Are electric skateboards legal in France?
Specific law, with conditions. Electric skateboards are regulated in France as motorised personal transport devices (engins de déplacement personnel motorisés, EDPM). Article R311-1 of the Code de la route defines an EDPM as a vehicle without a seat for one person, with a non-combustion motor and a design speed above 6 km/h and up to 25 km/h. The government's official information site names the “skate électrique” alongside the hoverboard and applies the EDPM rules to it. EDPM must use bike lanes or tracks, may use roads limited to 50 km/h in built-up areas, may not use sidewalks unless the mayor allows it, and require a rider aged at least 14 and liability insurance.
3 electric skateboards in stock in France, priced at each shop ↓
What the law says
| What the text says | Section | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition of a motorised personal transport device | Article R311-1, point 6.15, of the Code de la route defines an engin de déplacement personnel motorisé as a “véhicule sans place assise, conçu et construit pour le déplacement d'une seule personne et dépourvu de tout aménagement destiné au transport de marchandises, équipé d'un moteur non thermique ou d'une assistance non thermique et dont la vitesse maximale par construction est supérieure à 6 km/ h et ne dépasse pas 25 km/ h” (a vehicle with no seat, designed and built to carry one person and with no fittings for carrying goods, fitted with a non-combustion motor or assistance, whose maximum design speed is above 6 km/h and does not exceed 25 km/h — our translation). The article does not name skateboards. | Art. R311-1 (6.14–6.16) Code de la route |
| The official site names the electric skateboard | Service-public.fr, the government's official information site, has a section headed “Hoverboard (ou skate électrique)” (hoverboard, or electric skateboard — our translation) that sets out EDPM rules. Its introduction says: “Si vous utilisez un engin de déplacement personnel motorisé (trottinette électrique, hoverboard, gyropode, monoroue, cyclomobile léger), vous devez circuler sur la piste cyclable lorsqu'elle existe.” (If you use a motorised personal transport device — electric scooter, hoverboard, gyropode, monowheel, light cyclomobile — you must ride on the cycle track where there is one — our translation.) | Service-public.fr F308 |
| Where to ride in built-up areas | Article R412-43-1 I: “En agglomération, les conducteurs d'engins de déplacement personnel motorisés doivent circuler sur les bandes ou pistes cyclables.” (In built-up areas, riders of motorised personal transport devices must use cycle lanes or tracks — our translation.) Where there are none, they may also use roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less, pedestrian areas under the conditions of article R431-9, and paved shoulders. | Art. R412-43-1 to R412-43-3 Code de la route |
| Outside built-up areas | Article R412-43-1 II: “Hors agglomération, la circulation des engins de déplacement personnel motorisés est interdite, sauf sur les voies vertes et les pistes cyclables.” (Outside built-up areas, motorised personal transport devices are prohibited except on greenways and cycle tracks — our translation.) Under III 3°, the traffic authority may allow them on roads limited to 80 km/h. Riding outside the permitted areas is a fourth-class offence (R412-43-1 V). | Art. R412-43-1 to R412-43-3 Code de la route |
| Minimum age and one rider | Article R412-43-3 I: “Tout conducteur d'engin de déplacement personnel motorisé doit être âgé d'au moins quatorze ans.” (Every rider of a motorised personal transport device must be at least fourteen years old — our translation.) III: “Les engins de déplacement personnel motorisés ne peuvent transporter qu'un conducteur.” (They may carry only the rider — our translation.) | Art. R412-43-1 to R412-43-3 Code de la route |
| Speed limit and equipment | Service-public.fr: “La vitesse maximum autorisée est de 25 km/h.” (The maximum permitted speed is 25 km/h — our translation.) It adds: “Votre engin doit être équipé d'un système de freinage, d'un avertisseur sonore, de feux de position (avant et arrière) et de dispositifs réfléchissants arrière et latéraux.” (Your device must have brakes, an audible warning device, front and rear position lights and rear and side reflectors — our translation.) | Service-public.fr F308 |
| Helmet | A helmet is required nationally only where the authority has opened a road limited to 80 km/h to these devices. Article R412-43-1 IV 1° a) requires the rider there to “Etre coiffé d'un casque conforme à la réglementation relative aux équipements de protection individuelle, qui doit être attaché” (wear a fastened helmet that complies with the rules on personal protective equipment — our translation). Service-public.fr also reports local helmet obligations (see the insurance and local helmet rule below). | Art. R412-43-1 to R412-43-3 Code de la route |
| Liability insurance and local helmet rules | Service-public.fr: “Pour utiliser l'engin, vous devez avoir une assurance responsabilité civile.” (To use the device you must have civil liability insurance — our translation.) On helmets, it adds: “Le port du casque et d’un équipement rétro-réfléchissant est obligatoire si vous circulez à Paris ou dans plusieurs départements” (a helmet and retro-reflective gear are compulsory in Paris and in several départements — our translation). | Service-public.fr F308 |
Each row is the statute's own content, reduced to plain wording where it is long and quoted directly where the exact words matter. The section in the last column is a link to the text.
Electric skateboards in stock in France
Priced at shops in France, in the currency they charge. Real deals and new lows first, then the lowest price; checked twice a day at the shop itself. We do not rate boards and take no payment for a place here.
| Product | Best price | Verdict | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
Onewheel GT S-Series
🇫🇷rideonexperience.com |
3250.00 EUR | ✓Real deal | |
Onewheel XR Classic
🇫🇷rideonexperience.com |
2200.00 EUR | –Cheaper in 2026 |
All 3 electric skateboards from shops in France · today's real deals · the cheapest one · 36 under $500 · 111 under $1,000 · what one costs · recalls and safety alerts.
