As of Tuesday, 16 July, approximately 50,000 electric scooters can only be used on Hungarian roads with insurance, and every scooter rider must carry proof of this insurance. The Association of Independent Insurance Brokers in Hungary (FBAMSZ) highlighted in a press release that scooter riders must be able to present proof of insurance during road inspections, and renters must also ensure that the scooter they are using is insured.
The new regulation does not apply to all electric scooters: scooters weighing more than 25 kilograms require insurance if their design speed exceeds 14 km/h, and all scooters require insurance if their design speed exceeds 25 km/h, regardless of weight. It is not yet clear how authorities will determine the design speed of a given vehicle on the spot.
According to the experience of insurance brokers so far, most scooter riders can find suitable compulsory insurance for under 10,000 forints per year. The rates vary significantly because some insurers advertize annual premiums reaching several hundred thousand forints, clearly because they do not want scooter customers. FBAMSZ suggests this might be because the use of scooters is not regulated by the traffic code (KRESZ), making it difficult to assess the actual risk.
FBAMSZ points out that
paying for compulsory insurance for electric scooters is important not only to avoid fines but also because scooters can cause damage worth millions:
due to their small wheels and poor road surfaces, it is ‘almost certain’ that everyone will experience a minor or major accident sooner or later. It is important to remember that compulsory insurance only covers damage caused to others, so scooter riders should also consider accident insurance.
The insurance premiums for e-scooters are also influenced by the owner’s place of residence. In Budapest, where approximately 39 per cent of these devices are located, the expected cost is higher, while in rural areas, the cost is lower.
Under the new rules, the scooter user is responsible for ensuring that their scooter has compulsory insurance, which must be proven during road inspections with either a paper-based or electronic certificate from the insurer. For rented scooters, it is the rental company that is responsible for taking out insurance, but in theory, it is still the customer’s responsibility to make sure the vehicle they are renting in insured.
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