European cities are now filled to the brim with electric scooters, and Hungary is no different. Now, operators of the sometimes dangerous transport devices, which have often become a public nuisance, will require insurance to operate them.
From July 15, 2024, the range of vehicles for which compulsory motor liability insurance must be taken out will be extended, the Association of Hungarian Insurance Companies (Mabisz) said in a statement.
The organization said that under the new provisions announced on April 30, the use of certain micro-mobility devices, including certain electric scooters, will have to be covered by comprehensive personal liability insurance.
The net weight of the vehicle and its design speed will determine whether or not liability insurance is required for the device.
“It is the responsibility of each operator to check the net weight and design speed of his vehicle,” Mabis announced.
As this is a completely new provision, insurers have until June 8 to draw up their tariffs for micromobility devices. At the moment, it is not even possible to estimate the premiums for compulsory motor liability insurance for the vehicles concerned, they added.
According to the law on compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance, the current user of a vehicle that has not been registered, i.e., does not have a registration number, is also considered to be the operator. Therefore, before using a vehicle, it is essential to check whether it is required to have or has compulsory motor insurance, warns Mabisz.
Like many other countries, Hungary is also struggling with the regulation of proliferating electric scooters in downtown urban areas. Hungary has an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 electric scooters, or up to one for every 100 inhabitants. Although there have been calls for stricter control of these, the Ministry of Interior has yet to solve the issue.
Last September, Paris was the first European city to altogether ban the use of electric scooters after almost 90 percent of Parisians voted in favor of the ban. In Britain, there is also a ban in place for electric scooters in and around train stations.
Mabisz said the compulsory insurance will also extend to one- and two-wheel Segways and that the person traveling with these will be responsible for insurance. Although the Mabisz statement did not specify, this means that the persons using rented scooters will be liable, not the rental companies.
