Spain’s Benidorm cracks down on mobility scooters loved by British tourists
Local businesses in the popular Costa Blanca resort say a popular British TV show could be behind the rise in so-called ‘double’ mobility scooters on the strip.
The local council in Benidorm has voted to tighten rules on mobility scooters in the popular coastal resort, prohibiting the use of popular ‘double’ scooters carrying more than one person.
These vehicles are popular amongst older British tourists, many of whom have made them their preferred means of transport.
On Monday, a council plenary session approved an initial amendment to the reverent municipal ordinance on Mobility, introducing new rules aimed at improving road safety and environmental sustainability within the town centre.
Reporting in the Spanish press states that some 25 percent of urban accidents in Benidorm involve personal mobility vehicles (known as PMVs).
The amendment was passed unanimously by all political parties after successfully completing the mandatory prior public consultation period of fifteen calendar days without receiving any objections, suggestions or contributions to the proposed text, as explained by the Councillor for Mobility, Francis Muñoz.
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The councillor added that “the constant evolution of urban mobility, the emergence of new modes of transport and the ongoing need to adapt the local regulatory framework to social and legal realities make it essential to continuously review and update municipal by-laws”.
Following this initial approval, the text will be subject to a new public consultation period lasting 30 working days, prior to its final approval and entry into force.
It should be noted that the use of mobility scooters on pavements in the city is restricted to people over the age of 55 or those who can demonstrate reduced mobility due to a physical disability or illness.
The number of these electric vehicles has long impacted traffic in Benidorm, however.
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According to reports, back in 2024 there were already over 1,500 of these vehicles being driven through the streets of Benidorm, from the usual single ones, to the double scooters for couples now being hit by the ban.
One owner of a mobility scooter rental shop, interviewed on Spanish news channel RTVE said that he has seen an uptick in mobility scooters in the resort town since 2008, due to the British TV show ‘Benidorm’ in which one of the main characters rode around in her vehicle all the time and used it for everything she did.
This isn’t the first time that Benidorm has had problems with these types of vehicles and there are already a set of regulations in place. Back in 2019, authorities introduced a set of general rules for personalised mobility vehicles.
Then in 2022, Benidorm’s Department of Mobility, together with the local police, stepped up control, specifically for seniors using mobility scooters and established that the rental of these self-propelled wheelchairs is limited to people with proven mobility problems, with disabilities or who are over 55 years of age.
They also introduced fines for anyone who fails to comply with these rules or for improper usage, which can reach up to €500.
Now the update rules in 2026 also ban the popular double scooter.
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