Are electric skateboards legal in Switzerland?
Not allowed on public roads. The Federal Roads Office (ASTRA/OFROU) states that e-skateboards, like hoverboards and solowheels, are not approved for use in road traffic. Its official blog adds that e-skateboards may be ridden only on private land, and that public traffic areas include sidewalks, pedestrian zones, cycle paths, roads and even shopping-centre car parks. In the Vehicle Technical Requirements Ordinance (VTS), electric vehicles without a seat must have a steering or holding bar, and non-motorised skateboards are 'vehicle-like devices' only because they are muscle-powered.
What the law says
| What the text says | Section | |
|---|---|---|
| Not approved for road traffic | ASTRA: “Es gibt auch Fahrzeuge wie Hoverboards, Solowheels oder E-Skateboards, die nicht zur Verwendung im Strassenverkehr zugelassen sind.” (There are also vehicles such as hoverboards, solowheels or e-skateboards that are not approved for use in road traffic — our translation.) | ASTRA — Vorschriften für Fahrzeuge des Langsamverkehrs |
| Private land only | ASTRA's official blog, in its table of 'trend vehicles', lists for the E-Skateboard: “Ausschliesslich auf privaten Grundstücken” (exclusively on private property — our translation). The same entry appears for “Mono Wheel / Smart Wheel” and for the hoverboard. | ASTRA blog — Elektrische Trendfahrzeuge |
| What counts as a public traffic area | ASTRA blog: “Als öffentliche Verkehrsflächen gelten Bereiche, die allen Menschen offenstehen, wie beispielsweise Trottoirs, Fussgängerzonen, Radwege, Strassen oder auch der Parkplatz eines Einkaufszentrums.” (Public traffic areas are areas open to everyone, such as sidewalks, pedestrian zones, cycle paths, roads or even a shopping-centre car park — our translation.) | ASTRA blog — Elektrische Trendfahrzeuge |
| Not a 'vehicle-like device' | ASTRA blog, on skateboards, scooters and inline skates grouped in the Traffic Rules Ordinance (VRV) as fahrzeugähnliche Geräte: “Gemeinsam haben diese, dass sie ausschliesslich durch die eigene Körperkraft angetrieben werden.” (What they have in common is that they are powered exclusively by the rider's own muscle — our translation.) The blog adds: “Doch nur weil ein neues Fortbewegungsmittel den Markt erobert, heisst das nicht automatisch, dass damit im öffentlichen Raum auch gefahren werden darf.” (But a new means of transport conquering the market does not automatically mean it may be ridden in public spaces — our translation.) | ASTRA blog — Elektrische Trendfahrzeuge |
| Motorised vehicles without a seat need a handlebar | Art. 175(3) VTS: “Motorfahrräder ohne Sitzgelegenheit für den Führer oder die Führerin müssen über eine Lenk- oder Haltestange verfügen.” (Mopeds without a seat for the rider must have a steering or holding bar — our translation.) | Art. 18, 175 VTS (SR 741.41) |
| Self-balancing stand-up scooters also need a bar | ASTRA's summary table for self-balancing electric stand-up scooters (Art. 18(d) VTS) lists a “Lenk - oder Haltestange obligatorisch bei Stehplatz” (steering or holding bar compulsory for a standing position — our translation), and requires type approval and registration with a vehicle registration document and number plate. | ASTRA — Vorschriften über Zulassung und Betrieb von Motorfahrrädern |
| Approved light e-vehicles: where and how old | For comparison, e-scooters and self-balancing stand-up scooters (Segway-type) that are approved have a minimum age of 14, need a category M licence from 14 to 16 and are limited to 20 km/h (e-scooters) (ASTRA blog). ASTRA: “Sie dürfen nach geltendem Recht nur dort eingesetzt werden, wo auch Fahrräder fahren dürfen.” (Under current law they may be used only where bicycles may ride — our translation.) These rules do not extend to e-skateboards. | ASTRA — Vorschriften für Fahrzeuge des Langsamverkehrs |
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.
Sources
-
ASTRA — Vorschriften für Fahrzeuge des Langsamverkehrs — Vorschriften für Fahrzeuge des Langsamverkehrs (Federal Roads Office).
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
German text; translations are ours. -
ASTRA blog — Elektrische Trendfahrzeuge — Elektrische Trendfahrzeuge (Unterwegs – der ASTRA-Blog, 17 May 2024).
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
Official blog of the Federal Roads Office. German text; translations are ours. -
ASTRA — Vorschriften über Zulassung und Betrieb von Motorfahrrädern — Vorschriften über langsame E-Bikes, E-Trottinette, E-Roller, selbstbalancierende E-Stehroller … (status 1 July 2025, PDF).
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
German text; translations are ours. -
Art. 18, 175 VTS (SR 741.41) — Verordnung über die technischen Anforderungen an Strassenfahrzeuge (status 1 July 2026).
Official source, read 2026-09-25.
German text; translations are ours. Read from the Fedlex file store (version of 1 July 2026).
