Estonia is adopting the European Union's Motor Insurance Directive into law that requires vehicles traveling above 25 kilometers per hour to be insured.

If a vehicle has a slower top speed, but it is still 14 kilometers per hour or above, it must also be insured if it weighs more than 25 kilos. Some ridesharing electric scooters fall into this category.

ERR asked companies how the legislation would impact them.

Bolt's spokesperson Liisa Maria Aleksius said the company's scooters weigh slightly less than 25 kilograms and their top speed is 25 kilometers per hour. This means insurance is not mandatory.

However, since 2021, the company has voluntarily insured all Bolt scooter renters and co-drivers, she said.

"Accident insurance helps to cover the costs if a passenger is seriously injured in an accident, while general liability insurance covers damage caused by the passenger to the property or health of third parties. The insurance does not apply if the passenger has deliberately breached Bolt's conditions of use, traffic rules or has driven the vehicle while intoxicated," Aleksius explained.

The spokesperson said the legislation will not bring any changes for the company.

But the ridesharing company Tuul is not so lucky. CEO Raivis Ozolins said their scooters will need insurance.

Unlike Bolt, the firm does not provide insurance for users, but if the law comes into force, it will definitely be done, Ozolins said.

"It could certainly have an impact on the price of Tuul's service, but whether and by how much will be clear once the law is passed and we have mapped out the potential extra costs with insurers," Ozolins said.

Last year, there were 313 traffic incidents involving light vehicles, the category scooters fall into, and 323 people were injured.

Mart Jesse, CEO of the Estonian Motor Insurance Bureau (LKF), said, in the future, light vehicle owners will need to check whether their vehicle needs insurance. The agency plans to create a simple online tool to help.

"As of today, as far as we know, there will be no special provision for commercial scooters, although this was originally planned by the Ministry of Finance," he said.

The new law will not apply to electric bicycles as they are not motorized, said Siiri Suutre, from the Ministry of Finance's communication department.

Plans to introduce compulsory insurance for those without personal contacts has been scrapped.

The limits of the maximum insurance sums will rise from €1.2 million to €1.3 million in case of property damage, and from €5.6 million to €6.45 million in case of personal injury.

In practice, the average sums paid out are significantly smaller, at €2,000 for property damage and €4,000 for personal damages.

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