Updated. Week after the ban: What the police really check with e-scooters – and what the first stops say

Update (15.9.): In the meantime, enough real experiences from you, our readers, have been gathered under our Facebook post and in the discussion on Deal Planet. We pick out what’s actually relevant:

• The stops mostly went fine—officers checked your documents, the horn, and the manufacturer’s label, and if everything was OK, they let you go. According to reader Martin, it took about 7 minutes.
• There were also less pleasant cases: reader Milan says a police officer told him to leave a wide sidewalk even at a speed of about 5 km/h.
• According to reader Antonia, a retiree received a fine of 150 € just for having a scooter seat.
• Several readers, on the other hand, write that in their area (for example in Prešov) they haven’t experienced any checks at all yet.
• An interesting observation was also that in Vrútky they saw a city police officer riding an e-scooter with a seat.

If you have your own experience or you caught something specific in your area, write it in the comments — which city, what exactly they checked, and how it turned out. Let’s stick to factual contributions so the discussion is valuable also for others who come here to find answers.

On September 1st, the Slovak internet was flooded with headlines about a ban on e-scooters and high fines. A week and a half has passed since then, and it’s time for a sober question: what’s really going on in the streets? We went through the available statements from the police and the current text of the law directly in the Collection of Laws, and compared it with what the media are writing about it. The result is calmer than the headlines would suggest. However, there are two things worth knowing before a patrol stops you.

Did a patrol on an e-scooter stop you or someone you know? Or did you only pick something up from acquaintances or on social media? Tell us in the comments under the article: where it happened, what exactly they checked, and how it turned out. Real readers’ experiences tell us more than any off-the-record statement from behind a desk, and we’ll keep adding to this article based on them.

The police claim they did not launch a hunt for e-scooter riders

The most important statement right at the start. However, it’s good to keep in mind that this is the police’s own view, not an independently verified fact. Police Presidium spokesperson por. Mgr. Roman Hájek told Refresher on September 4 that the aim of the amendment is primarily to increase pedestrian safety and that, according to him, there are no special “hunts” for e-scooter riders. Patrols are said to check compliance with the rules as part of their regular duty.

“If an e-scooter rider breaks road traffic rules, the police officer deals with it as an offense. The penalty depends on the конкретное violation,” Hájek explained. In other words: nobody is coming after you with a roller brake tester on every corner, but if a patrol stops you for something else, your e-scooter suddenly becomes a matter of interest.

Publicly available sources don’t contradict that so far. But it doesn’t mean that anything at all is not checked—only that we haven’t found a documented central event focused exclusively on e-scooters. What a targeted inspection can look like is illustrated by a July preventive action in Trnava, before the amendment took effect: traffic police then checked eight drivers of electric e-scooters and none of them broke the rules. The focus of the event was on informing people, not on issuing fines. One event in one city doesn’t tell you what’s happening elsewhere in Slovakia.

Fines: three different offences, three different fee rates

In articles about the amendment, numbers range from 50 to 800 euros, and it feels confusing. In reality, it’s three distinct sets of facts under § 22 of the Offences Act — and it’s good to know which one you could fall under.

Riding on the sidewalk where it’s not allowed is an “other breach” of the traffic safety regulations. In summary proceedings, a fine of up to 50 EUR applies; in administrative proceedings, up to 100 EUR. The police also confirmed it doesn’t count towards the “3 times and you’re out” rule, so you won’t lose your driving licence just for riding on the sidewalk.

An e-scooter unlocked to over 25 km/h is a completely different level. Under the law, it counts as using a vehicle that isn’t approved for operation in road traffic, with a fine ranging from 150 to 800 euros and a ban on activity for up to three years; in summary proceedings up to 650 euros. This is the most expensive mistake you can make on an e-scooter.

Endangering pedestrians or alcohol above the limit is already a serious rule violation: 60 to 300 euros and a ban on activity for up to two years; in summary proceedings up to 150 euros. And here, the driver’s record entry and the “3 strikes and you’re out” rule apply as well.

