Electric scooters, a symbol of urban micromobility and a sustainable alternative to the private car, are about to enter a new phase. After years of uncertain rules and partial applications, the new Highway Code has set clearer and more stringent limits. Among these, one in particular is causing discussion: the obligation to have a license plate for electric scooters, accompanied by insurance. A turning point that will have concrete effects on the daily lives of those who move around the city on two electric wheels.
The rule already exists, black and white. The updated Highway Code came into force in November 2024 and since then requires that electric scooters must also be identifiable. The problem, so far, has been entirely practical. The implementing decrees were missing and above all the essential tool to make the rule operational: the telematic platform for requesting the license plate.
A first step came with the ministerial decree published in the Official Journal on 13 November 2025, which defined the characteristics, costs and methods of the new license plate. But it wasn’t enough. A final decree is still needed, the one which will regulate in detail the functioning of the online platform managed by the Ministry of Transport. The timing indicates that this passage should close by the beginning of 2026.
From that moment on, a sixty-day transition period will begin. It is this window that marks the real deadline for users: everything suggests that between the end of March and the beginning of April 2026 the license plate obligation will become fully applicable. Only then will those who drive without it be sanctioned.
What will the scooter’s license plate look like?
We forget the license plates of cars and motorbikes. For electric scooters, a lighter solution has been designed that is compatible with small and often foldable vehicles. The plate will be a non-removable plasticized sticker, to be applied in a vertical position and clearly visible. Once glued, it cannot be moved or removed without damaging it.
The identification code will consist of six characters, three letters and three numbers. Vowels, the letter Q and the numbers 0 and 1 will not be used, to avoid confusion in reading. Positioning will also be fundamental: a poorly applied, slanted or difficult to read plate will be equivalent to not having one at all.
The request will be made exclusively online, through the ministerial platform. Once the procedure has been completed, the license plate can be collected from the Civil Motorization Office or through motor vehicle registration agencies.
Costs, insurance and penalties
The cost of the plate, established by the decree, is low: 8.66 euros, to which the stamp duty and the Motorization fees will be added. Payment will be made via PagoPA, directly at the time of request. A modest expense, at least on paper, when compared to the expected sanctions.
Once the obligation comes into force, anyone who circulates with an electric scooter without a license plate will risk fines ranging from 100 to 400 euros. A figure that makes it inconvenient to ignore the law, especially considering that one check will be enough to trigger the fine.
The license plate does not arrive alone. It is the piece that finally makes the other major obligation foreseen by the Highway Code practicable: civil liability insurance. In fact, without a unique identifier, it would have been impossible to link a policy to a specific vehicle. With the license plate, scooters also effectively enter the scope of insured vehicles.
The declared objective is to increase safety on the roads and make it easier to identify those responsible in the event of accidents or infringements. For those who use the scooter as a daily means of transport, especially in a green and urban way, this is a change that will require a minimum of adaptation, but which could also contribute to giving greater dignity to this sustainable mobility tool.
Until the official activation of the platform and the expiry of the sixty days, no fine can be imposed for the lack of the license plate. But the countdown has begun. And this time, for electric scooters, there seems to be no room for further postponements.
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