E-scooters, shared mobility and platform work in Estonia

Light electric vehicles, rental fleets and platform couriers sit at the edge of three regimes: compulsory motor third-party liability (MTPL), general tort and liability insurance, and employment law. This short guide explains where the Estonian lines are drawn and what follows for motor, liability and accident insurers.

1. When an e-scooter needs MTPL

Under the Motor Insurance Act (liikluskindlustuse seadus, LKindlS), a "vehicle" is only a land vehicle propelled exclusively by an engine, and its trailer. MTPL must be taken out, among others, for a vehicle with a design speed above 25 km/h, or above 14 km/h with a mass (fully equipped, without load or driver) above 25 kg.¹ These criteria follow the vehicle definition introduced by Directive (EU) 2021/2118.² A pedal-assisted e-bike that does not move by engine power alone is not a vehicle for MTPL purposes.³

Under the Traffic Act (liiklusseadus, LS), a light electric vehicle (kergliikur) has a design speed of no more than 25 km/h and, except for self-balancing devices, a maximum motor power of 1 kW; it is not a motor vehicle.⁴ The Supreme Court has held that a scooter-type vehicle that is faster than 25 km/h or has a motor above 1 kW is a motor vehicle, not a light electric vehicle; it requires a driving licence and registration.⁵

The practical result: MTPL applies to heavy light vehicles (above 25 kg and 14 km/h) and to fast e-scooters that are in law motor vehicles. If such a vehicle is uninsured, the Estonian Traffic Insurance Fund compensates the injured party and has a recourse claim against the person obliged to insure or the keeper.¹ For unregistered vehicles the owner is responsible for taking out insurance, and the rider must carry the policy or other proof of cover, which may be electronic.¹

2. Liability without MTPL

Where no MTPL obligation applies, the rider is liable in fault-based tort.⁶ Strict liability of the direct possessor of a motor vehicle is provided for motor vehicles;⁶ whether it extends to a light electric vehicle cannot be derived simply from the Traffic Act definitions, because the civil-law concept of a motor vehicle need not coincide with the traffic-law one.³ The rider's exposure is typically covered by private liability insurance, often part of home insurance, unless the wording excludes motor-driven vehicles generally. Personal accident cover responds to the rider's own injuries.

3. Rental fleets

In shared mobility the relationships are three-sided: rider, operator and injured third party. If the vehicles are within the MTPL obligation, the operator as owner is responsible for insuring them. If they are not, the injured party's protection depends on the rider's liability and insurance and on the operator's possible liability for a technical defect (contract towards the rider; tort and producer liability towards third parties). Terms that shift liability to consumer riders are subject to the control of standard terms. MTPL is written per vehicle, not per ride: usage-based products sold to platform drivers complement, but do not replace, the vehicle's compulsory cover.

4. Platform work

The Platform Work Directive (EU) 2024/2831 introduces a rebuttable legal presumption of an employment relationship where facts indicating control and direction are found; transposition is due by 2 December 2026.⁷ To transpose it, the Government initiated the Platform Work Act bill (1003 SE) in the Riigikogu on 14 September 2026; according to the Riigikogu bill page checked on 7 November 2026, the bill had been sent to second reading (lead committee: Social Affairs Committee). The bill is not yet law, and its final content, including the wording of the presumption of employment, may change in the legislative process.⁸ For insurers the classification matters in three ways:

• workplace accidents: if a courier or driver is an employee, employers' liability and occupational safety rules apply, and employers' liability and accident programmes need to reflect this;
• third-party claims: a person who continuously uses another in its economic activity is liable for damage that person unlawfully causes as for its own;⁶ MTPL recourse against a driver and the driver's employer follows special LKindlS rules;
• platform programmes: group accident or liability cover arranged for self-employed workers should be reviewed against employer obligations if employment status is later established.

Related pages

• Motor claims in Estonia: a guide for foreign insurers
• MTPL and Green Card claims in Estonia
• Subrogation and recovery in Estonia
• EU directives

References