Major UK retailers, including Currys, Argos, and Halfords, are selling e-scooters for “commuting” – despite warnings from police and coroners that such use is illegal and puts riders at risk of serious injury or death.
The brands have employed marketing pitches promoting “urban riding” and "long distanced commutes" for the electric vehicles.
Under current law, privately owned e-scooters and hoverboards are banned from public spaces like roads, cycle lanes, and pavements, with legal use restricted solely to private land.
Despite this, government figures suggest up to 950,000 e-scooters are now privately owned across England alone.
Following a 2022 incident where a 14-year-old girl died after falling from her e-scooter, a coroner criticised retailers for selling the devices without proper legal warnings, cautioning that more fatalities would occur.
In 2025, 10 people were killed and 1,484 injured in e-scooter collisions, prompting a co-ordinated police crackdown on illegal use nationwide in June.
Research has now revealed that retailers – from major brands to specialist e-scooter sellers – have been giving customers the impression that the vehicles can be used on the road.
“Misinformation could cause misuse, putting the lives of all road users at risk,” said Tanya Braun, director of external affairs for public safety campaign group Living Streets.
On a page of the Currys website which advertises Segway e-scooters, customers are told they can purchase a “fun, efficient means of getting around your local area”.
Some of the models on sale boast higher top speeds “so you can ensure you’re not late for work”, the page reads.
On the Argos website, a page advertising adult electric scooters from brands including Pure, Segway, McLaren, and Zinc suggested they offer “smooth rides, whether you’re gliding to work or cruising for fun”.
It adds: “Commuting just got a serious glow-up.”
Amazon has a £379 MIWEN electric scooter for sale which is recommended for “urban commuting”.
Ads for e-scooters on the Halfords websites come with a “legal warning”, that say: “It is illegal to use an e-scooter on a public road, pavement, cycle lane or bridleway.”
But in the sales pitch for a £499 Pure Escape e-scooter, the retailer tells customers it has cruise control “for added relaxation across long distanced commutes”, while Halfords is also selling an £899 McLaren e-scooter for “urban riding”.
Ms Braun said: “Consumers must be made aware of the restrictions on private e-scooter use.
“Rental scheme operators have had the design of their e-scooters approved by the Department for Transport and they know who is using their e-scooters and where.
“In contrast, it’s likely that a person on a privately owned e-scooter will be using a more dangerous vehicle with higher speeds and will not be insured.
“Misinformation could cause misuse, putting the lives of all road users at risk.”
Some advertising materials from smaller retailers, including specialist e-scooter shops based in the UK, are explicit in offering e-scooters for sale for “city commuting”.
Customers are told they can “skip the crowds and delays” and enjoy stability and comfort “when riding on city streets”, and some of the vehicle’s features – such as brake lights – are highlighted for “ensuring that you can be seen when out and about”.
Under UK law, rented e-scooters can be legally used on the roads by holders of a driving licence, but police have the power to stop private e-scooters, seize vehicles, and land the user with a fine or criminal prosecution for driving without insurance.
Responding to the findings of the investigation, a Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Despite the laws around the sale and use of e-scooters being crystal clear, it is extremely disappointing to see major retailers continuing to sell e-scooters under false pretences.
“We are aware of the safety concerns surrounding e-scooters which is why we are looking at how they operate in trial areas across the country so future legislation keeps both riders and pedestrians safe”.
After the 2022 inquest into the death of 14-year-old Fatima Abukar, east London coroner Graeme Irvine issued a “prevention of future deaths” report to police, the government, and e-scooter retailers.
He said that Fatima had been riding a privately-owned e-scooter without a helmet when she fell in front of a minibus, and reported: “Some manufacturers and retailers of e-scooters in England and Wales provide consumers with written warnings about the illegal use of e-scooters, others do not.
“Where such warnings are present, often they are not prominent.”
Northamptonshire Police launched a crackdown on illegal e-scooter use this month after a five-year-old boy was knocked down and suffered a fractured skull.
“These vehicles may seem convenient, but when they are used illegally or irresponsibly they can pose a very real risk”, said Chief Inspector Nathan Shepherd.
Argos includes prominent warnings about the law around e-scooters on each individual advert, and after being contacted it edited its website to remove references in advertising material to commuting.
“As a responsible retailer, we include clear warnings on all e-scooter product pages that they cannot be used on public highways, including roads and pavements”, a spokesperson for Argos said.
“We have updated wording on a search page to replicate what we already include on our product pages to be even more clear for our customers.”
Currys includes a similar legal warning at the bottom of the product information for the e-scooters it sells, and it is now conducting a review of its website “to make sure no product listings suggest e-scooters can be used on public roads or spaces”.
“Whenever we sell an e-scooter in store or online, we make clear to customers that privately-owned e-scooters can only legally be used on private land with the landowner’s permission,” Currys added.
Halfords said that it “provides a range of e-scooter options for customers, with the safety and legality of these products a priority throughout the sales process.
“We continue to provide clear guidance on the law relating to e-scooters both online and in store.”
Amazon said it has guidelines that e-scooter adverts cannot include images of riders on the roads or pavements and “must depict responsible usage in accordance with UK law”, and they have to carry a legal note which states “e-scooters are prohibited from use in any public road or space in the UK”.
