Legal Escooter in Germany – English Version

In the past days I saw several english questions in German ESCooter acebook groups popping up regarding legal Escooter in Germany. From what I saw there is not that much information available for people that do not speak German or are at least not fluent in German.

So this blog post is for you! Highlighting the German regulations around escooters. Which escooters are legal to drive on the street in Germany and which are not? (Hint Xiaomi M365 is currently not legal in Germany!) . What do i need to drive an escooter in Germany? etc.

Feel free to post your questions in the comments below – i will try to answer them!

Escooter Germany Law

Since June 2019 (some) EScooters have been legalized in Germany. In order to drive your scooter on the street legally, the scooter needs to follow the rules below! But Germany would not be Germany if there would not be a central agency certifying that your scooter follows the rules! So if your the manufacturer of the scooter proofs that the scooter is according to the rules they get a ABE (Allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis) which is printed on the scooter.

If you have a scooter with this number you can go to an insurance and buy an insurance policy (Around 30-40 Euros per year). Together with this you get a licence plate, which identifies you and shows that you have insurance.

EScooter ABE

So in order to get the ABE (the general allowance to use the scooter in German streets) the scooters must fullfill the following criteria:

• The scooter must have a steering or holding bar.
• the maximum speed is 20 km/h
• Maximum motor power 1500 Watt
• You need two independent brakes (front & rear)
• Front and rear lights
• A bell or horn
• Insurance sticker holder
• Tag with manufacturer name, model ID and ABE number

Are old scooters now legal?

So naturally you would ask your self: I bought a scooter way back, it fulfills all criteria mentioned, is it allowed to drive, if i buy insurance? The short answer is no!

Without the proper documentation from the manufacturer you will not get an ABE. Without an ABE you are not allowed to drive and won’t get insurance. Also if you do not get escooter insurance, you will not get a insurance sticker / license. Which again leeds to not been allowed to drive on the street! There might be a way to get a single allowance for your scooter BUT this might cost more that a new scooter!

EScooter Law Rules Part 2

Not only your scooter needs to stick to the law – you yourself also have to stick to the law! So here are some other highlights from the regulation:

• Minimum age 14 years
• You do not need a drivers license.
• It is not allowed to not drive on sidewalks or pedestrian zones!
• Use the cycle path or, if not available, the road
• Park your scooter in a way to not handicap anyone
• According to the law you do not need a helmet – but it is certainly not harmful!

The official text of the eKFV regulation can be found here (in german).

Fines Escooter Germany

As always – you should stick to the law. As the scooters are pretty new in Germany there are not so many reports on fines available. However the escooter regulation follows the “Strassenverkehrsordnung” which means fines might be up to 2000 Euros.

I assume most expensive will be the driving of a “illegal escooter without insurance”. In addition you might loose your drivers license (for your car!) and risk points in Flensburg! So do not do it! 🙂

Usefull German words around escooters

Here is a list of words that should help you understand the escooter topics in Germany.

• Elektrokleinstfahrzeuge-Verordnung – eKFV – Name of the escooter regulation
• Strassenverkehrsordnung – STVo. – Name of the law regarding German traffic
• strasssenverkehrszulassung – Means this device is allowed to be used on the street

Which escooters a legal in Germany

At the time i am writing this article there is only a hand full of scooters checked in Germany and have a ABE. Most online retailers or electronic markets sell escooters which are not allowed on the streets. Some sell legal escooters with future release dates, although they do not now the exact time they receive the formal approval.

To stay up to date follow this blog! I will post regularly list of approved scooters! Latest version can be found here!

I hope this article helps you understand e scooters and the regulations around them in Germany. Also I hope, this article is understandable – i usually do not write these articles in English!

Again – if you have any questions or remarks – fell free to send me a mail or comment below! Thanks