Laws for Electric Scooters in Australia

Adult electric scooters have risen in popularity as a reasonable and sustainable alternative to larger, fossil-fueled forms of transportation. However, they are not legal to use throughout all states in Australia. Follow this guide to learn more about Australian scooter laws – and always research where you’ll be riding to ensure you’re not breaking any rules. 

Where Can You Legally Ride Electric Scooters in Australia?

Electric scooters, privately owned or rental, are street legal (max 50 kph top speed) in Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, and select areas of Australian Capital Territory (ACT). They are generally restricted to a max top speed with some other restrictions by state. Keep reading for specifics on each.

On the other hand, privately owned electric scooters are not street legal in Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and most areas of ACT. Although personally owned scooters are not legal to ride on public roads, you can ride them on private roads. Separately, some regions are running trials, so riding shared scooters is permitted in those areas with some restrictions.

As you’ll find, most of the safety restrictions and guidelines for electric scooters provided by each state in Australia overlap slightly, like the age limit, helmet requirement, and necessity for a bell and lights. With expansion and development of e-scooter trials across the country and the benefit of nearly year-round scooter-riding weather, we hope that Australia will allow a larger range of electric scooters to be used on public and private roads.