What the law above asks you to wear or fit: 77 helmets and pads in stock — a rule above names the helmet; 31 lights in stock — a rule above covers riding after dark.
Sources
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Art. R311-1 (6.14–6.16) Code de la route — Code de la route, article R311-1 (as amended by Décret n° 2026-652 of 22 July 2026).
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
French text; translations are ours. Read in a browser, because Légifrance blocks scripted requests. -
Art. R412-43-1 to R412-43-3 Code de la route — Code de la route, section 6 bis: Circulation des engins de déplacement personnel motorisés et des cyclomobiles légers.
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
French text; translations are ours. Read in a browser, because Légifrance blocks scripted requests. -
Service-public.fr F308 — Circulation à trottinette électrique, hoverboard, gyropode, rollers ou skateboard (checked 11 August 2026).
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
French text; translations are ours.
Every source on this page is the text as published by the legislature or the state agency itself. Open them.
How France compares
The same four questions for France and its neighbours and the rest of the country, each linked to its own page and citations. All 99 jurisdictions we have read are side by side on Compare all jurisdictions.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Helmet | Speed limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Regulated | A helmet is required nationally only where the authority has opened a road limited to 80 k | Service-public.fr: “La vitesse maximum autorisée est de 25 k |
| Belgium | Unaddressed | Art. 8.2, 7°: “16 ans pour les conducteurs d'engins de déplacement motorisés, sauf:” (16 y | Brussels code, art. 8: speed is limited “à 20 km à l'heure p |
| Germany | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | These rules apply only to vehicles covered by the eKFV, not |
| Italy | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Spain | Unaddressed | In the version of the Reglamento General de Circulación amended by Real Decreto 518/2026, | — |
| Switzerland | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| United Kingdom | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
Compare all 99 jurisdictions →
The spread is the point. These are neighbouring jurisdictions regulating the same object, and they do not agree on what it is, how fast it may go, who may ride it, or whether it may be ridden at all. A rider who crosses a state line is, quite often, subject to a different legal category rather than a stricter version of the same one — which is why a single national answer to this question does not exist and why anyone offering you one has stopped reading the law.
It also explains why so many rows say the device is unaddressed. Most vehicle codes were written before this machine existed, and a legislature that has not revisited them has not thereby permitted anything — it has left the question to a general classification and to your city.
What about a Onewheel?
No text we read for France names a board with a single wheel. The reading above is for electric skateboards; whether a Onewheel falls in the same class, another one or none is a question the statutes here do not answer, and neither do we. 11 jurisdictions do name it — Are Onewheels legal?
Onewheel prices, read at the shops: what a Onewheel costs new · used Onewheel prices · Onewheel or electric skateboard · buy or sell a used one.
What this page does not tell you
- It is not legal advice, and it never says you may ride. It says what the statute says, and links it.
- It does not cover municipal law. Cities regulate sidewalks, parks, paths and often these devices by name. Those rules sit on top of everything above.
- It does not cover private property, insurance, or what happens after an accident.
- It may be out of date. Every source carries the day we read it. A statute amended since then will not have updated itself here.
Across the border: Spain · Belgium · Germany · Switzerland · Italy · United Kingdom. Every other jurisdiction: the full list.
Questions this raises
Are electric skateboards legal in France?
A statute names the device and sets out what is required to ride it. Electric skateboards are regulated in France as motorised personal transport devices (engins de déplacement personnel motorisés, EDPM). Article R311-1 of the Code de la route defines an EDPM as a vehicle without a seat for one person, with a non-combustion motor and a design speed above 6 km/h and up to 25 km/h. The government's official information site names the “skate électrique” alongside the hoverboard and applies the EDPM rules to it. EDPM must use bike lanes or tracks, may use roads limited to 50 km/h in built-up areas, may not use sidewalks unless the mayor allows it, and require a rider aged at least 14 and liability insurance.
Is a Onewheel legal in France?
No statute we read for France names a board with a single wheel, so the law there does not answer directly. For electric skateboards, the status we found is: specific law, with conditions. Only 11 of the 99 jurisdictions we read name a one-wheel board: Utah, Quebec, Queensland, Tasmania, Seattle, South Korea, Belgium, British Columbia, New York, Victoria, the Netherlands.
Do I need a helmet in France?
A helmet is required nationally only where the authority has opened a road limited to 80 km/h to these devices. Article R412-43-1 IV 1° a) requires the rider there to “Etre coiffé d'un casque conforme à la réglementation relative aux équipements de protection individuelle, qui doit être attaché” (wear a fastened helmet that complies with the rules on personal protective equipment — our translation). Service-public.fr also reports local helmet obligations (see the insurance and local helmet rule below). That is Art. R412-43-1 to R412-43-3 Code de la route.
How fast am I allowed to go in France?
Service-public.fr: “La vitesse maximum autorisée est de 25 km/h.” (The maximum permitted speed is 25 km/h — our translation.) It adds: “Votre engin doit être équipé d'un système de freinage, d'un avertisseur sonore, de feux de position (avant et arrière) et de dispositifs réfléchissants arrière et latéraux.” (Your device must have brakes, an audible warning device, front and rear position lights and rear and side reflectors — our translation.) That is Service-public.fr F308.
Does this cover city rules?
No. This page reads state, provincial or national law only. Municipal codes frequently add rules — on sidewalks, parks and paths especially — and where the state has written nothing, the city has written everything.
How do I check this myself?
Open the links in the sources below. Every row in the table above names the section it comes from, and every source shows the date we read it. That is the whole point of the page: you should not have to take our word for it.