Major Irish retailer pulls e-scooters from shelves amid growing safety concerns

Decathlon Ireland has announced that it is removing all e-scooters from sale across its Irish website, including products sold directly by Decathlon and those offered by third party Marketplace sellers, as part of its commitment to customer safety and compliance with Irish legislation.

The retailer says it will continue to actively monitor its website to ensure any listings that may inadvertently appear are removed promptly.

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A Decathlon spokesperson has said:

"Customer safety is our priority. As part of our commitment to responsible retailing and compliance with Irish legislation, we have begun removing all e-scooters from sale on our Irish website, including those offered by third party Marketplace sellers.

“We are working closely with our Marketplace partners to ensure all listings are removed and will continue to closely monitor our platform so that any products that may inadvertently appear are removed without delay.

“We remain committed to providing customers with products that meet the highest standards of safety and regulatory compliance."

Decathlon Ireland added that it remains committed to supporting safe and responsible mobility and will continue to review its product offering in line with evolving legislation and customer needs.

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of e-scooter safety in Ireland as the Government is preparing tougher regulations including mandatory helmets, high-visibility clothing and an under-18 ban following a rise in injuries and a number of road deaths involving e-scooter users.

Children's Health Ireland has also recorded over 1,000 emergency department attendances related to e-scooter incidents between January 2021 and August 2025, with doctors warning that one to two children are currently presenting to emergency departments every day with e-scooter-related injuries.

Fatalities have also become a growing concern as Garda road policing figures show three e-scooter or e-bike users have died since the beginning of 2026, with Gardaí currently investigating the death of an e-scooter rider following a collision with a car in Co Meath over the weekend.

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Current regulations require riders to be at least 16 years old, prohibit the use of e-scooters on footpaths, and impose a maximum speed limit of 20km/h. E-scooters do not currently require tax, insurance, registration or a driving licence.

However, the Government is now moving to significantly tighten the rules following a rise in serious injuries and several fatalities.

Proposals announced this month would ban e-scooter use by under 18s, make helmets and high-visibility clothing mandatory, and introduce a licensing and registration system later this year.

The Government has also proposed banning the sale of non-compliant scooters and sales to minors while an outright ban has not been ruled out.