Electric Scooter Laws in Romania: Complete 2026 Guide

Rules for electric scooters entered the Romanian Highway Code through OUG 13/2020, which amended OUG 195/2002. Before that, scooters had no legal classification of their own. The guide below follows the provisions currently in force, as presented in Romanian Police communications.

What legally counts as an electric scooter

The definition matters more than it sounds, because it decides whether your vehicle falls under scooter rules or moped rules. Under OUG 13/2020, an electric scooter is a vehicle that meets all of the following:

• has two or three wheels
• is designed to carry a single person
• has handlebars
• has no seat or, if it has one, the rider's seating reference point is no higher than 540 mm (two wheels) or 400 mm (three wheels)
• has a maximum speed by construction above 6 km/h but not exceeding 25 km/h
• is fitted with an electric motor

Minimum age and protective helmet

Note that the helmet obligation for ages 14–16 is tied to the roadway. On a cycle lane the legal obligation does not apply the same way — which does not make riding without one a good idea.

Where you may ride

The order of priority is clear: the cycle lane, where one exists, is mandatory. Only if there is none do you move onto the roadway, and then only on roads with a limit of at most 50 km/h.

Required equipment

The equipment and obligations below are set out in the Implementing Regulation of the Highway Code, approved by Government Decision (HG) 1391/2006 (the Art. 14 and Art. 161 references in the table are articles of this Regulation, not of OUG 195/2002). The first three are the ones most often overlooked:

What is forbidden, in short

• Carrying another person, regardless of their age or weight
• Carrying objects that hinder control or endanger other road users
• Riding under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances — a class III fine (6–8 fine points), as for cyclists
• Riding at night without the required lights
• Riding without both hands on the handlebars (Art. 161 para. 1 letter q of the Regulation)
• Riding across a pedestrian crossing instead of walking the scooter (Art. 161 para. 1 letter m)
• Turning while riding: an electric scooter may only be ridden in a straight line, and changes of direction are made by walking alongside it (Art. 110 para. 4 of the Regulation)
• Riding side by side, or in any lane other than the one next to the kerb or shoulder (Art. 160 para. 1, Art. 161 para. 1 letters d and n)
• Holding on to a moving vehicle (Art. 161 para. 1 letter f)
• Using a mobile phone while riding without a hands-free device (Art. 101 para. 1 point 19 of OUG 195/2002)

Offences involving lights, reflective devices or clothing, or riding under the influence of alcohol are punished with a class III fine, i.e. 6–8 fine points (Art. 101 para. 1 point 8 of OUG 195/2002), while other breaches of the scooter rules carry a class II fine of 4–5 fine points (Art. 100 para. 1 point 14). These are fine points (puncte-amenda), not penalty points: these offences are not on the Art. 108 list that sets penalty points for drivers of motor vehicles, tractors and trams.

What happens if the scooter exceeds 25 km/h

This is the part most shops leave unsaid, even though it has real consequences.

If the vehicle can exceed 25 km/h by construction, it no longer meets the legal definition of an electric scooter. It does not become "a scooter that goes faster" — it leaves the category entirely. It may then use public roads only if it is type-approved in an L category under Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 and registered — for example as a two-wheel moped L1e-B (above 25 and up to 45 km/h; registered with the local mayor's office, AM licence, minimum age 16) or a motorcycle L3e (above 45 km/h or above 4,000 W) — with motor insurance (RCA) and the matching licence. A vehicle without a seat falls outside Regulation 168/2013 (Art. 2(2)(j)), so it cannot be approved as a moped. Unregistered, it may not be ridden on public roads (Art. 12 paras. 1 and 4 of OUG 195/2002), an offence punished with a class III fine (Art. 101 para. 1 point 20).

Separately from the Highway Code, since 16 November 2025 a self-propelled vehicle that exceeds 25 km/h by construction also falls within the definition of a vehicle in the Romanian motor insurance (RCA) law (Law 132/2017, as amended by Law 181/2025), a definition that does not depend on registration. See Motor insurance (RCA) after Law 181/2025.

Electric scooter fines: classes and amounts in 2026

The Romanian Highway Code sets fines in fine points (puncte-amenda), not directly in lei. One fine point is worth 5% of the national gross minimum wage (Art. 98 para. 2 of OUG 195/2002). From 1 July 2026 the minimum wage is 4,325 lei (Government Decision 146/2026), so one fine point is worth 216.25 lei.

