Last Updated on May 16, 2023 by Matt
Electric scooter insurance is not exactly a straightforward matter in most places and in most situations. Still, even though electric scooters are a fairly new mode of transport, insurance companies in some countries have managed to provide some options.
To create this guide, I reached out to almost all of the biggest insurance companies in the world and asked them about options for electric scooter owners. I discovered how electric scooter insurance works and in which cases electric scooters need insurance.
Electric scooter insurance
Most countries require no insurance for electric scooters, neither for the scooter nor for the rider. The only notable exceptions in the US are the state of Illinois, and the state of Texas if the scooter’s motor is over 750 Watts. In Europe, the only country that requires insurance is Germany. Still, insurance for the scooter itself is an option in most countries, and bodily injury insurance while riding an electric scooter is available in some form as well.
The specific rules and practices will vary depending on the country and the insurance companies operating there, of course. Let’s go into some extra details depending on your location and the options you have available.
How does scooter insurance work?
Electric scooter insurance can mean coverage for any of the following:
- personal injuries you’ve suffered and the potential expenses related to treating them, like medical expenses
- injuries other people have suffered and the potential expenses related to them, like medical expenses for treating them, potential legal expenses, etc
- damage to your electric scooter
- theft of your electric scooter
- damage to other people’s property suffered in an accident involving you and your electric scooter
You should also know that most of the big insurance companies don’t necessarily have a dedicated package for electric scooters specifically, but chances are, you will be able to get a motorcycle or a regular scooter insurance package that will cover your electric scooter too.
Do you need insurance to use an electric scooter?
The only places that legally require you to have electric scooter insurance are the state of Illinois in the US, the state of Texas in the US if the power of the electric scooter’s motor surpasses 750 Watts, and Germany. You can use your electric scooter without any form of insurance in all other major countries.
Check out my electric scooter legal guide for more information related to this.
Can you get electric scooter insurance?
While not required, electric scooter insurance is available in most countries, and it can often be a financially viable option. Insuring your electric scooter against damage or theft is almost universally available, but personal insurance that will cover accidents while riding can be more complicated, depending on the location.
Does regular insurance cover electric scooters?
Whether your insurance package will cover electric scooters will vary based on the package and the insurance company. In most cases, however, regular insurance packages don’t cover electric scooters. Even insurance packages for vehicles rarely cover electric scooters, as auto-insurance packages generally don’t cover vehicles on two wheels.
What kind of insurance do you need for an electric scooter?
The type of insurance you get for your electric scooter depends on what you want to cover. If you want to cover damages to your scooter, you will typically have to get collision coverage, or specialized scooter coverage from the companies dedicated to insuring electric scooters. Those same packages may cover vandalism or theft, but you may need to get some home insurance package to cover all the scenarios. Your health insurance may cover your bodily injuries, although that may not always be the case, and this is probably one of the scenarios that have the least options available. Damages to other people’s properties as well as their potential injuries might be covered by a liability package.
How much does insurance for an electric scooter cost?
The price for electric scooter insurance will vary based on your location and the company providing the package, but on average you can expect to pay between $20 and $30 in most cases.
Does auto insurance cover electric scooter accidents?
None of the large insurance companies allow your auto insurance to cover electric scooter accidents, as they don’t cover vehicles with less than 4 wheels. If you want to get insurance for when riding your electric scooter, you will have to either insure your scooter separately for damages and theft, and get some form of umbrella insurance for expenses related to personal injuries to yourself or injuries you’ve caused others.
Does medical insurance cover bodily injury expenses from electric scooter accidents?
There is a good chance that your medical insurance covers some or all of your medical expenses if you’re involved in an accident with your electric scooter. However, your medical insurance will not cover the expenses for the injuries of other people involved in the accident.
Can home insurance cover electric scooter theft?
It is possible in some cases for your home insurance package to cover the theft of your electric scooter, especially if the scooter has been stolen from your home.
Does umbrella insurance cover electric scooter accidents?
