The GPS built for your 50cc scooter
By the Rédaction TacTac · Updated 8 June 2026
Waze and Google Maps send 50cc machines onto banned expressways and work out the wrong arrival times. TacTac plots routes suited to mopeds capped at 45 km/h: only roads you may use, with a realistic travel time.
45 km/h
top speed of a 50cc
0 motorway
expressways excluded
From age 14
with the AM licence
135 to 750 €
fine + impound on a banned road
Why your current GPS does not work on a 50cc
Mainstream GPS apps were designed for cars driving at 90 km/h or more. On a scooter or moped capped at 45 km/h, that causes three concrete problems.
Banned expressways
A 50cc is allowed on neither motorways nor expressways. Yet Waze sends you there as soon as it saves a few minutes, and you end up breaking the law.
Wrong arrival time
The “20 min” shown become 40 min in reality: the estimate is worked out at 90 km/h while you ride at 45. Arriving on time is impossible.
Putting you at risk
Ending up at 45 km/h on a dual carriageway where others drive at 110 is the worst scenario for a two-wheeler. TacTac rules out these roads on principle.
TacTac navigation, tuned to your 50cc
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Routes with no expressway
Motorways, expressways and roads above 70 km/h are excluded by default. You only get roads open to mopeds.
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Realistic ETA at 45 km/h
Travel time is worked out on a real average speed of 40 km/h. You finally know what time you really arrive.
Where are you allowed to ride a 50cc scooter?
A 50cc moped falls under the AM licence and stays capped at 45 km/h. It can use town, secondary and ordinary main roads, but three types of road are closed to it.
- Motorways: banned, no exception.
- Expressways and dual carriageways: banned (car sign on a blue background).
- Roads limited above 70 km/h with no separate lane: best avoided, dangerous for a 45 km/h machine.
The reason is simple: a motorway requires you to hold at least 80 km/h. A 50cc capped at 45 km/h is excluded by default. Riding on a banned road means a fine of 135 € (up to 750 €) and the vehicle being impounded (Sécurité routière). On the other hand, ordinary main and secondary roads remain allowed.
Watch out for the trap of 110 km/h dual carriageways: they are not always motorways, but most often impose the same bans. And access can vary from one stretch to the next under a local prefectoral order, shown by a sign. Keeping it all in your head is impossible, and that is exactly what TacTac’s automatic filtering handles for you.
These rules are the same as for a license-free car: that is why TacTac applies the same routing engine capped at 45 km/h, whether you ride a moped or a microcar.
A 50cc scooter without a suitable GPS is dangerous
The danger of a 50cc does not come from the engine, capped at 45 km/h. It comes from two things: no bodywork, and the risk of ending up on a dual carriageway where traffic flies past at 90-110 km/h. It is almost always a standard GPS that sends you there, looking for the “fastest” route without knowing the roads banned to mopeds.
According to the ONISR, powered two-wheelers (including 50cc machines) account for 23% of road deaths for less than 2% of traffic. In 2022, 124 moped riders lost their lives in France. The speed differential on a dual carriageway is the number-one aggravating factor.
TacTac cuts this risk at the source: by excluding expressways and motorways by default, your trip (or your teenager’s) stays on roads open to the 50cc. Voice guidance also avoids taking your eyes off the road to look at the screen.
Compatible with your scooter
TacTac does not depend on the brand: any 50cc moped capped at 45 km/h benefits from the same suitable routing. Peugeot, Piaggio, MBK, Yamaha, Kymco, SYM and the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a GPS designed for 50cc scooters?
Yes. TacTac works out routes suited to two-wheelers capped at 45 km/h. It automatically excludes the motorways, expressways and dual carriageways banned to mopeds, where Waze and Google Maps send you without warning.
Where can you ride a 50cc scooter?
A 50cc scooter can use town, secondary and ordinary main roads, as well as the city (outside reserved lanes). Banned to it are: motorways, expressways and most 110 km/h dual carriageways, plus some ring roads and bypasses. The basic rule: if the road requires you to hold at least 80 km/h, the 50cc has no place there.
Can a 50cc scooter or moped ride on a dual carriageway or a motorway?
No. Mopeds (engine up to 50 cm³, speed limited to 45 km/h) are banned on motorways, expressways and most 110 km/h dual carriageways. A nuance: a few dual carriageways may be open or closed to mopeds under a local prefectoral order, shown by a sign. When in doubt, TacTac filters out these roads to keep only safe and allowed ones.
How fast does a 50cc go?
A 50cc scooter or moped is capped at 45 km/h by law. That is the speed TacTac uses to work out a realistic travel time, unlike standard GPS apps that count on 90 to 130 km/h.
What licence do you need to ride a 50cc scooter?
The AM licence (formerly the BSR) is required from age 14 for people born after 1 January 1988. It allows you to ride a 50cc moped as well as a license-free microcar, within the 45 km/h limit.
Why is Waze unsuitable for a 50cc scooter?
Waze and Google Maps ignore the 45 km/h limit and the list of roads banned to mopeds. They work out a route and an arrival time based on a car going at 90 km/h, which leads to trips that are wrong and sometimes illegal for a 50cc.
To go further: the license-free car GPS, safety in a license-free car and scooter, the AM licence explained and our routes with no motorway.
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