Are e-scooters legal in Victoria?
Yes, legal state-wide, but under Australia's strictest conditions. You need to be 16, wear a helmet, keep to 20 km/h, and stay off footpaths entirely. Since February 2026, private riders must use a class A scooter.
- Footpaths
- No. Footpath riding is banned in Victoria 1
- Which roads
- Only roads signed 60 km/h or less. Bike lanes and shared paths are fine 1
- Your top speed
- 20 km/h everywhere you can ride 1
- Minimum age
- 16 1
- Helmet
- Required, and the fine is double the one for bicycles 1
- Licence & rego
- Neither is required. A standing Order takes e-scooters out of both rules, though the drink-riding offences still apply 7
- Passengers
- Banned. The rider AND the passenger both commit offences 1
- Your device
- Private riders can use class A only: 2 wheels, 45 kg or less, and a top speed of 25 km/h 1
E-scooters are legal across Victoria, where the official term is electric scooter. Victoria pairs that permission with the harshest conditions in the country, and it changes the rules more often than anyone else. 1 The latest change, in February 2026, created a class system most riders haven’t heard of yet.
What kind of e-scooter can you legally ride in Victoria?
Since 18 February 2026, “electric scooter” means a class A, B or C device, and private riders may only ride class A. That means two wheels, a footboard, handlebar steering, up to 45 kg empty, and a top speed of 25 km/h. 1
Dictionary — class A electric scooter What private riders may ride (class A) Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) 1
class A electric scooter means a vehicle that— (a) is designed for use by one person; and (b) transports a person while the person is— (i) standing on the vehicle; or (ii) sitting on a seat that is structurally part of the vehicle or purposely built for and correctly installed on the vehicle; and (c) has 2 wheels (one in front of the other); and (d) has a footboard between the front and rear wheels; and (e) is steered by means of a handlebar; and (f) has an unladen mass not exceeding 45 kilograms; and (g) has a maximum speed capability of 25 kilometres per hour when ridden on level ground; and (h) can be propelled by both of the following— (i) one or more electric motors; (ii) a person pushing one foot against the ground;
Class B scooters are heavier, up to 60 kg. Class C ones have three or more wheels. Both are legal only inside an approved sharing scheme, so riding either one privately is a court matter with a maximum penalty over $2,000. 1
The practical test for your own scooter is weight and wheels. Two wheels and under 45 kg empty puts you in class A, which is the only class a private rider may use. Heavier than that, or a third wheel, and it doesn’t matter that the shop sold it to you — it isn’t a scooter you may ride on Victorian roads or paths.
r 262J Class B and C: hire schemes only Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) 1
(1) A person must not ride a class B electric scooter on a road or road related area unless the person does so under a vehicle sharing scheme. Penalty: 10 penalty units. (2) A person must not ride a class C electric scooter on a road or road related area unless the person does so under a vehicle sharing scheme. Penalty: 10 penalty units.
A scooter capable of more than 25 km/h isn’t an electric scooter at all. Ride it in public and it counts as an unregistered motor vehicle, with a $1,046 fine. 4
Can you ride an e-scooter on the footpath in Victoria?
No. Victoria bans footpath riding outright, unlike Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the ACT. 1
r 262C The footpath ban Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) 1
A rider of an electric scooter must not ride the electric scooter on a footpath other than a separated footpath or a shared path where permitted in the Rules. Penalty: 5 penalty units.
You can ride on roads with a speed limit up to 60 km/h, using a bicycle lane where there is one. You can also use shared paths and bicycle paths, keeping left and giving way to pedestrians. Stay off the pedestrian side of separated footpaths, off freeways, and off pedestrian crossings. 1
r 262D(1) Roads over 60 km/h banned Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) 1
A rider of an electric scooter must not ride the electric scooter on a road on which the speed-limit is greater than 60 kilometres per hour. Penalty: 5 penalty units.
How fast, how old, and what gear in Victoria?
The riding limit is 20 km/h everywhere, which is deliberately lower than the 25 km/h the scooter itself can do. 1
r 262G The 20 km/h riding limit Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) 1
A rider of an electric scooter must not ride the electric scooter on a road or road related area, where permitted in the Rules, at a speed over 20 kilometres per hour. Penalty: 3 penalty units.
Riders have to be 16 or older, down from 18 since April 2023. 1
r 262F Minimum age Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) 1
A person who is under 16 years of age must not ride an electric scooter on a road or road related area. Penalty: 5 penalty units.
A securely fitted approved bicycle helmet is compulsory, and Victoria makes its point clearly. The e-scooter helmet penalty is double the one for a bicycle. 1
Can you carry a passenger or use your phone on an e-scooter in Victoria?
No passengers. Since October 2024 a passenger commits their own offence just by being on the scooter, and it’s worse without a helmet. 1
Touching or operating a phone while riding is a $627 fine. 2 Drinking alcohol while riding is its own offence, and the general drink- and drug-driving rules are enforced against riders. Victoria Police applies the 0.05 limit on compliant scooters and zero on non-compliant ones, with licence consequences that reach your car licence. 5
Do you need a licence or registration for an e-scooter in Victoria?
