The cost of damages paid to people injured by e-scooters and e-bikes in the UK has exceeded £110m in just seven years, the BBC has learned, with the largest individual payout reaching £20m. The surge in claims has pushed up motor insurance premiums for ordinary drivers, as insurers pass on the cost of compensation.
Alison, who asked not to use her real name, was crossing a road in Coventry last year when a private e-scooter struck her. She suffered a broken pelvis, wrist and finger, along with cuts and bruises. “It was a lovely sunny day so we were all in a really good mood,” she recalled. “Then the next thing I knew, it was just gravel and I was on the floor. It was instant pain, you know when the TV does grey static? That’s what my eyes were doing. I was on a crossing. I thought it was safe, you just don’t expect it.”
“E-scooter and e-bike injury payouts have exceeded £110m in seven years, pushing up motor insurance premiums.”
CCTV footage showed 47-year-old Trevor Chandler riding his e-scooter directly into Alison and a friend before leaving the scene. Chandler, who broke his own leg, was later arrested and jailed for 15 months. His vehicle was destroyed.
The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), the not-for-profit organisation that settles such claims when the rider is uninsured, wants the sale of micromobility vehicles to be better regulated and, in some cases, banned. The MIB pays compensation for accidents involving uninsured vehicles, funded by a levy on insurance companies that ultimately increases premiums for all motorists.
Micromobility vehicles – including e-scooters, e-bikes, mobility scooters and e-unicycles – have become a common sight on UK streets but also a significant hazard. Privately owned e-scooters are illegal on public roads, yet regular police operations seize and destroy hundreds each year, along with e-bikes adapted to exceed the legal speed limit of 15.5mph.
The first claim paid by the MIB for an e-scooter injury was in 2019, and for an e-bike injury in 2020. By 2025, annual claims involving both types of vehicle had risen to 168 – the highest figure yet.