Should A Mobility Scooter Be Insured?
Sould a mobility scooter be insured? The simple answer is yes but it is not a legal requirement. Always check your insurance, sometimes household insurance can be sufficient. There have been a small number of cases where uninsured people have lost their homes after being sued for negligence after injuring people with their scooter. Don’t let it happen to you. There are more mobility scooters these days and accidents do happen.There are lots of different types of mobility scooter but there are only two categories, those that can be used on the road and those that can’t.
Take a look at this video.
The two categories of mobility scooter
- Class 2. They can only be used on the pavement unless one is not there. They have a top speed of 4 mph.
- Class 3. They can be used on both the pavement and the road, maximum speed of 4 mph on the tpavement and 8 mph on the road. In order to drive on the roads they must include mirrors, indicators and brake lights etc. Here is the full list. hey cannot be used in bus lanes or ‘cycle only’ lanes.
Class 3 mobility scooter
Class 2 mobility scooter
A class 2 invalid carriage does not need to be registered; this is your typical lightweight mobility scooter.
A class 3 invalid carriage is a much sturdier beast and it must be registered with DVLA.
To register a type 3 invalid carriage then you need to complete form V55/4 for new vehicles or V55/5 for used vehicles. You can get the forms from DVLA online ordering service. You cannot license a class 3 invalid vehicle online or at a post office.
You do not have to pay vehicle tax for any mobility scooter or powered wheelchair.
Insurance
If you consider your mobility scooter a major purchase that you want to protect you should look for an insurance policy that covers the vehicle against damage. This would pay for any repair costs you incur in the event of an accident or, in an extreme case, replacement of the mobility scooter. You may also wish to consider including cover against vandalism or theft of the vehicle while it is not in use.
I have a class 2 mobility scooter and it is covered by my house contents insurance. The same policy also covers me for liability. My household insurance would not cover me if it was a class 3 mobility scooter.
Eyesight requirements
There are no eyesight requirements to drive a mobility scooter. I do have double vision and I am not allowed to drive a car. The recommendation is that a mobility scooter driver should be able to read a car registration number plate from 40 feet or 12.4 metres. If I close one eye and I’m wearing my glasses then there is a very good chance that I can read it but I have not tested myself. Apparently I might have to pay compensation if I have an accident and poor eyesight was part of the cause.
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