Electric scooters, segways and hoverboards are not subject to the obligation to take out motor vehicle civil liability insurance as a condition for admission to circulation on public roads, says ANSR.

The clarification from ANSR comes after the PSP announced that they will now be inspecting civil liability insurance on electric scooters, electric bikes, segways and hoverboards, an obligation provided for in the decree-law that transposes the EU directive on compulsory motor vehicle civil liability insurance.

According to ANSR, this decree-law, “is applicable to the circulation of any motor vehicle intended to circulate on land, which does not move on rails, which can be operated by a mechanical force, as well as its trailers”, which has a maximum design speed of more than 25 kilometres per hour or a maximum net weight of more than 25 kg and a maximum design speed of more than 14 kilometres per hour”, and the diploma does not apply “to wheelchairs intended exclusively for people with physical disabilities”.

When asked by Lusa about what types of vehicles are in question, ANSR did not specify which ones.

Road Safety emphasises that all vehicles that are, “for the purposes of road traffic, equivalent to bicycles, are excluded from this decree-law, which means that their admission to circulation on public roads does not depend on the taking out of civil liability insurance nor does it require the driver to hold a license”.

ANSR also emphasises that Scooters or devices with electric motors “with a maximum continuous power of more than 0.25 kW or that reach a maximum speed of more than 25 kilometres per hour are not authorized to circulate on public roads, given that their circulation regime and their technical characteristics have not yet been defined, which still need to be the subject of a regulatory decree”.

Meanwhile, a source from the PSP told Lusa that the Public Security Police will comply with the ANSR’s understanding, since it is the administrative authority, but will request clarifications from the Road Safety Department to consolidate the legal interpretation on this matter.