Every source on this page is the text as published by the legislature or the state agency itself. Open them.
How Switzerland compares
The same four questions, across every jurisdiction whose primary sources we have read. Each row links to its own page and its own citations.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Helmet | Speed limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alabama | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alaska | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Arizona | Named only | no rule naming the device | — |
| Arkansas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| California | Regulated | Required at every age: a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet meeting the standard | Not above 15 mph on a highway, bikeway, public bicycle path, |
| Colorado | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Connecticut | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Delaware | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Florida | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Georgia | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Hawaii | Unaddressed | “No person under eighteen years of age shall operate a skateboard upon a street, roadway, | — |
| Idaho | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Illinois | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Indiana | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Iowa | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Kansas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Kentucky | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Louisiana | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Maine | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Maryland | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | Maryland’s stand-up electric class requires a vehicle that “ |
| Massachusetts | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Michigan | Regulated | “A person less than 19 years of age operating an electric skateboard shall wear a crash he | — |
| Minnesota | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Mississippi | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Missouri | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Montana | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nebraska | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nevada | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Hampshire | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Jersey | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | The 2019 class that New Jersey does allow on the road is def |
| New Mexico | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| New York | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| North Carolina | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| North Dakota | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Ohio | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | “Vehicle” does not include “any low-speed micromobility devi |
| Oklahoma | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Oregon | Unaddressed | It is an offence if a person “is under 16 years of age, rides on a skateboard or scooter o | — |
| Pennsylvania | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Rhode Island | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| South Carolina | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| South Dakota | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Tennessee | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Texas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Utah | Regulated | “An individual under 21 years old may not operate or ride the following on a highway unles | — |
| Vermont | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Virginia | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Washington | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| West Virginia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Wisconsin | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Wyoming | Named only | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alberta | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| British Columbia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Manitoba | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Brunswick | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Northwest Territories | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nova Scotia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nunavut | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Ontario | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Prince Edward Island | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Quebec | Regulated | Required. A rigid shell, padded inside, with a chin strap, correctly fitted and firmly fas | Maximum rated power 500 W, combined across motors, and the d |
| Saskatchewan | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | A “limited speed motor vehicle” is “any motor vehicle that h |
| Yukon | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Australian Capital Territory | Regulated | s 244H(1): “A person travelling in or on a personal mobility device must wear an approved | s 244FB: an offence is committed by travelling faster than “ |
| New South Wales | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Northern Territory | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Queensland | Regulated | “When you ride a personal mobility device, you must wear an approved bicycle helmet or an | “You may ride on paths unless there's a sign prohibiting per |
| South Australia | Regulated | “PMD riders must: be aged 16 years or over wear a helmet”. “When you ride a PMD, you must | — |
| Tasmania | Regulated | “Yes. All PMD users must wear an approved helmet.” | “PMD users must not exceed: 15km/h on footpaths 25km/h on sh |
| Victoria | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Western Australia | Regulated | r 223B(2): “A person must not ride an electric rideable device on a road or path unless th | r 15(2): a person “must not ride an electric rideable device |
| Austria | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| 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 |
| Germany | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | These rules apply only to vehicles covered by the eKFV, not |
| Hong Kong | Prohibited | The 2023 LegCo paper (para. 14) proposes that “EMD users must be at least 16 years old” an | The 2023 LegCo paper (para. 14) proposes that “EMD users mus |
| Netherlands | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Zealand | Prohibited | The Road User Rule helmet requirement (cl. 11.8(1)) applies to anyone who rides “a bicycle | — |
| Singapore | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Spain | Unaddressed | In the version of the Reglamento General de Circulación amended by Real Decreto 518/2026, | — |
| United Kingdom | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
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 Switzerland 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. 8 jurisdictions do name it — Are Onewheels legal?
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.
Other jurisdictions: the full list. Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas
Questions this raises
Are electric skateboards legal in Switzerland?
The state says the device may not be operated on public highways. The Federal Roads Office (ASTRA/OFROU) states that e-skateboards, like hoverboards and solowheels, are not approved for use in road traffic. Its official blog adds that e-skateboards may be ridden only on private land, and that public traffic areas include sidewalks, pedestrian zones, cycle paths, roads and even shopping-centre car parks. In the Vehicle Technical Requirements Ordinance (VTS), electric vehicles without a seat must have a steering or holding bar, and non-motorised skateboards are 'vehicle-like devices' only because they are muscle-powered.
Is a Onewheel legal in Switzerland?
No statute we read for Switzerland names a board with a single wheel, so the law there does not answer directly. For electric skateboards, the status we found is: not allowed on public roads. Only 8 of the 81 jurisdictions we read name a one-wheel board: Utah, Quebec, Queensland, Tasmania, British Columbia, New York, Victoria, the Netherlands.
Do I need a helmet in Switzerland?
No rule naming this device addresses helmets in the sources we have read for Switzerland. Your municipality may have one.
How fast am I allowed to go in Switzerland?
No speed limit specific to this device appears in the sources we have read for Switzerland.
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.