Helmet and hi-vis vest now mandatory on electric scooters in Paris, with fines up to €135
Riding an electric scooter in Paris without a helmet now means risking a hefty fine. Since Friday 7 August 2026, two prefectural orders signed by the Paris police prefect have introduced new safety requirements for riders of these vehicles in the capital and the inner suburbs. The change affects far more people than you might think.
What you actually risk on electric scooters in Paris
The penalties are clear and immediate. Riding without a high-visibility vest or reflective gear will cost you €35. Riding without a helmet, however, is considerably more expensive: €135. Both pieces of equipment are now compulsory for every electric scooter rider in Paris.
These obligations don’t stop at scooters alone. The prefectural orders also apply to hoverboards, unicycles and gyropods. In short, all motorised personal mobility devices are covered by the new rules across the capital and the inner suburbs.
Yet by Sunday 9 August, just two days after the orders came into force, the picture on the ground was far from encouraging. According to Le Parisien, very few riders were actually wearing the required safety equipment that day.
Alarming figures that forced authorities to act
The prefectural decision didn’t come out of nowhere. It is a direct response to a sharp rise in accidents involving motorised personal mobility devices. In 2025, 79 people lost their lives in such accidents, 34 more than in 2024. Over the same period, the total number of accidents rose by 33%.
The Paris police prefecture notes that the proportion of unprotected riders among those killed or seriously injured has increased significantly. A large share of accidents also result in severe or fatal head trauma. It is precisely this reality that justifies making helmets compulsory for electric scooter riders in Paris.
What you need to have on you before you set off
- An approved helmet, or face a €135 fine
- A high-visibility vest or reflective equipment, or face a €35 fine
- Both items are compulsory for electric scooters, hoverboards, unicycles and gyropods
- The rules apply in Paris and the inner suburbs
Paris is not alone in tightening the rules on electric scooters
The capital is not an isolated case. Several other French departments have adopted similar measures, making helmets and reflective vests mandatory on their territory. These include Seine-et-Marne, Vaucluse, Yonne and Alpes-Maritimes.
This national momentum shows that the safety of electric scooter riders in Paris and beyond is being taken seriously by local authorities. Some elected officials are pushing even further: Jean-Pierre Lecoq, a Paris councillor, has publicly called for helmets to be made compulsory for Vélib’ users as well.
The real question remains one of enforcement. Because between a prefectural order and the actual behaviour of riders on Paris’s cycle lanes and pavements, the gap still looks wide. The figures over the coming months will tell us whether these obligations have genuinely changed the habits of electric scooter riders in Paris.
