The licence exemption that covers many electric two-wheelers does not extend to insurance. Compulsory cover attaches to the vehicle, and the vehicle’s class decides whether it applies.
The rule
Article 56 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety (No. 36/2024/QH15) requires every vehicle owner participating in traffic to hold compulsory civil-liability insurance, with the mechanics set out in Decree 67/2023/NĐ-CP. An electric machine that is legally a motor vehicle — the sub-4 kW electric moped class, or an A1-class electric like the Dat Bike Weaver 200 — sits inside that duty the same way a petrol moped does. Pedal-type electric bicycles are legally non-motorised vehicles, so the motor-vehicle insurance duty does not attach to them; helmet rules still do.
The fine
Under Article 18(2) of Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP, a rider who cannot produce a valid compulsory insurance certificate is fined 200,000–300,000 VND — the same band as other document offences, and the same for mopeds and motorbikes, petrol or electric.
What the cover is — and is not
Compulsory insurance is third-party cover: it compensates people the rider injures and property the rider damages, within the decree’s limits. It does not repair the rider’s own bike and does not pay the rider’s medical costs. On an expensive lithium battery machine, damage to your own pack is exactly what it will not pay for — comprehensive cover, if you want it, is a separate purchase from an insurer.
Renting vs owning
Owners buy and renew the certificate themselves and should carry it when riding. Renters rely on the shop’s fleet cover: check the certificate copy rides with the bike. Nguyen Tu does not provide personal-accident or damage insurance to renters — the vehicle’s compulsory third-party cover is a legal minimum, not personal protection. Riders who want their own medical and theft cover should read the self-insurance guide before choosing a policy.
Information, not legal advice. Verified against the full text of Law 36/2024/QH15 and Decree 168/2024/NĐ-CP on 2026-09-24.