The penalty notice must state that half of the minimum fine may be paid within 15 days of receiving it (Art. 180 para. 1 of the Implementing Regulation): 432.50 lei for class II and 648.75 lei for class III. The scooter-specific offences in Art. 100 para. 1 point 14 and Art. 101 para. 1 point 8 are not on the Art. 108 list that sets penalty points.

Motor insurance (RCA) after Law 181/2025

Law 181/2025 (Official Gazette no. 1049 of 13 November 2025) amended Law 132/2017 on compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (RCA) and transposes Directive (EU) 2021/2118. For light electric vehicles, the key change is the new definition of a vehicle (Art. 2 point 27 of Law 132/2017).

The owner or user of a vehicle normally based in Romania must take out and keep RCA insurance (Art. 3). The definition does not depend on registration, and the law treats as use of a vehicle any use consistent with its function as a means of transport, regardless of the terrain and of whether it is stationary or moving (Art. 2 point 27^1).

Besides wheelchairs, Art. 4 of the law also exempts from the RCA obligation vehicles used exclusively in motorsport events and activities in a restricted and demarcated area, where the organiser or another party holds alternative insurance or a guarantee instrument (Art. 4 para. 1).

Failing to take out the compulsory insurance is punished with a fine of 1,000 to 2,000 lei (Art. 37 para. 9). The road police establish this offence only for uninsured motor vehicles driven on roads open to public traffic.

For pedal-assisted bicycles, Directive (EU) 2021/2118 states that the definition covers only vehicles propelled exclusively by mechanical power (recital 3) and that light electric vehicles outside the definition are excluded from the Directive (recital 4). Law 181/2025 uses the term "self-propelled" (propulsie proprie) and does not name pedal-assisted bicycles expressly.

The European framework: what the EU regulates and what each country decides

The European Union sets the vehicle categories that require type approval, the safety requirements for products and the definition of a vehicle for motor insurance. Traffic rules such as minimum age, helmets and where you may ride remain national: the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 covers e-bikes and e-scooters that are not type-approved as vehicles, but not the risks arising from riding on public roads (recital 17).

Country comparison: Romania and other EU countries

The table summarises the rules for electric scooters in several countries as stated in the official sources consulted on 4 October 2026. Cells marked — could not be confirmed from the official text consulted.

In Italy, the identification plate requirement applies from 60 days after Directorial Decree no. 110 of 6 March 2026 entered into force, and the date from which insurers must offer third-party liability policies for scooters was postponed to 16 July 2026. Riding without the plate or without insurance is fined 100–400 euros. In France, riding outside the permitted areas or carrying a passenger is fined 135 euros.

Official sources: OUG 195/2002, consolidated text; Law 181/2025; Regulation (EU) No 168/2013; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; Directive (EU) 2021/2118; eKFV (Germany); service-public.gouv.fr, page F308 (France); StVO 1960, § 68a (Austria); Portale dell'Automobilista (Italy).

What this means for the models we sell

We would rather be straightforward about it, even though it is not the most convenient commercial answer: none of the scooter models in our range meets the legal definition of an electric scooter for public roads in Romania, because all of them exceed 25 km/h by construction.

If you are looking for something to ride legally on the street every day, a model from our electric scooter range is not the right answer — and we would rather you knew that before ordering, not after.

The legal alternative for daily commuting

If your goal is legal travel around town, the option that fits the law is an electric bike with pedal assistance limited to 250 W and 25 km/h, where the motor only helps while you pedal (Art. 6 point 10 of OUG 195/2002). It requires no licence, registration or insurance, and it may use cycle lanes.

From our range, the DUOTTS C29 Lite 250W falls into this category. The same logic applies to conversions: a 250W conversion kit fitted to the bike you already own keeps the vehicle within legal limits, provided the motor assists only while you pedal and cuts out before 25 km/h (Art. 6 point 10 of OUG 195/2002), at a significantly lower cost than a new electric bike — we worked through the full cost of converting a bike in a separate article.

If you want to compare the two options directly for daily use, including realistic range, see our guide on how many kilometres you actually get per charge.

Frequently asked questions