E-bike and E-scooter Injury Payouts Exceed £110m, Raising Insurance Costs

UK payouts for injuries from e-scooters and e-bikes have exceeded £110m, leading to higher insurance premiums. Cases include severe injuries and fatalities, prompting calls for stricter regulation and enforcement.

E-bike injury payouts top £110m and push up insurance premiums

Alison believed she was fortunate not to have been killed in this crash.

The total compensation paid to individuals injured in the UK by e-scooters and e-bikes has surpassed £110 million, the BBC has learned.

It has only been seven years since the first claim was made, with the largest individual payout reaching £20 million. These claims have also contributed to increased insurance premiums for drivers, as insurers adjust to cover these costs.

Alison, a pseudonym, sustained a broken pelvis, wrist, and finger, along with cuts and bruises, after being struck by a private e-scooter while crossing a road in Coventry last year. She is seeking compensation for her injuries.

"It was a lovely sunny day so we were all in a really good mood," she said. "Then the next thing I knew, it was just gravel and I was on the floor.

"It was instant pain, you know when the TV does grey static? That's what my eyes were doing.

"I was on a crossing. I thought it was safe, you just don't expect it."

CCTV footage shows 47-year-old Trevor Chandler, from Coventry, riding his e-scooter directly into Alison as she and a friend crossed the road, before leaving the scene shortly afterwards.

Chandler suffered a broken leg but initially escaped, before eventually being arrested and sentenced to 15 months in jail. His e-scooter was destroyed.

The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), which handles claims like Alison's, advocates for stricter regulation and, in some cases, banning the sale of such vehicles.

The rising cost of payouts has been a significant factor in increasing annual insurance premiums for the general public, experts say.

Micromobility vehicles—including e-scooters, e-bikes, mobility scooters, and e-unicycles—have become common on UK streets but also present notable hazards for pedestrians and other road users.

Hundreds seized

E-scooters are permitted only in towns and cities where official trials are underway, and only those vehicles that are part of operator schemes may be legally ridden.

Privately owned e-scooters are legally restricted to private land with the owner's permission.

Police enforcement operations regularly result in hundreds of e-scooters being seized and destroyed annually, along with numerous e-bikes modified to exceed the legal speed limit of 15.5 mph unless the electric assist is disabled.

The MIB paid its first claim for an e-scooter injury in 2019 and the first for an e-bike injury in 2020.

The MIB is a not-for-profit organisation that compensates victims of accidents involving uninsured vehicles. Insurance companies contribute levies to the MIB, which in turn affects motor insurance premiums for all policyholders.

In 2025, there were 168 claims related to accidents involving e-scooters and e-bikes, the highest number recorded to date. The most severe single case involved a child who suffered catastrophic, life-changing injuries and received a £20 million payout.

The total compensation paid has increased from £51 million to £110 million over the past 12 months.

In one of the most tragic incidents, 19-year-old Billy Stokoe was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison after killing 86-year-old Gloria Stephenson by hitting her with his e-bike in Sunderland in July 2025.

Stokoe, who was using a mobile phone and had consumed cannabis at the time, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. His sentence is currently under review through the unduly lenient sentences scheme.

Alison from Coventry considers herself lucky to have survived. While her pelvis has healed, she has been informed she will never regain full movement in her wrist.

"I could not understand why e-scooters are still available online and in stores if privately owned ones are illegal on roads and pavements," she said.

"It is frightening to think they are willingly handing these things over to people with no licence, no insurance, no nothing and just letting them go."

The MIB advocates for increased public awareness of the laws governing micromobility vehicles.

Hayley Sutcliffe from the MIB stated that more than half of their claims involve pedestrians.

Hayley Sutcliffe from the Motor Insurers' Bureau is standing in front of a police car and an e-scooter, she has dark shoulder length hair and is wearing a high-vis vest. — Image caption, Hayley Sutcliffe, from the MIB, said more than half their claims were from pedestrians

The MIB has provided funding to some police forces to support enforcement efforts.

During a national police operation targeting illegal use of micromobility vehicles in Stoke-on-Trent, Hayley Sutcliffe explained the broader impact of rising claims costs.

"Whilst we will compensate victims of any injuries from e-scooters or electric motor bikes, everyone else has to pay for that," she said.

"It has a huge impact on your law-abiding citizens as well."

PC Tom Cordell of Staffordshire Police regularly participates in enforcement operations. He noted that ignorance of the law is not an excuse but believes most e-scooter riders are aware that their use on pavements and roads is illegal.

"I think the vast majority of people do know that they're illegal," he said.

"They've been around for a long, long time now. This isn't something that's new and just come out yesterday."

The government has reiterated the current legal framework in statements. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC earlier this year that the "genie was out of the bottle" and new legislation could be introduced if parliamentary time permits.