The electric scooters will be able to travel again starting this Monday, September 7, on a good part of Renfe trains. The company thus recovers a possibility that was prohibited since December 2023 for safety reasons related to the risk of fire from the batteries.
The new measure will apply to the services of Cercanías, Media Distancia and Larga Distancia, although there will be two exceptions: Rodalies de Catalunya and Cercanías Euskadi are excluded from the new regulation for the moment.
The authorization will not be, in any case, for any electric scooter. Renfe establishes a series of requirements related to the identification, approval, and insurance of the vehicle, in addition to specific conditions for transporting it inside the train.
Which trains will allow scooters?
Starting from September 7, electric scooters will be able to access the trains of:
- Cercanías
- Media Distancia
- Larga Distancia
The measure will not currently apply to the services of Rodalies, managed by the Generalitat de Catalunya, nor in Cercanías Euskadi. Renfe thus recovers the transport of personal mobility vehicles after almost three years of prohibition.
These are the requirements that the scooter must meet
Renfe will only allow access for scooters that comply with current regulations. Among the established requirements are:
- To be approved and certified.
- To be registered in the light personal vehicle registry of the DGT.
- To have a visible identification plate or label.
- To have a mandatory civil liability insurance in force.
- To have the corresponding circulation certificate.
The DGT establishes that personal mobility vehicles are those with a single seat and powered exclusively by electric motors, with a maximum speed between 6 and 25 kilometers per hour. From September 2026, registration and identification will be part of the requirements to circulate legally.
How the scooter must travel inside the train
The fact that Renfe allows scooters again does not mean they can be used freely during the journey. The vehicle must remain folded and turned off throughout the trip. In addition, it will not be allowed to charge its battery on board.
The scooter must be placed in the spaces designated for luggage or in those areas where it interferes the least with the rest of the passengers. Under no circumstances may it block aisles, doors, emergency exits, reserved spaces, or priority areas.
The Renfe staff may prevent access or demand the removal of the vehicle if it does not meet the established conditions or if its presence poses a risk to safety or hinders circulation within the train.
Why did Renfe prohibit them in 2023?
The company prohibited electric scooters and other personal mobility devices with batteries on all its trains in December 2023.
The decision was made after several incidents related to battery fires, which Renfe linked to factors such as the handling of the devices, defects, battery age, or the use of inadequate chargers. The prohibition then affected Cercanías, Regional, and also High-Speed and Long-Distance services.
Now Renfe considers that the scenario has changed with the entry into force of a specific framework that allows for the identification, registration, and securing of these vehicles. The company adds its own transport conditions to reduce risks on board.
An exception: electric bicycles
The prohibition that Renfe maintained since 2023 already included an exception for electric bicycles and vehicles intended for people with reduced mobility. These will continue to have a different regime than electric scooters.
The new regulations also do not modify the conditions applicable to non-electric scooters, which can be transported folded and as luggage under the conditions established by Renfe.
A measure designed to combine train and scooter
Renfe justifies the change by the possibility of combining both means of transport to cover the so-called first and last mile: using the train for the main journey and the scooter to move from the station to the home, workplace, or place of study.
The company estimates that in Spain there are around seven million electric scooters and other personal mobility vehicles, so it considers that their incorporation into rail transport can facilitate the daily movements of its users.
The measure comes into effect this Monday, September 7, 2026, although with a fundamental condition: it will not be enough to bring a scooter on the train. It will have to be registered, identified, insured, and meet the safety conditions required by Renfe.