Who pays when a cyclist or scooter rider is hit, or hits someone?
If a car or motorcycle hits you on a bike or e-scooter, its third-party insurer pays your injuries in full and up to AED 2 million for your property. If you hit someone, Dubai and Abu Dhabi require no policy to cover you. In Dubai, a cyclist who does not report an accident is fined AED 300.
It depends on who hit whom. A motor vehicle’s third-party insurer pays for harm the vehicle causes. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi a cyclist or e-scooter rider who causes harm has no compulsory insurance, and pays unless another policy covers them.
What if a car or motorcycle hits you?
The driver’s third-party insurer pays. The unified policy covers death or injury to any person other than the insured and the driver, up to the amount a court awards, with no upper limit, plus all treatment costs at government and private hospitals.1 It pays up to AED 2,000,000 for damage to property in one accident, which includes your bike or scooter.1 It pays AED 6,770 per injured person to the ambulance service.1 No excess is taken off what you receive.1
If the vehicle was stolen, the insurer still pays you and recovers from the thief.1
What if you hit someone on a bike or e-scooter?
Dubai’s cycle rules do not mention insurance, and Abu Dhabi does not require owners to insure a bicycle or e-scooter.23 Abu Dhabi’s guideline says the user “assumes full responsibility and damage in the event of an accident”.3
| Your situation | What may pay |
|---|---|
| Rented scooter or bike in Abu Dhabi | The operator’s insurance must include third-party liability for users |
| Rented Lime scooter in the UAE | Riders general liability up to AED 2,083,000 per loss, insured with Orient Insurance |
| Your own bike, with home insurance | Possibly the personal liability section. Ask the insurer |
| Your own bike or scooter, no policy | You |
The rental rules are in ADG 28/2024,3 and Lime’s cover is on its UAE certificate.4 GIG Gulf’s Home Comfort table of benefits lists occupier’s personal legal liability up to AED 5,000,000; its wording does not say whether this applies while cycling.5
What must you do after an accident?
Report it. In Dubai a cyclist or e-scooter rider must report any accident causing injury or damage to Dubai Police, the ambulance service or the RTA on their numbers, unless unable to. Not reporting is a AED 300 fine.2 In Abu Dhabi, report any accident or damage to the competent authorities.3
Leaving the scene of an accident that injured someone, without an acceptable excuse, can mean up to two years in prison and a fine under federal law.6
Can you claim if you were partly at fault?
The third-party insurer pays the amount a court awards.1 Riding on a road with a limit above 60 km/h, against traffic or without the required gear breaks Dubai’s cycle rules.2 How that affects an award is a matter for the court.
How motor claims work is on how to claim on your motorcycle insurance.
Photograph the scene, get the driver’s insurer and plate, and report the accident before you leave.
The small print
- The third-party limits are Chapter Two of the unified third-party policy, and recourse against a thief is Chapter Five (10).1
- The reporting duty is Article 6(17) of Resolution No. 13 of 2022 and schedule item 15.2
- Article 38 of Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 sets the penalty for not stopping after an accident with injuries. Its English text gives the maximum fine as “AED 100.000” in figures and “one million” in words. Read the Arabic text for the amount.6
Sources
6
1Central Bank of the UAE Rulebook, The Unified Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy Against Third Party Liability. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: The Unified Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy Against Third Party Liability
2Supreme Legislation Committee, Dubai, Executive Council Resolution No. (13) of 2022 Regulating the Use of Cycles in the Emirate of Dubai. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Executive Council Resolution No. (13) of 2022 Regulating the Use of Cycles in the Emirate of Dubai
3Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, Abu Dhabi Guideline for Safe use of bicycles, electric bicycles, and scooters (ADG 28/2024). Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Abu Dhabi Guideline for Safe use of bicycles, electric bicycles, and scooters (ADG 28/2024)
4Orient Insurance, for Lime, Riders General Liability and Personal Accident Insurances Certificate, UAE. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Riders General Liability and Personal Accident Insurances Certificate, UAE
5GIG Gulf, Home Comfort, Terms and Conditions. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Home Comfort, Terms and Conditions
6UAE Legislation, Federal Decree-Law No. (14) of 2024 On Traffic Regulation. Last checked 12 Nov 2026. Source document: Federal Decree-Law No. (14) of 2024 On Traffic Regulation
- Owner
- Bikeinsurance.ae research team
- Last review
- Next review due
- 11 May 2027
- Status
- Published