Electric Scooter Insurance in Romania: What Changed, Why It Happened, and What Riders Must Do in 2025
Electric scooters have gone from a niche gadget to a mainstream way of getting around Romanian cities. Cheap to run, easy to park, and perfect for short trips, they quickly filled bike lanes, sidewalks, and streets. But the boom brought a predictable downside: more accidents, more injuries, and more disputes about who pays when something goes wrong.
For years, Romania treated electric scooters like “in-between” vehicles. Riders used public roads, sometimes at car-like speeds, yet scooters did not fit neatly into the traditional insurance framework. That gap became harder to ignore as scooters got faster and heavier, and as collisions involving pedestrians, cyclists, and cars became more common.
What Changed?
Starting in 2025, Romania aligns scooter responsibility insurance rules with the broader European approach for light electric vehicles. The core change is simple: certain electric scooters must now carry mandatory third-party liability insurance (similar to RCA), meant to cover damage or injuries caused to others.
This is not a “helmet-only” or “registration-only” update. It’s about financial responsibility. If your scooter meets the threshold for mandatory insurance, you are legally required to have it before riding on public roads.
Why Did It Happen?
Three forces pushed Romania to this point:
- Accident growth. Urban hospitals and police reports have shown a steady rise in scooter-related incidents. Many involved serious injuries, especially when scooters mixed with pedestrian traffic or cars.
- Higher scooter performance. Modern scooters can rival mopeds in speed and torque, meaning accidents can cause real material damage and severe bodily harm.
- EU-level pressure for harmonization. Across Europe, lawmakers moved to ensure that high-risk micro-mobility devices carry insurance. Romania followed the same logic to avoid staying a legal outlier.
In short: scooters became powerful enough, common enough, and risky enough that “no insurance” was no longer defensible.
Who Needs Insurance in 2025?
Not every scooter is treated the same. In practice, insurance becomes mandatory for scooters that exceed certain technical limits (power and/or speed). Rental fleets are also covered automatically through the operator’s policy.
If you ride a more powerful personal scooter—especially one capable of higher speeds—you should assume you fall under the mandatory insurance category unless your model is clearly below the threshold.
To check rules and get a compliant policy, riders can use a dedicated Romanian platform like asigurare-trotinete.ro.
What Does It Cover?
Third-party liability insurance covers damages you cause to others, including:
- Injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, or other riders
- Damage to cars or property
- Legal and compensation costs tied to a covered accident
It does not cover damage to your own scooter or your own medical costs unless you choose optional add-ons.
What Happens If You Ignore It?
Riding uninsured when insurance is mandatory can lead to:
- Fines and road sanctions. You can be stopped and penalized just like a driver without RCA.
- Full personal liability. If you injure someone or damage property, you pay out of pocket—potentially thousands or tens of thousands of euros.
- Civil or criminal consequences. Serious accidents can escalate into court cases, especially if injuries are severe.
Even one low-speed incident can create a big financial mess. Insurance is the mechanism that prevents a routine accident from becoming a life-changing debt.
What Riders Should Do Now
If you ride in Romania in 2025, the safe checklist is:
- Confirm whether your scooter’s specs place it under mandatory insurance rules.
- Buy the required third-party liability policy.
- Carry proof of insurance digitally or physically when riding.
- Keep following basic safety rules: ride predictably, use lights at night, and avoid sidewalks unless permitted.
Bottom Line
Romania didn’t introduce scooter insurance because it wanted to complicate micro-mobility. It introduced it because scooters matured into real road vehicles—with real risks and real consequences. The 2025 rules are about protecting everyone who shares the city: riders, pedestrians, and drivers alike.
If you’re a regular scooter rider, getting insured isn’t just compliance—it’s smart self-protection.
