How to Legalise an Electric Scooter

We have explained at some length the difference between electric vehicles and which require registration and a driving licence. However, one question that is still arising is how one goes about registering a scooter that requires documentation.

The first thing to remember is that the legislation in Spain has been brought about through the need to comply with safety regulations implemented by the European Union. In other words, although the legislation is Spanish, it is driven by the requirements of Europe.

The reason that this is important is that the scooter must have a European Certificate of Conformity in order to be registered in Spain. Some of the imported vehicles don´t have this certificate and therefore it will be impossible for those vehicles to be registered, and so you must be very careful when purchasing the scooter. It must come with an EU Certificate of Conformity in order for it to be considered registerable.

The certificate will have an homologation code, such as e9*168/2013*11263*01, as an example, which is what the engineer will check to ensure that the vehicle is constructed with the minimum required safety standards built in.

The certificate must be taken, along with the vehicle to the ITV station where the initial registration test is to be carried out. Without the document, it is impossible to have the vehicle legalised, so be very careful of “bargains” which may well be companies trying to offload stock that they can no longer sell with confidence.

The vehicle itself will have a unique serial number, which will be engraved somewhere on the structure of the vehicle, and this will be checked to ensure it is the same as the certificate.

Once the inspector is satisfied that the certificate is valid, and for the vehicle that has been presented, then the initial inspection may proceed.

The inspectors have a standard list of items which they will check, such as lights for example, to ensure that they all work and that the vehicle satisfies the minimum safety requirements. If it does, then the ITV card will be produced, along with the report, which can then be used to register the vehicle at your local trafico office.

The scooter will then be subject to the same testing terms as any other new vehicle, and must undergo the periodic test which is then based on the age of the vehicle.