According to estimates by the Association of Independent Insurance Brokers of Hungary (FBAMSZ), around 55–60% of nearly 700,000 mopeds and 70–80% of approximately 50,000 e-scooters take part in traffic without the required compulsory insurance.
In its statement issued on Friday, the organisation said that the low rate of compulsory insurance among scooters has been a long-standing issue for decades. Due to the lack of license plates, authorities find it harder to identify uninsured vehicles; such cases are usually only revealed after accidents or during roadside checks. Although the introduction of license plates for these vehicles has been raised several times, it has not been implemented due to technical and cost-related challenges.
E-scooters have only recently become part of road traffic, but due to the rising number of accidents they cause, compulsory insurance has also been extended to more powerful models since the summer of 2024, the FBAMSZ noted.
The average annual cost of compulsory insurance for a scooter is around 8,000–10,000 HUF, while e-scooter insurance can be as low as 5,000–6,000 HUF per year. Fines imposed during roadside checks for driving without insurance can often be many times higher.
In the event of an accident where the at-fault party has no compulsory insurance, the victim’s damages are covered by the Hungarian Motor Insurance Bureau’s (MABISZ) compensation fund, but the full amount is later recovered from the responsible driver or owner. In cases involving personal injury, this can reach millions of forints, the association explained.
They also pointed out that scooter and e-scooter users who take out compulsory insurance start with a clean slate, and no retroactive penalty fee is required, unlike in the case of cars or motorcycles. During checks, police only verify whether the vehicle has valid insurance at that time. Due to the lack of license plates, insurers register policies using the frame number, and no vehicle history or bonus-malus system applies, which means premiums are not affected by past records.
