The cost of damages paid to people injured by e-scooters and e-bikes in the UK has surpassed £110m in just seven years, with the biggest single payout reaching £20m, the BBC has learned. The claims have pushed up motor insurance premiums, as insurers cover the bill through the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), a not-for-profit that compensates victims of uninsured vehicles.
Alison, not her real name, suffered a broken pelvis, wrist and finger, as well as cuts and bruises, when a private e-scooter hit her while she was crossing a road in Coventry last year. “It was a lovely sunny day so we were all in a really good mood,” she said. “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.”
“Injury payouts from e-scooter and e-bike crashes surpass £110m, driving up motor insurance premiums.”
CCTV footage shows 47-year-old Trevor Chandler, from Coventry, riding his e-scooter directly into her as she and a friend crossed a road, leaving the scene shortly afterwards. Chandler broke his leg but escaped, before eventually being arrested and jailed for 15 months. His vehicle was destroyed.
The MIB, which settles claims like Alison’s, wants the sale of such vehicles to be better regulated and in some cases banned. The organisation pays compensation using a levy on insurance companies, which in turn raises premiums for all motorists. In 2025, there were 168 claims involving e-scooters and e-bikes – the highest figure so far.
Micromobility vehicles – which include e-scooters, e-bikes, mobility scooters and now e-unicycles – are legally motor vehicles. Privately owned e-scooters can only be used on private land with permission, while official trials allow rentals in some towns and cities. Police regularly seize and destroy hundreds of illegal vehicles each year, including e-bikes adapted to exceed 15.5mph. The first claim paid by the MIB for an e-scooter injury was in 2019; the first for an e-bike came in 2020.