Umbrella insurance policies can be set up in a way so that they cover electric scooter accidents, but this will be specific to the insurance company. Typically, they will provide liability coverage for damages or injuries to other people, and potentially your own injuries, but they won’t cover the damages to your scooter.
Electric scooter insurance companies
These are some of the policies for electric scooters of the biggest insurance companies. I should note that I reached out to all of them, but only a small fraction of them responded back, and an even smaller fraction was able to give me a definitive answer. Much of the information is sourced from the websites of these companies, and you should be aware that in many cases, the information was provided for motorcycles, mopeds, or regular gasoline scooters instead of electric ones, so there may be some discrepancy.
The rows with the * symbol next to the company’s name are smaller companies that specialize in electric scooter insurance, and often they will be the best option for insuring your electric scooter.
| Insurance company | Country | Scooter damage | Scooter theft or vandalism | Other people’s property damage | Bodily injury | Other people’s injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | USA | / | / | / | / | / |
| Allstate | USA | scooter insurance | scooter insurance or home insurance | scooter insurance or umbrella policy | scooter insurance | scooter insurance or umbrella policy |
| Nationwide | USA | scooter insurance | scooter insurance or home insurance | scooter insurance or liability coverage | scooter insurance | scooter insurance |
| State Farm | USA | umbrella policy | umbrella policy | |||
| Farmers | USA | collision coverage | comprehensive coverage | liability coverage | liability coverage | |
| American Family | USA | / | / | / | / | / |
| Progressive | USA | collision coverage | comprehensive coverage | property damage liability | bodily injury coverage | |
| Amica | USA | available | liability coverage | available | ||
| Geico | USA | collision coverage | comprehensive coverage | property damage coverage | personal injury coverage | bodily injury liability coverage |
| Voom * | USA | popular or extended | available | available | available | |
| Co-operators | Canada | available | ||||
| The Personal | Canada | / | / | / | / | / |
| Intact | Canada | / | / | / | / | / |
| Allianz (partnered with Lime) | UK, EU | available | available | available | ||
| Direct Line | UK | / | / | / | / | / |
| Admiral | UK | / | / | / | / | / |
| Hastings | UK | comprehensive | theft | third party | comprehensive | third party, comprehensive |
| Cycleplan * | UK | e-scooter insurance | e-scooter insurance | e-scooter insurance | e-scooter insurance | e-scooter insurance |
| Laka * | UK | bicycle insurance | bicycle insurance | bicycle insurance | health insurance | |
| AXA | EU | / | / | / | / | / |
| Zego * | EU | personal use | theft | third party | personal use | third party |
| Munich Re | Germany | / | / | / | / | / |
| Elvia | Switzerland | household insurance | private liability | private liability | ||
| Luko * | France | collision damage | theft | personal accident | public liability | |
| Assicurazioni Generali | Italy | / | / | / | / | / |
| Cleverea | Spain | E-Scooter Insurance | E-Scooter Insurance | E-Scooter Insurance | E-Scooter Insurance | E-Scooter Insurance |
| AG Insurance | Belgium | / | / | / | / | / |
| Sogaz | Russia | / | / | / | / | / |
| Youi | Australia | comprehensive | theft | third party | ||
| Budget Direct | Australia | comprehensive | theft | third party | ||
| Woolworths | Australia | available | available | available | available | available |
| AIA | Asia | / | / | / | / | / |
| AA Insurance | New Zealand | available | available | available | available | available |
Insurance companies that specialize in electric scooter insurance
Companies like Voom in the US, Cycleplan and Laka in the UK, Zego in the EU, and Luko in France, are smaller insurance companies that specialize in electric scooter insurance. Chances are, they will be your best bet when it comes to insuring your electric scooter, and they will provide specialized packages that even the bigger insurance companies will not provide.
Insurance from ride-sharing companies
Some of the biggest ride-sharing companies like Bird and Lime don’t really cover accidents with their scooters, unless the scooter itself has been defective and that defect has been the reason for the accident.
