Electric scooters are now officially legal in all but two states in Australia, but it’s not free rein on the roads. Here’s everything the police can get you for.
Starting from Sunday, July 13, if you’re over the age of 16, you will be permitted to ride e-scooters, e-skateboards, and one-wheelers on public roads, shared paths, and footpaths in South Australia, with New South Wales expected to follow soon.
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The backflip comes after it has been historically outlawed across the state, except for rental e-scooter trials in major cities.
New South Wales is still drafting up legislation for the change, but it’s all confirmed for South Australia. All other states and territories allow the use of e-scooters, except for the Northern Territory, where they are still illegal.
However, with all these changes coming soon, you may want to brush up on the law before you clip your helmet on, as there are significant consequences for breaking the law in this regard.
These are the electric scooter fines currently in place.
Riding while under the influence
Riding an e-scooter while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal in all states and can actually affect your driving record.
In NSW and VIC, you can face a licence suspension and imprisonment for a DUI, but police do not have the power to randomly breath-test you. However, you are subject to a blood or breath test if you end up in the hospital or are involved in a collision that requires investigation.
South Australia and Queensland could also see you land in prison, and your licence could be suspended, while Tasmania is reviewing its penalty system to separate it from your driver’s licence.
The ACT, WA and NT all impose a fine that does not affect your driver’s licence.
For further information on the charges around riding under the influence, you can read our story here.
Reckless and negligent riding
Yes, believe it or not, you can get a fine for reckless or negligent riding while on an electric scooter.
Regardless of whether your item of transportation is registered or not, by definition of the law, you are in control of a vehicle.
ServiceNSW says, “The law provides for penalties for riding a bicycle in a negligent or dangerous manner. Riding a bicycle negligently means riding to endanger the life of yourself or others”. That also covers electric scooters and other forms of two-wheeled transportation.
These sorts of things include colliding with a pedestrian, and you’re deemed at fault, or even colliding with another car.
The fines are court-appointed, but a judge can deem you unfit for the road and suspend or cancel your licence.
In mid-2025, a British tourist was charged with a number of driving offences when she hit and killed a man while riding a rental electric scooter under the influence of alcohol, including “dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm” and “dangerous driving occasioning death”. Set to be a first for Australian law.
Using an unregistered vehicle
While New South Wales is edging towards making personal electric scooters legal, they’re still outlawed, which means you can be fined for riding an unregistered or uninsured vehicle.
By pure legal definition, electric scooters currently fall under the motorcycle category because they have two wheels and are “a vehicle that is built to be propelled by a motor that forms part of the vehicle”.
You are susceptible to a fine of $686 for unregistered vehicles and $686 for being uninsured.
Furthermore, if you are using an electric scooter as a mode of transportation while on a suspended licence in NSW, you could face a disqualification of three to six months and up to six months’ imprisonment.
Other electric scooter fines
Across Australia, there are several fines covered under the Road Rules legislation that may result in a fine but not incur demerit points on your licence.
Riding an electric scooter on a road with a speed limit greater than 50km/h. Not keeping a single-file line, not giving way to pedestrians on a shared path, riding too close to pedestrians, going faster than 20km/h, not wearing a helmet, and even breaking the speed limit are all fineable offences.
These all carry around one to two penalty units, which equates to around $100 to $200 per unit depending on your state.
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