E-scooter accident claims – what you need to know if you’ve been involved in an e-scooter collision

E-scooter accidents resulting in injury are still relatively rare at just over 1% of the total road injuries when data was last available. In provisional data from 2025 there were 1,484 casualties from e-scooter collisions, out of a total 127,870 casualties on our roads that year. Unfortunately, the number of fatalities involving e-scooters increased from six to 10 from 2024 to 2025.

The most common injuries from an e-scooter collision appear to be fractures to the upper or lower limbs and their extremities.

According to a review by the British Medical Journal from 2021, which assessed literature on e-scooter accidents, it’s reported that e-scooters leave riders vulnerable to injuries of varying degrees of severity. However, most reported injuries were minor and although the head and upper or lower extremities were particularly vulnerable, it should be noted that low rates of helmet use were found.

A more specific study from 2022 delivered further data, finding that 88.6% of injuries in the study were fractures many of which required operative intervention. Similarly to the previous review it was found that most of the injuries were to upper or lower limbs. Helmet use was still low at just 35.1% of those studied.

Rental e-scooters as part of the Government trial are legal on public roads and cycle lanes, provided you have the correct driving licence and follow road traffic regulations. At present, these are the only e-scooters that are allowed and legal to be ridden on UK roads and cycle lanes.

Privately owned e-scooters are illegal to ride on public highways. You can only ride privately owned scooters on private land with the landowner’s permission. Ownership of an e-scooter is legal though.

If you are caught by the police riding a privately-owned e-scooter on public highways, you risk being issued with a fine, penalty points and/or the e-scooter being seized.

It’s not a legal requirement, but according to the Department for Transport’s guidance, it is advised that you should wear a cycle helmet when using a rental e-scooter.

Interestingly, e-scooters are not mentioned in the Highway Code’s hierarchy of road users, so how they should behave when interacting with other vulnerable road users is perhaps up for debate.  Perhaps it would have been sensible to take the opportunity to include them in the hierarchy when updating the Highway Code. In my view, legally used e-scooters probably come after pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists in terms of vulnerability.

Operators of rental e-scooters are obliged to provide an insurance policy as part of the rental agreement with the rider.

As privately owned e-scooters are illegal on public highways, there is currently no insurance cover available.

You may be able to cover the e-scooter under a household insurance policy for example for theft and/or damage, but not for use on a public highway.

If you are involved in an accident involving an e-scooter, the steps you should take are similar to those if you are involved in any other road traffic accident:

1. Obtain the other party’s full name, address, contact details, insurance details and/or rental operator booking confirmation details.
2. Obtain contact details of any witnesses to the accident.
3. Take photographs of the accident, injuries and damage.
4. Report the accident to the police, your insurer and/or rental operator.

If you have been injured as a result of the accident, it’s advisable to get in touch with a specialist personal injury solicitor as soon as possible after an accident so they can advise you on your options.

Find out more about road traffic accident claims here >

If you were involved in a collision with another road vehicle such as a car, if liability is established, you should receive compensation depending on the extent of your injuries and the amount of your financial losses (to date and in the future).

When the time comes to assess the value of your claim, we will undertake thorough research before advising you. We will be happy to obtain part payments towards your claim as it progresses in case you need money for particular expenses, such as medical treatment or travel expenses.

You can find out more about the process of making a claim and the amount of compensation you’ll receive by reading our guide to personal injury claims here.