Updated. A week after the ban: What the police really check for 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:

• Most stops went smoothly — the patrol checked your documents, the horn, and the manufacturer label, and if everything was in order, they sent you on your way. According to a reader, Martin, it all took about 7 minutes.
• There were also less pleasant cases: reader Milan says a police officer ordered him off a wide sidewalk even at a speed of around 5 km/h.
• According to reader Antonia, a pensioner received a fine of €150 just for the scooter seat.
• Several readers, on the other hand, wrote that in their area (for example in Prešov) they have not experienced any checks at all yet.
• Another interesting observation was 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.

By 1 September, Slovak social media was flooded with headlines about an e-scooter ban and high fines. A week and a half has passed, and it’s time for a sober question: what is really going on in the streets? We went through the available police statements and the current wording of the law directly in the Collection of Laws, and compared it with what the media are reporting about it. The result is calmer than the headlines suggest — but it also includes two things worth knowing before a patrol stops you.

Did a patrol stop you (or someone you know) on an e-scooter? Or did you just pick up something from friends 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 experiences from readers tell us more than any desk statement, and according to them we will keep updating this article.

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

The most important statement right at the start — but it’s good to keep in mind that this is the police’s own view, not an independently verified fact. Police Presidium spokesperson Lt. 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 supposedly checking compliance with the rules as part of their regular duty.

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

Publicly available sources have not contradicted this so far — but that doesn’t mean that absolutely nothing is being checked. It just means we haven’t found a documented central action focused exclusively on e-scooters. What targeted enforcement might look like was shown, for example, by a July prevention action in Trnava, even before the amendment took effect: back then, traffic police checked eight drivers of electric e-scooters and none of them broke the rules. The focus of the action was on informing, not on issuing fines — but one action in one city tells you nothing about 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 a sidewalk where it’s not allowed is an “other violation” of the traffic safety regulations. In summary proceedings, it can mean a fine of up to 50 euros, and in administrative proceedings up to 100 euros. The police also confirmed that it doesn’t count toward the “3 strikes and you’re out” rule — so you won’t lose your licence for riding on the sidewalk alone.

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.

It’s all about what the e-scooter can do — not how you ride

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, in case of doubt, can verify whether the vehicle meets the legal requirements,” spokesman Hájek confirmed. So a promise that you’ll ride slowly carries no weight — and it won’t help if you quickly switch the machine into a slower mode before the patrol. If there is suspicion, the e-scooter can 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 say that an e-scooter with an auxiliary motor made after 1 January 2025 must be marked with the manufacturer’s production label. The key word is made, not purchased. If you have an older machine without a label, set aside everything that can prove its origin — proof of purchase, order, serial number, or documents from the manufacturer.

If, on the other hand, you have a newer e-scooter that should have a label but doesn’t, talk to the seller or the manufacturer. What you must under no circumstances do: make your own label at home using a printer — that’s no longer just an administrative offence, but falsification.

The seat is still the biggest trap

A small electric vehicle must not be equipped with a seat. When you mount a saddle on an e-scooter, your machine will change category under your hands — and it could fall between small electric mopeds L1e. There, you already need a COC certificate, a conformity/originality check, registration, registration number, mandatory contract insurance, and a driving licence entitlement for category AM. And with such a machine you’re not allowed on cycle routes either, even if it doesn’t go faster than 25 km/h.

This point troubles a group of people who are talked about the least. In Facebook discussions, the question comes up again and again: what should people with disabilities and older people do who use a seat e-scooter for everyday commuting around town? The law, however, does not know any health-status exception 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 Offences Act really does provide an exception for e-scooter riders—but it has strict boundaries. It applies only when riding in a built-up area 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 when analyzing blood. Outside built-up areas, tolerance does not apply at all.

That it isn’t just a theoretical problem is shown by police statistics from traffic operations, where e-scooter riders are regularly found with amounts of alcohol in their blood that would mean a criminal offence if they were in a car. And as the police themselves point out, helmets are mandatory for persons under 15 years old, both in a built-up area and outside it.

So what should you really watch out for

If we summarize it practically, the risk is not distributed evenly. The sidewalk is the cheapest violation and at the same time the one most people commit—feel free to shrug it off, but don’t panic that you’ll lose your driving licence. On the other hand, an unblocked scooter is the most expensive item on the entire list, and it doesn’t depend on how you behave—just the fact that you have a scooter. And a seat is a quiet change of category that many people don’t even realize until an accident happens 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 the other readers are doing:

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

Do you have your own experience with a check, or did you hear something specific in your area? Write it in the comments—city name, exactly what it was about, and how it ended. The more real cases we collect from you, the more precise a 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.