Could the EU Force Mobility Scooter Users to Insure Their Vehicles?

Some British news outlets have raised concerns over the possibility that mobility scooters and other small, motorised vehicles (including golf buggies), will have to be insured. The concerns stem from a recent ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The ruling is the result of a case in which a man was knocked off a ladder by a tractor but the vehicle’s insurance company refused to pay out on the (rather petty) grounds that the vehicle was not being used as a mode of transport but as a “machine”. As part of its judgement, the court clarified a previous directive regarding the obligation of EU member states to ensure all motor vehicles are insured. Due to the wording of the ruling, it seems that ‘all motor vehicles’ could well include mobility scooters, golf carts and even sit-on lawnmowers.

But is there any real danger that either the EU or the British government will force mobility scooter users to shell out to insure their vehicles? While it’s possible that the UK will interpret the EU court’s ruling literally, it’s unlikely that the nation’s government will come under any real pressure to do so. The ruling was clearly intended to ensure that potentially dangerous vehicles (such as the tractor that played such a crucial role in the original case) are adequately insured. The idea of treating a small scooter with a maximum speed of 8 mph in the same manner as these larger, more lethal machines is patently absurd. So the most literal and inflexible interpretation of the ruling is unlikely to be put into force, either by the UK or the EU.

In other words, if you’re in need of a mobility scooter, you don’t have to worry about paying to have it insured just yet. Plus, with the low prices we offer on the Pro Rider Mobility website, you don’t need to worry too much about the price of the scooter itself, either!