License Plate Requirement for Approved Special Mopeds: Electric Scooters, Kick Bikes, and Segways

Approved special mopeds such as electric scooters, kick bikes and self-balancing segways are required to register and license plate. This should allow users and enforcement officers to see more quickly whether a vehicle may be used on public roads.

This concerns devices that may not exceed a speed of 25 km/h and have an electric motor that does not deliver more than 4 kW. These vehicles may only be used on public roads if they have been approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. At the moment there are according to the RDW seventeen vehicles that have received this approval, including segways, kick bikes and the BSO bus, the successor to the Stint.

Outgoing minister Mark Harbers writes that there are more and more ‘new and innovative vehicles’ in the Netherlands. “Only some of them have been approved and can be used on the road. If vehicles are similar in appearance, it is difficult to see whether that specific vehicle has been approved. I find that undesirable, because unapproved vehicles are not safe enough The introduction of a license plate requirement ensures that people and enforcement officers can see at a glance whether they are allowed to drive this vehicle.”

It is not clear when the license plate and registration obligation will come into effect; the proposal is first sent to the Senate and House of Representatives and the Council of State. As soon as the obligation comes into effect, it immediately applies to all special mopeds that are sold new. Current owners have one year to register their vehicle with the RDW for registration and license plate. For these owners, the license plate costs 18 euros; normally this is ‘more than 50 euros’.

It is not yet known what the license plate should look like. “In any case, the sometimes limited space available for this purpose on certain special mopeds is taken into account.” The RDW estimates that there are currently approximately 5,000 special mopeds on the road that are subject to the license plate and registration obligation.

Electric scooters with pedal assistance do not fall under special mopeds, but under bicycle legislation. These scooters are allowed on the road, if they meet certain requirements. These scooters also do not need to be approved in advance and do not require a license plate. Electric scooters that can run entirely on the electric motor and therefore do not require pedal assistance are seen as special mopeds. No electric scooters without pedal assistance have yet been approved for Dutch roads. Several kick bikes that can drive under their own power have been approved.

An example of an approved kick bike that is allowed on the road as a special moped

2023-11-03 18:54:21
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