Electric scooters, bikes and personal mobility devices
If you’ve been charged with an e-mobility offence, significant penalties may apply. You should get legal advice.
When you need legal advice
Get legal advice if you’ve been charged while riding an e-scooter, e-bike or other personal mobility device (PMD) (e.g. e-skateboard or e-unicycle) and need to go to court.
How to get legal advice
Licences for e-bikes, e-scooters and personal mobility devices
If you’re aged 12 to 17 and don’t have a current driver licence, you must be supervised by an adult when riding an e-bike, e-scooter or PMD on a public road or place.
If you have a current driver licence and are aged 16 or 17, you don’t need adult supervision.
If you’re 18 or older, you must hold a current driver licence to ride an e-bike, e-scooter or PMD on a public road or place.
There are limited exceptions when you don’t need a licence, such as for medical reasons.
You can be fined for riding an e-bike, e-scooter or PMD on a public road or place without adult supervision or a driver licence.
In some cases, parents, grandparents or legal guardians of a child under 16 can also be fined the same penalty as a child.
Speed and device limits
E-bikes
E-bikes can only travel up to 25km an hour. You can only ride faster than that by pedalling.
If you’re riding on a footpath, you can only travel up to 12km an hour, unless a sign on the footpath says otherwise.
Police can fine you for travelling faster than these speed limits.
If you don’t follow these rules and you ride your e-bike in a public place, police can seize your device and destroy it.
Electric scooters, skateboards and unicycles
From 28 February 2027, e-scooters, e-skateboards and e-unicycles must not go faster than 25k an hour.
After this date, if your device can go faster than 25km an hour, police may fine you and seize your device.
If you’re riding on a footpath, you can only travel up to 12km an hour, unless a sign on the footpath says otherwise.
You can be fined for travelling faster than these speed limits.
Illegal devices
Police can fine you for riding an illegal device on a public path or road.
Illegal devices include:
- petrol powered bikes
- electric bikes with motors over 250W
- bikes powered by a throttle device only (i.e. you don’t need to pedal).
Alcohol, drugs and riding
Police don’t have to suspect you’re over the speed limit to stop you for a random breath test. They can stop you to test anytime and take a breath sample from you.
You are breaking the law if:
- you don’t give police your name and address
- you refuse a breath test within 3 hours of riding, attempting to ride, or being in charge of a bike or PMD on a public road, area or place.
If you’re 16 or older, it’s against the law to ride a bike, e-scooter, e-bike or PMD on a public road, area or place, while you’re over the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit.
Police may fine you for drink riding if your BAC is above:
- low range - 0.05% (in some cases, you will need to go to court)
- mid-range - 0.10% to 0.14%
- high-range - 0.15% or more.
A BAC of 0.15% or more is proof you’re under the influence of alcohol. Riding under the influence is a more serious charge than being over the low or middle limit.
You may go to jail if found guilty of riding under the influence.
Failing to stop for police
You can be charged with evading police if you don’t stop riding an e-scooter, e-bike or PMD, as soon as reasonably practicable, when asked by police. They may also use their lights and sirens to get you to stop.
If you’re charged for this offence, significant penalties apply. You should get legal advice.
Accidents with PMDs
You must stay until police arrive and help anyone injured when you’re involved in an accident while riding an e-scooter, e-bike or PMD—unless you’re getting medical or other help for yourself or other people.
You may be fined if you don’t stop, give your details, and help arrange medical assistance, if needed by others.
If police come, they may test you for drugs or alcohol and ask questions about what happened.
If you’re involved in an accident, or are a witness, police may want to speak with you. You must tell police:
- who owns the device
- who was riding
- how the accident happened
- details of anyone who can give the police information about any other device, vehicle, person, animal or property involved in the accident.
You may be committing an offence if you don’t give this information to police or if you lie about an accident.
If you have insurance for your e-device, you should let your insurer know about the accident as soon as possible.
How to get legal advice
We may give advice about e-mobility device offences.
Other places to get legal advice:
Who else can help?
Related information
Disclaimer: This content is for general purposes only and not legal advice. If you have a legal problem, please contact us or speak to a lawyer. View our full disclaimer.
- Last updated