E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban

Retailers such as Amazon, Argos and Currys have been found to be advertising e-scooters for use on public roads and footpaths, despite this being against UK law.

An investigation by the Press Association (PA) has found that major brands and independent dealers are promoting their use on the road.

However, in the UK, only rented e-scooters can be legally ridden on roads, cycle paths and parks. Privately owned e-scooters may only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission.

Major outlets changed their advertising after being contacted by PA. They also noted guidelines on their website that say customers must comply with local laws.

But small retailers still appear to be promoting e-scooters for commuting or cycling in towns and cities.

PA said an e-scooter sold on Amazon is recommended for “urban transportation.”

Amazon said its guidelines state that e-scooters should not display images of riders on roads or pavements, and listings on its website must state that e-scooters are prohibited from being used in public places in the UK.

Argos said it had “updated the wording on the search page to replicate what we’ve already added to our product pages to make it even clearer for our customers.”

On Tuesday, a sponsored Google search result for Argos still advertised “Suburban E-scooters and City Rides”, but the company said it had removed this the previous day and it may take some time for it to update on Google.

Currys said it had reviewed the website “to ensure there are no product listings suggesting that e-scooters can be used on public roads or areas”.

The description of the e-scooter as “a fun and efficient way to get around your local area” appears to have been removed from its UK site, and there is a note explaining the law on its e-scooter selling pages.

retailer in 2025 e-scooter advertising banned In the decision made by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), it was stated that the ad “does not contain important information about legal restrictions” on where e-scooters can be used.

The ASA advises advertisers to include prominent language explaining the law, but says this is not enough if their adverts give the impression that e-scooters can be used anywhere.

Many small retailers still had online pages selling electric “commuter” scooters.

One of them said e-scooters are “a great way for adults to get around the city, weaving between traffic at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour.”

Another said their “commute-oriented” product is a “smart choice for everyday travel needs.”

There was no warning on the sales page that this was not allowed in the UK.

Regulated rental e-scooter drivers must have a provisional or full licence.

People breaking the rules with a private e-scooter were fined or had points added to their license.

According to government estimatesThere will be 10 deaths and 485 serious injuries in e-scooter collisions in 2025.

Ministry of Transport announced There may be up to 1.2 million privately owned e-scooters in the UK.

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