Although the mandatory civil liability insurance (OCTA) for electric scooters is connected to the OCTA Guarantee Fund, there is currently no reason to believe that its introduction will affect the OCTA prices for other vehicle owners, said Jānis Abāšins, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Motor Insurers’ Bureau (LTAB), to news agency LETA.
He explained that, just like with other vehicles, OCTA for electric scooters is also linked to the Guarantee Fund of this insurance category.
“As the law takes effect on the 1st of July, there is no objective basis at the moment to claim that insurance is either not being purchased or is being purchased insufficiently in the private segment for electric scooters used in traffic,” said Abāšins. He noted that, as with any new requirement, the implementation of insurance will likely be gradual. This includes targeted awareness campaigns from LTAB and other involved institutions to inform owners about the need for OCTA.
“At present, there is no reason to expect a significant increase in expenditures from the Guarantee Fund, as the amount of damage caused by electric scooters is relatively low compared to other vehicles. Moreover, the law stipulates that in any case of compensation from the Guarantee Fund, LTAB will seek reimbursement from the person responsible—if they do not hold valid OCTA—through recourse proceedings,” Abāšins added. Therefore, there is no current reason to expect an increase in OCTA prices for other vehicle owners.
As previously reported,
starting the 1st of July OCTA insurance is also required for electric scooters.
It is estimated that OCTA for electric scooters—similar to mopeds—may cost between 24 euros and 50 euros per year.
According to the Latvian Insurers Association (LAA), as of the day before the requirement took effect, only 19.7% of privately owned electric scooters had valid OCTA insurance.
In total, 27,400 electric scooters are registered in Latvia. Of these, 14,147—approximately 51.6%—were insured with OCTA. Specifically, 16,342 scooters are registered to private individuals, and 11,058 to legal entities. By the afternoon of June 30, OCTA policies had been purchased for 3,217 electric scooters owned by individuals (19.7%) and for 10,930 scooters owned by legal entities (98.8%).
LTAB oversees the operation of the OCTA insurance system in Latvia. OCTA was introduced in 1997 to protect the interests of third parties injured in road traffic accidents. Initially, LTAB operated under the Ministry of Finance, but since 2004 it has functioned as an independent institution.
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