Is the UK closer to legalising tandem mobility scooters?

The government has launched a public consultation that, for the first time, asks whether two-seat mobility scooters should be allowed on pavements and roads. Disabled people and carers say legalising tandems would transform daily life.

For years, the UK has held firm to a rule that many disabled people now consider discriminatory: mobility scooters may only carry one person. Not because two-seat designs are unsafe or unproven, but because the law still relies on a 1970s definition of an “invalid carriage” that specifies a single occupant. Tandem scooters exist, and are used safely in other countries, but in Britain they can only be used on private land.

When we wrote about this last year, the response was immediate and overwhelming. Readers described, in often heartbreaking detail, how the law directly affects their lives.

Alfred Mosley described life with his wife, who has dementia: “We are increasingly finding it difficult to get out of the house. In order to do so she grips on the seat of my scooter which puts her out of my sight line. We are destined to be prisoners in our own home.”

Another reader, Michael Defriend, aged 95, said the loss of his driving licence and his wife’s disability had left them unable to travel anywhere independently. “Without a car she is completely housebound,” he wrote. “A tandem scooter would be the only other way she could get out.”

Until now, there has been little sign of movement. But this year, the government appears willing to consider the issue.

The Department for Transport’s new review of powered mobility devices includes the question of whether two-seat mobility scooters should be permitted on pavements and roads. It is the first time the topic has appeared in an official consultation.

The consultation aims to help modernise the entire regulatory framework around powered mobility devices. Officials are finally acknowledging that the law still rests on terminology such as “invalid carriage”, a phrase that feels dated, inaccurate and insulting to many users.

They are also examining whether speed and weight limits, drafted more than 40 years ago, make sense for the devices available on the market today.

Another issue on the table is where mobility scooters should be used. The consultation asks whether the blanket ban on mobility scooters using cycle lanes still makes sense.

Have your say

The consultation is open until 31 March 2026, and crucially it is open to the public. Anyone can submit their views, including mobility scooter users, carers, family members and organisations representing disabled people. This is an opportunity to influence the first meaningful review of mobility scooter law in decades.

To take part, visit gov.uk/government/consultations/reviewing-the-law-for-powered-mobility-devices

Responding takes only a few minutes, and every submission counts. If you believe tandem scooters should be legal, or if you want mobility devices to have clearer rules on where they can be used, now is the moment to say so.

ETA mobility scooter insurance

ETA mobility scooter insurance is built around the realities of everyday use. Theft and accidental damage are covered, alongside other unexpected frustrations like a lost key or a puncture. A 24/7 breakdown recovery service is included at no extra cost.

The policy costs £65 per year for a scooter worth up to £3,500, or £90 for two users at the same address.

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