On Jun. 20, POR ASF updated on new vehicles needing car insurance.
POR ASF updated on new vehicles subject to car insurance duty per DL 26/2025 rules.
Overview
DL 26/2025, published on Mar. 20, transposed into national law Directive 2021/2118.
Defines vehicle subject to compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance (SORCA).
Vehicles now covered by SORCA are those intended to circulate on ground, driven exclusively by mechanical force, with maximum design speed greater than 25 km/h.
Or with net weight greater than 25kg, maximum design speed greater than 14 km/h.
Definition excludes from obligation of car insurance most personal mobility devices currently in circulation in Portugal (bicycles, scooters, etc), as long as they do not exceed established weight and speed limits.
POR ASF warns certain devices with more robust characteristics i.e. some electric scooters and higher-powered e-scooters, often purchased through online platforms, may fall within new legal definition of vehicle and be subject to SORCA.
In these cases, despite being legally prohibited from driving on public roads (according to the Highway Code), they must be covered by motor vehicle liability insurance.
These vehicles are currently subject to fines, even impoundment due to driving ban.
POR ASF recommends that before driving any type of personal mobility device, users carefully check vehicle technical characteristics (design weight and speed), applicable legal obligations, including duty to take out insurance.
Design speed of vehicle: speed it reaches and maintains, generally indicated by the manufacturer, when it is not being affected by external factors.
Mechanically actuated: process of transferring energy from a mechanical source to a given device or system, resulting in motion or action.
Context
DL 26/2025 amended DL 291/2007 on mandatory car insurance to implement the dir.
As annex it has republished the latter in the new wording post latest amendments.
§5 of art 20, art 20-A of DL 291/2007 as amended applies from Jul. 24, 2025; arts 57-A to 57-H, 75-A DL 291/2007 from Jul. 10, 2024 re insolvencies from Dec. 23, 2023.
Finally, until effects of executive orders in §2nd to 4th of art 58 DL 291/2007 come into effect, contributions legally provided for on the date of entry into force of the new DL continue to be due to Automobile Guarantee Fund.
Effectiveness
Applicability dates differ with first express one being on Jul. 24, 2025 and production of effects ranging from Dec. 23, 2023 to Jul. 2024 (as detailed above).
Regulators
POR ASF
Entity Types
CNSM; Ins
Reference
PR 6/20/2025; DL 26/2025; DL 291/2007; Dir 2021/2118
