Chile E-Scooter Laws: VMP Category, 25 km/h Cap, Helmet Mandatory (2026)

This article is general information about e-scooter laws in Chile and is not legal advice. If you are cited for a traffic violation or need advice for a specific situation, consult a Chilean traffic lawyer or the Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones. Information last verified on 23 July 2026.

Are e-scooters legal in Chile?

Yes. Chile regulates e-scooters as a distinct vehicle category called vehículo de movilidad personal (VMP), created through a 2019 amendment to the country's consolidated traffic law, the Ley de Tránsito (Ley 21.088, amending DFL N°1/2007). The detailed rules in force today, however, come from a separate instrument: the 2025 Reglamento de Micromovilidad, issued by the Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones (MTT) and signed by President Boric, which replaced an older 2005 decree.

This is a national framework, not a city-by-city patchwork. Both privately owned scooters and dockless rental fleets in cities like Santiago and Valparaíso fall under the same national VMP rules, though a municipality may add its own siting or parking rules for rental operators on top of the national framework.

What counts as an e-scooter here

Article 2(15) of the reglamento defines a VMP as a one-wheel or multi-wheel vehicle designed for a single occupant, propelled exclusively by an electric motor, capable of a maximum speed of 25 km/h. A seat is only permitted on the device if it also carries a self-balancing system.

Power is capped at 500W for a standard, non-self-balancing VMP, or up to 1,000W for a self-balancing model, of which the reglamento requires 60% of output to go toward the balancing system itself, not propulsion. Mass must stay under 50 kg, and maximum length is 2,000 mm.

Where you can ride

The reglamento draws a sharp line based on device design. A VMP with a seat that lacks a self-balancing system cannot legally circulate on any public road at all. A standing VMP, the typical stand-up e-scooter, may circulate on public roads, but never on freeways (autopistas) under a separate 1985 decree, and otherwise follows the same urban cycling rules bicycles use under the Ley de Tránsito.

Secondary Chilean sources describe this in practice as prioritizing bike lanes (ciclovías) first, with the rightmost roadway lane as the fallback where no bike lane exists. Sidewalk riding is excluded, and only one rider is permitted per device.

Rider rules

• Helmet: mandatory for every rider and any passenger, meeting the standard set in a separate national safety decree (DS N°102/2019).
• Minimum age: not stated anywhere in the national reglamento's own text. This is a genuine gap in the primary source, not a confirmed absence of a rule. Some secondary Chilean sources mention an age of 14 in specific municipal contexts, but that figure was not found in the national text and should not be treated as a nationwide floor.
• License: none required by the reglamento for a compliant VMP.
• Passengers: not permitted. VMPs are single-occupant only.

Penalties

The reglamento assigns enforcement authority to Carabineros de Chile and to Inspectores Fiscales y Municipales, but the primary text obtained for this page did not include its own itemized fine schedule. Secondary Chilean sources describe fines in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 UTM (a Chilean monthly tax unit used to index fines) for violations under the broader road-coexistence framework the VMP rules sit inside. Treat that range as reported rather than confirmed against the reglamento's own penalty article.

Riding a device that exceeds the 25 km/h speed cap or the power limits reportedly reclassifies it as an ordinary motorized vehicle, which then needs a license plate, a circulation permit, and a Class C driver's license, according to secondary Chilean sources.

Enforcement in practice

Enforcement authority is split between national police (Carabineros) and municipal inspectors under the reglamento itself. Chilean reporting describes this split as producing patchy, uneven enforcement, concentrated in dense comunas such as Santiago and Valparaíso where dockless rental fleets are most visible, with less consistent enforcement elsewhere.

Enforcement patterns do not change the legal status of any rule. A seated VMP without self-balancing ridden on a public road, or any VMP exceeding the 25 km/h and power caps, remains outside the rules regardless of how consistently that gets enforced in a given comuna.

Legal history and what may change

Chile's VMP framework has moved through two stages. Ley 21.088 (2019) first amended the base Ley de Tránsito to permit VMP regulation. The operative rules in force today, however, come from the 2025 Reglamento de Micromovilidad, which replaced the earlier DS N°5/2005 definition scheme and is the text to cite for current speed, power, and helmet specifics.

Press reports describe the reglamento's substantive rules as taking effect starting September 1, 2025. The reglamento's own text also references a transitional vigencia clause tied to a separate, pending MTT resolution. Whether every provision has now fully taken effect as of July 2026 was not independently confirmed in this research, so a rider with a specific compliance question should check current MTT guidance directly.

For how a Spanish-speaking European market handles similar devices, see our guide to Spain's e-scooter laws, and our global e-scooter law guide for the full country picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are e-scooters legal in Chile?

Yes. Chile regulates e-scooters nationally as VMPs (vehículos de movilidad personal) under the 2025 Reglamento de Micromovilidad, which sets a 25 km/h speed cap and a mandatory helmet rule.

Do I need a license to ride an e-scooter in Chile?

No. A VMP that meets the reglamento's speed, power, and size limits does not require a driver's license, plate, or registration.

Is there a minimum age to ride an e-scooter in Chile?

The national reglamento does not state one. That is an open gap in the primary text, not a confirmed absence of an age rule, so do not rely on any specific age figure without checking current MTT or municipal guidance.

Is a helmet mandatory for e-scooters in Chile?

Yes, for every rider and any passenger, under both the reglamento and a separate national safety standard.

Can I ride an e-scooter on the sidewalk in Chile?

No. Riders must use bike lanes where available, or the rightmost roadway lane where none exist. Sidewalk riding is excluded.

What happens if my e-scooter goes faster than 25 km/h?

Secondary Chilean sources report that exceeding the VMP speed or power caps reclassifies the device as an ordinary motorized vehicle, which then needs a plate, a circulation permit, and a Class C license.