Retailers together with Amazon, Argos and Currys have been discovered to promote e‑scooters to be used on public roads and paths, regardless of this being towards UK legislation.
An investigation from the Press Affiliation (PA) discovered main manufacturers and unbiased sellers had been selling their use on the roads.
However solely rented e-scooters can legally be ridden on roads, cycle paths and in parks within the UK. Privately-owned e-scooters can solely be used on non-public land with the landowner’s permission.
The main retailers modified their promoting after being contacted by PA. In addition they pointed to steering on their web sites which mentioned clients needed to comply with native legal guidelines.
However smaller retailers nonetheless look like selling e-scooters for commuting or driving in cities and cities.
PA mentioned an e-scooter on the market on Amazon was really useful for “city commuting”.
Amazon mentioned its pointers said that e-scooters shouldn’t present photos of riders on roads or pavements and that entries on its web site needed to state that e-scooters had been prohibited from use in public within the UK.
Argos mentioned it had “up to date wording on a search web page to duplicate what we already embody on our product pages to be much more clear for our clients”.
On Tuesday, a sponsored Google search consequence from Argos was nonetheless promoting “Commuter E-scooters & Metropolis Trip”, although the corporate mentioned it had eliminated it the day past and should take a while to replace on Google.
Currys mentioned it was reviewing its web site “to ensure no product listings recommend e-scooters can be utilized on public roads or areas”.
An outline of an e-scooter as a “enjoyable, environment friendly technique of getting round your native space” seems to have been taken down from its UK website, and its pages promoting e-scooters have a be aware explaining the legislation.
In 2025, the retailer had an e-scooter advert banned, external by the Promoting Requirements Authority (ASA), which mentioned in its ruling the advert “omitted important details about authorized limitations” of the place to experience e-scooters.
The ASA advises advertisers to incorporate a outstanding assertion explaining the legislation, however says this isn’t sufficient if their adverts additionally give the impression e-scooters can be utilized anyplace.
Many smaller retailers nonetheless had pages on-line with electrical “commuter” scooters on the market.
One mentioned its e-scooters had been “a good way for adults to get across the metropolis, zipping between visitors at speeds of as much as 15mph”.
One other mentioned its merchandise “for commuting” had been a “sensible selection for day by day journey wants”.
There have been no warnings on the gross sales web page that this was not allowed within the UK.
Riders of regulated rental e-scooters will need to have a provisional or full driving licence.
Individuals who break the principles with a non-public e-scooter could be fined or have points added to their licence, external.
According to government estimates, external, there have been 10 deaths and 485 severe accidents in e-scooter collisions in 2025.
The Department for Transport has said, external there might be as much as 1.2 million privately-owned e-scooters within the UK.