What determines what an e-scooter can do: Not how you ride it

This is the most common misunderstanding, caused by a single word in the definition. A small electric vehicle, under the law, is a vehicle equipped with an electric motor that does not allow a speed higher than 25 km/h. Not “which you don’t ride fast,” but one that simply doesn’t allow it.

“The police officer therefore assesses its technical parameters and, if in doubt, may verify whether the vehicle meets the legal requirements,” spokesperson Hájek confirmed. A promise that you’ll go slowly has no weight. Neither will it help if you quickly switch the machine into a slower mode before the patrol. If there is suspicion, the e-scooter may be sent for expert examination and its owner may be without it for several months.

Manufacturer’s label: the date of manufacture decides

Technical regulations state that an e-scooter with an auxiliary motor manufactured after January 1, 2025 must be marked with the manufacturer’s production label. The key word is manufactured, not bought. If you have an older machine without a label, set aside everything you can use to prove its origin: proof of purchase, an order, a serial number, and documents from the manufacturer.

If, on the other hand, you have a newer e-scooter that should have a label but doesn’t, take care of it with the seller or manufacturer. What you must never do: manufacture a label yourself at home using a printer. That’s no longer just an administrative offence—it’s falsification.

The seat is still the biggest trap

A small electric vehicle must not be equipped with a seat. If you mount a seat on your e-scooter, your machine can change category under your hands and could fall between small electric mopeds L1e. In that case you need a COC certificate, an originality check, registration in the register, an identification number, mandatory contractual insurance, and AM category driving licence. And you also may not use it on a cycle path— even if it doesn’t go faster than 25 km/h.

This point also troubles a group of people that’s talked about at least. In Facebook discussions, the question comes up repeatedly: what should people with disabilities and older people do who use a seat-equipped e-scooter for everyday getting around the city. The law, however, does not recognize an exception based on health condition for this category. There is a separate rule only for a wheelchair intended for a person with a disability.

Alcohol: tolerance exists, but it isn’t an invitation

The offence law really does recognize an exception for e-scooter riders, but it has strict limits. It applies only when riding in built-up areas or on a cycle path and up to 0.24 milligrams of ethanol per liter of exhaled air, which corresponds to 0.5 grams of ethanol per kilogram of body weight in a blood test. Outside built-up areas, tolerance does not apply at all.

That it’s not a theoretical issue is shown by police statistics from traffic operations, where e-scooter riders are regularly found with so much alcohol in their blood that it would mean a criminal offence in a car. And as the police themselves point out, helmets are mandatory for persons under 15 years old, both in town and outside it.

So what should you really watch out for

If we put it practically, the risk isn’t distributed evenly. The sidewalk is the cheapest offence and at the same time the one that the most people commit. Feel free to let it slide, but don’t panic that you’ll lose your licence. An unlocked machine is, on the other hand, the most expensive item on the whole list, and it doesn’t depend on how you behave—just the fact that you have the e-scooter. And a seat is a quiet category change that many people don’t even realize until there’s an accident and, with it, the question of insurance.

If you’re buying a new e-scooter, ask the seller three things: what its design speed is, whether it has a manufacturer’s identification plate, and which category the vehicle falls under. Certified models limited to 25 km/h and with an ABE label aren’t anything exotic anymore—and they’ll save you exactly the hassles this whole article is about. Europe-ready models are also Angwatt models sold on Banggood.

How do you see it?

We’re interested in what the situation is really like on the ground. Vote and find out how things are for the other readers:

You’ll find a detailed breakdown of the rules themselves—including what category L1e means and how PZP is handled—in our overview of the new rules from 1 September.

Do you have your own experience with checks, or have you heard about something specific around you? Write it in the comments: the city name, what exactly happened, and how it ended. The more real cases we collect from you, the more accurate picture we’ll be able to put together for all the other readers.

Follow the China Planet website, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, and be sure to check out our Facebook page, the China Planet group, and join our Telegram, where we add the best offers and coupons from China every single day.