UAE Sets 15 as Minimum Age for E-Scooter Permits Under 2027 Traffic Rules

The permits will be valid for three years and can be renewed, according to Cabinet Resolution No. 174 of 2026, which sets out the executive regulations for the federal traffic law. Devices must also be registered under procedures set by the licensing or traffic authorities.

The rules apply to privately owned devices and to those offered by commercial rental operators, so shared e-scooter and e-bike services will have to make sure their fleets and riders comply.

What the Rules Cover

Gulf News reported that the regulations sort personal mobility devices into six categories: conventional bicycles, electric bicycles, electric scooters, small motorised bikes, skateboards, and mobility devices for elderly people and people with disabilities. Small motorised bikes are defined as those with conventional or electric motors of no more than 50cc and a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour. The rules formally define an electric scooter as a device with two or more wheels and an electric motor that can be ridden standing or seated.

E-scooters must have a front headlight for night riding, a rear light, a red brake light that comes on when braking, a horn or similar warning device on the handlebars, and brakes on at least the rear wheel. Tyres, spokes and other parts must be securely fitted, and licensing authorities may add further safety requirements.

Riders may only use routes designated by the authorities, must follow the speed limits on those routes and are barred from roads meant for motor vehicles. At traffic signals they may not cross on red. They may cross on green, but must not start crossing once the green light begins flashing, although riders already crossing may finish.

An Open Question for Dubai

Khaleej Times noted that Dubai's existing rules bar anyone under 16 from riding an e-scooter, one year above the new federal minimum for permit applicants. The regulations do not say how the federal age limit will work alongside Dubai's rule.

Why It Matters

The rules come amid growing concern about e-scooter safety. Khaleej Times cited a RoadSafetyUAE analysis of Ministry of Interior data showing that major e-scooter accidents rose 97 per cent in 2025 compared with the year before. In a survey of 1,010 residents by RoadSafetyUAE and Al Wathba Insurance, 93 per cent said they had seen unsafe or reckless e-scooter riding and 89 per cent had seen riders in areas where they were not allowed. Even so, 60 per cent said e-scooters met an important transport need.

For micromobility operators, delivery businesses that rely on e-bikes, and insurers, the regulations bring a single national framework for permits, registration and equipment standards ahead of the January deadline.