Electric scooters will once again be one of the most popular gifts this Christmas. The numerous advantages that these personal mobility vehicles (PMV) offer for moving around the city center, especially during hours with greater traffic congestion, will probably lead to a new bestseller among young and not so young people during these holidays.
Initially conceived as a toy, the electric scooter has been gaining ground as a means of one-person transportation to the point that it has transformed the urban landscape. At first, the lack of a legal framework to regulate and classify VMPs led the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) to publish an instruction that established the rules for the use of these vehicles, until the entry into force of the new Traffic Law. in March 2022.
At the same time, the DGT has been working on other aspects related to the safety of personal mobility vehicles. In this sense, the Traffic authorities prepared a manual that includes the technical characteristics of the VMP. Said manual was published in the Official State Gazette on January 21, 2022 and a two-year cadence period was established, until January 21, 2024, so that manufacturers could adapt production to the new technical specifications.
In this way, starting next January 21, all personal mobility vehicles sold in Spain must be certified for use. Manufacturers must prove that the VMPs meet all the requirements set out in the manual to guarantee that all units placed on the market have minimum quality and durability guarantees.
The DGT recommends that those planning to purchase a VMP consult the website www.dgt.es/vmp, where they will find the brands and models that have already been certified and that meet all the requirements set out in the VMP characteristics manual. In this way – says Traffic -, the interested party will buy a product that has certain guarantees and that can be used over time, since as of January 22, 2027, only VMPs that are certified by the competent authorities will be able to circulate.
Electric scooters and other VMPs marketed until January 21, 2024 may circulate until January 22, 2027 even if they do not have a certificate. As of that date, only VMPs that have the certification will be able to do so, the DGT emphasizes in a statement.
The DGT insists again that “not everything that is sold as VMP is a VMP, nor is everything that circulates in our cities a VMP.” To clarify doubts, Traffic refers users to the definition that the General Vehicle Regulations make of these vehicles.
According to the regulations, a vehicle with one or more wheels equipped with a single seat and powered exclusively by electric motors (batteries of up to 100 VDC and with an integrated charger of up to 240 VAC input) that can provide the Vehicles with a maximum design speed of between 6 and 25 km/h and which can only be equipped with a seat or saddle are equipped with self-balancing systems.
Personal mobility vehicles, including electric scooters, are prohibited from traveling on crossroads, interurban roads and highways and expressways, as well as through urban tunnels. Likewise, circulation on sidewalks in the urban area is also prohibited. Its drivers are obliged to comply with traffic rules, like other motorists.
