Electric scooters have gone from a niche gadget to a normal part of city life in Romania. You see them everywhere—commuters, delivery riders, teenagers, tourists. But with this boom came a new reality: more scooters in traffic also means more accidents, more damage, and more legal headaches. That’s why Romania is introducing mandatory RCA (third-party liability insurance) for certain electric scooters starting in 2025.
This article explains what changed, who needs insurance, how much it may cost, and the chain of events that pushed lawmakers into action. If you want to get insured quickly or just check your options, you can do it here: https://asigurare-trotinete.ro/.
1. What is RCA and why does it matter for scooters?
RCA is Romania’s mandatory third-party liability insurance, traditionally required for cars and motorcycles. It doesn’t cover your scooter repairs, but it does cover the damage you cause to other people, their vehicles, or property.
So if you hit a pedestrian, scratch a car, or cause a crash, RCA is the mechanism that pays compensation. Without it, you personally pay everything—sometimes thousands or tens of thousands of lei.
2. What exactly happened in 2025?
In October 2025, Romania’s Parliament adopted a new RCA law that extends compulsory insurance to some electric scooters and e-bikes. After publication in the Official Gazette, owners have 30 days to buy insurance.
This change isn’t random. Romania is transposing Directive (EU) 2021/2118 into national law. That EU directive expands the definition of “vehicle” requiring insurance so that even unregistered light electric vehicles fall under insurance rules if they can cause serious harm.
In short: the EU changed the baseline, and Romania had to follow.
3. Which scooters need RCA in Romania?
Important: not all scooters need insurance.
The law applies only to electric scooters (and similar light vehicles) that meet at least one of these technical conditions:
- Maximum constructive speed over 25 km/h, OR
- Weight over 25 kg AND speed over 14 km/h, OR
- Motor power over 250W.
If your scooter matches any of these, it is treated as a “motor vehicle” under the new rules and must have RCA. Lighter, slower city scooters generally remain outside the obligation.
4. How much will scooter RCA cost?
Prices aren’t fully fixed yet because insurers are still building products and risk tables. But early estimates based on market discussions suggest:
- ~100–300 lei/year on average
- Around 150 lei/year for normal personal use
- Higher prices for commercial use (delivery, rentals, fleets).
To see updated offers or buy directly when insurers go live, check: https://asigurare-trotinete.ro/.
5. Why Romania reached this point (the real reasons)
a) The explosion of scooter use
Romania followed the same pattern as most European cities: scooters became cheap, convenient, and widely available. With more riders came more interaction with cars, pedestrians, and infrastructure.
b) Accidents started rising fast
Government data cited in the legislative reasoning shows a sharp increase in incidents. In 2025 alone, Romania reported over 1,600 scooter-related incidents, including 7 deaths, and between 2021–2024 there were 24 additional fatalities linked to scooter crashes.
That level of harm made it difficult for lawmakers to keep scooters outside the insurance system.
c) Victims had no reliable way to be compensated
Before this law, most electric scooters had no insurance requirement and no registration, which meant that after a crash:
- the victim had to sue the rider personally,
- compensation was slow or never paid,
- and insurers couldn’t standardize payouts.
RCA fixes this gap by guaranteeing a compensation route similar to cars.
d) EU pressure
The EU directive was designed exactly for this kind of modern traffic reality: vehicles that move fast enough to seriously injure people shouldn’t escape liability frameworks just because they’re “small.” Romania’s law basically brings national rules in line with Europe.
6. What happens if you ignore it?
Once enforcement begins after the grace period, riding a scooter that falls under the criteria without RCA can lead to:
- fines,
- possible seizure or stopping from traffic,
- and full personal liability for any damage you cause.
Even one accident can cost far more than years of insurance.
7. Bottom line
Romania didn’t introduce scooter RCA because it “wanted more rules.” It happened because:
- scooters became mainstream,
- accidents and deaths rose sharply,
- victims had no guaranteed compensation,
- and EU law required Romania to close the liability gap.
If your scooter is fast, heavy, or powerful enough to meet the legal thresholds, RCA isn’t optional anymore. The easiest way to check requirements and get covered is here:
https://asigurare-trotinete.ro/. knews.media