Nine out of ten e-scooter riders in Barcelona have no idea they’ll need compulsory civil liability insurance from 2026. That’s according to the latest RACC mobility barometer for personal mobility vehicles in Barcelona. Meanwhile, seven out of ten don’t know they’ll also need to register their scooter with the DGT and get a certificate or identification plate.
The good news is helmet use has skyrocketed since February’s new traffic rules made them mandatory. Now 91% of riders wear helmets, up from just 40.4% last year. RACC president Josep Mateu reckons the insurance requirement won’t kill scooter use, though it’ll depend on premium prices and what coverage becomes compulsory. Right now, fewer than one in ten users has civil liability insurance.
However, most riders still ignore speed limits on bike lanes and shared pedestrian areas, where you can’t go over 10 kilometres per hour. The study shows one in four users jump red lights and the same proportion don’t respect pedestrian crossings. Another 13% still ride against traffic. Worryingly, 30% of those surveyed didn’t even know riding on pavements is banned.
Fines have gone up over the past year, with two out of ten scooter users admitting they’ve been ticketed. One in four of those fines was for speeding. In 2024, Barcelona recorded 606 accidents involving e-scooters (8% of all accidents), down 20% from the previous year. Two people died in scooter-related incidents, whilst so far this year there have been no fatalities.
The profile of typical users shows 71% are young people aged 18-35, making an average of 2.2 trips daily. Meanwhile, 11% of riders admit their scooters are modified to go faster than legal limits. Some 57% confess to jumping red lights when no other vehicles are around, and 41% ride the wrong way or on pavements “to go faster”.
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