooters were involved in road accidents in Italy in 2024. Twenty-three people died and 3,751 were injured. The figures cover vehicles involved in recorded road accidents and do not allow direct conclusions about individual riding mileage. However, they show that electric scooters have become a relevant factor in urban road safety.

The reform goes beyond identification marking and insurance. The 2024 law also tightened helmet and technical requirements. This gives municipalities and police a set of instruments more closely aligned with the regulation of motorized vehicles, without formally subjecting electric scooters to a full registration requirement. In Rimini, the municipal police have already recorded 111 violations of the existing scooter rules this year.

Administrative requirements are increasing for both private owners and rental scooter providers. Politically, the regulation represents a change of course: after small electric vehicles were long treated primarily as a flexible addition to urban transport, liability for damage and the enforceability of traffic rules are now taking center stage. Whether the regulations reduce the number of serious accidents will only be shown by future accident statistics.