Major British retailers are under fire for selling e-scooters marketed for “commuting,” despite warnings from police and coroners that their public use is illegal and poses a serious risk of injury or death.
Brands including Currys, Argos, Halfords, and online giant Amazon have used promotional language like “urban riding” and “long-distance commutes” to sell these electric vehicles.
However, current law strictly bans privately-owned e-scooters and hoverboards from public spaces, including roads, cycle lanes, and pavements, permitting their legal use only on private land.
This marketing push comes as government figures indicate a significant proliferation, with up to 950,000 e-scooters now believed to be privately owned across England alone.
In 2022, after a 14-year-old girl fell off her e-scooter and died under the wheels of a minibus, a coroner criticised retailers for selling the vehicles without proper warnings about the law, saying that without change there would be more deaths.
In June, police forces across the country mounted a co-ordinated crackdown on illegal e-scooter use, and official data shows 10 people were killed and 1,484 injured in e-scooter collisions last year.
open image in galleryResearch by the Press Association has now revealed that retailers – from major brands to specialist e-scooter sellers – have been giving customers the impression that the vehicles can be used on the road.
“Misinformation could cause misuse, putting the lives of all road users at risk”, said Tanya Braun, director of external affairs for public safety campaign group Living Streets.
On a page of the Currys website which advertises Segway e-scooters, customers are told they can purchase a “fun, efficient means of getting around your local area”.
Some of the models on sale boast higher top speeds “so you can ensure you’re not late for work”, the page reads.
On the Argos website, a page advertising adult electric scooters from brands including Pure, Segway, McLaren, and Zinc suggested they offer “smooth rides, whether you’re gliding to work or cruising for fun”.
It adds: “Commuting just got a serious glow-up.”
Amazon has on sale a £379 MIWEN electric scooter which is recommended for “urban commuting”.
Adverts for e-scooters on the Halfords websites come with a “legal warning”, setting out: “It is illegal to use an e-scooter on a public road, pavement, cycle lane or bridleway.”
But in the sales pitch for a £499 Pure Escape e-scooter, the retailer told customers it has cruise control “for added relaxation across long distanced commutes”, while Halfords is also selling an £899 McLaren e-scooter for “urban riding”.
open image in galleryMs Braun said: “Consumers must be made aware of the restrictions on private e-scooter use.
“Rental scheme operators have had the design of their e-scooters approved by the Department for Transport and they know who is using their e-scooters and where.
“In contrast, it’s likely that a person on a privately owned e-scooter will be using a more dangerous vehicle with higher speeds and will not be insured.
“Misinformation could cause misuse, putting the lives of all road users at risk.”
The Press Association has also reviewed advertising material from smaller retailers, including specialist e-scooter shops based in the UK.
Some are explicit in offering e-scooters for sale for “city commuting”, customers are told they can “skip the crowds and delays” and enjoy stability and comfort “when riding on city streets”, and some of the vehicle’s features – such as brake lights – are highlighted for “ensuring that you can be seen when out and about”.
Under UK law, rented e-scooters can be legally used on the roads by holders of a driving licence, but police have the power to stop private e-scooters, seize vehicles, and land the user with a fine or criminal prosecution for driving without insurance.
Responding to the findings of the investigation, a Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Despite the laws around the sale and use of e-scooters being crystal clear, it is extremely disappointing to see major retailers continuing to sell e-scooters under false pretences.
“We are aware of the safety concerns surrounding e-scooters which is why we are looking at how they operate in trial areas across the country so future legislation keeps both riders and pedestrians safe”.
open image in galleryAfter the 2022 inquest into the death of 14-year-old Fatima Abukar, east London coroner Graeme Irvine issued a “prevention of future deaths” report to police, the government, and e-scooter retailers.
He set out that Fatima had been riding a privately-owned e-scooter without a helmet when she fell in front of a minibus, and reported: “Some manufacturers and retailers of e-scooters in England and Wales provide consumers with written warnings about the illegal use of e-scooters, others do not.
“Where such warnings are present, often they are not prominent.”
Northamptonshire Police launched a crackdown on illegal e-scooter use this month after a five-year-old boy was knocked down and suffered a fractured skull.
“These vehicles may seem convenient, but when they are used illegally or irresponsibly they can pose a very real risk”, said Chief Inspector Nathan Shepherd.
Argos includes prominent warnings about the law around e-scooters on each individual advert, and after being contacted by the Press Association it edited its website to remove references in advertising material to commuting.
“As a responsible retailer, we include clear warnings on all e-scooter product pages that they cannot be used on public highways, including roads and pavements”, a spokesperson for Argos said.
“We have updated wording on a search page to replicate what we already include on our product pages to be even more clear for our customers.”
Currys includes a similar legal warning at the bottom of the product information for the e-scooters it sells, and it is now conducting a review of its website “to make sure no product listings suggest e-scooters can be used on public roads or spaces”.
“Whenever we sell an e-scooter in store or online, we make clear to customers that privately-owned e-scooters can only legally be used on private land with the landowner’s permission,” Currys added.
Halfords told the Press Association it “provides a range of e-scooter options for customers, with the safety and legality of these products a priority throughout the sales process.
“We continue to provide clear guidance on the law relating to e-scooters both online and in store.”
Amazon said it has guidelines that e-scooter adverts cannot include images of riders on the roads or pavements and “must depict responsible usage in accordance with UK law”, and they have to carry a legal note which states “e-scooters are prohibited from use in any public road or space in the UK”.