No, and we can point you at the actual instrument. A standing Order in Council, in operation since 1 July 2024, declares an electric scooter not to be a motor vehicle for almost all of the Road Safety Act. That switches off the registration and driver-licensing rules for compliant scooters. 7
cl 7 The Order that switches off the rego and licence rules Order in Council declaring certain motor vehicles not to be motor vehicles — electric scooters (Road Safety Act 1986, s 3(2)(b)), Victoria Government Gazette No. S 321, 18 June 2024 7
The Governor in Council, under section 3(2)(b) of the Road Safety Act 1986, declares an electric scooter not to be a motor vehicle for the purposes of all the provisions of the Act other than sections 3AA(1)(a) and (b), 3AD, 3AE, 48, 49, 53, 54, 55, 55A, 55B, 55BA, 55D, 55E, 56, 57, 57A, 57B, 58, 59(1)(b) and (5), 62 and 64A.
The Order keeps e-scooters inside the drink- and drug-riding offences, with section 49 on the list of provisions it does not switch off. That is why police can breath-test you on a scooter, and why a reading can cost you your car licence. 7 Transport Victoria’s guidance says the same. 4
The dollar amounts here are the Schedule 7 penalty units multiplied by the official 2026–27 penalty-unit value of $209.10, rounded to the nearest dollar. Victorian fines re-index every 1 July. 6
What happens if you get pulled over in Victoria?
Victoria’s rules reach further than the fine, and the mechanism is worth understanding because it surprises people.
A standing Order in Council declares an electric scooter not to be a motor vehicle for almost all of the Road Safety Act. That is what switches off registration and licensing. But read the exception list. The Order deliberately keeps e-scooters inside the drink- and drug-riding offences. That is the legal basis for police testing you, and for consequences that can reach your car licence. 7
So the thing to worry about isn’t the $418 helmet fine. It’s that a bad night on a scooter can affect how you get to work. Victoria Police apply the 0.05 limit on compliant scooters and zero on non-compliant ones. 5
The device itself is the other trap. Ride something capable of more than 25 km/h and it isn’t an electric scooter at all. It is an unregistered motor vehicle, at $1,046.
Since February 2026 private riders also have to be on a class A scooter. Class B and C are legal only inside an approved hire scheme, and riding one privately is a court matter above $2,000. 4 1
What it costs to get it wrong
| Offence | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Riding on a footpath (r 262C) | $314 on the spot | 2 |
| Riding on a road over 60 km/h (r 262D) | $366 | 2 |
| Riding under 16 (r 262F) | $314 | 2 |
| Exceeding 20 km/h (r 262G) | $261 | 2 |
| No helmet (r 256) | $418 | 2 |
| Carrying a passenger (r 262H) / being one (r 262HA) | $261 rider · up to $680 for an unhelmeted passenger | 2 |
| Drinking alcohol while riding (r 262I) | $418 | 2 |
| Touching or operating a phone while riding (r 304N) | $627 | 2 |
| Riding a non-compliant (over-25 km/h-capable) scooter in public | $1,046 — treated as an unregistered motor vehicle | 4 |
Common questions
Can you ride an e-scooter on the footpath (sidewalk) in Victoria?
No. Victoria is the strictest state on this. Footpath riding is banned outright, with a $314 on-the-spot fine. You can use shared paths and bicycle paths, and roads up to 60 km/h. 1
Do you have to wear a helmet on an e-scooter in Victoria?
Yes, and Victoria doubled the penalty for e-scooter riders in October 2024. The fine is $418, twice what a cyclist pays. There are exemptions for a medical certificate and for religious headdress. 1
How old do you have to be to ride an e-scooter in Victoria?
16. It was 18 during the trial period, and dropped to 16 in April 2023. The fine for riding underage is $314. 1
How fast can you legally ride an e-scooter in Victoria?
20 km/h everywhere you're allowed to ride. That's a limit on how fast you go, which is separate from the rule that the scooter itself can't be capable of more than 25 km/h. 1
What kind of e-scooter can I legally own and ride in Victoria?
Since 18 February 2026, private riders have to use a class A electric scooter. That means two wheels, a footboard, handlebar steering, no more than 45 kg empty, and a top speed of 25 km/h. Heavier class B and three-wheeled class C scooters are legal only inside an approved hire scheme. 1
Do you need a licence or registration for an e-scooter in Victoria?
No. Transport Victoria confirms you need no licence, and compliant scooters aren't registered. Ride a non-compliant scooter in public, meaning one capable of more than 25 km/h, and it counts as an unregistered motor vehicle. That's a $1,046 fine. 4
Can you carry a passenger on an e-scooter in Victoria?
No, and since October 2024 the passenger commits an offence too, not just the rider. The rider's fine is $261. A passenger riding without a helmet faces up to $680. 1
Can you drink and ride an e-scooter in Victoria?
The drink-driving rules are enforced against e-scooter riders. Victoria Police applies the 0.05 limit on compliant scooters, and zero on non-compliant ones. Roadside drug testing applies, and your car licence can be affected. Drinking alcohol while riding is its own offence too, at $407. 5
Every source on this page
The small numbered marks throughout this page point to this list — 1 means source 1 below.
- Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic), rr 262C–262J, 256, 304N, Dictionary
- Road Safety (General) Regulations 2019 (Vic), reg 69A, Sch 7
- Road Safety Act 1986 (Vic), ss 3, 49, 68A
- Transport Victoria — E-scooter road rules
- Victoria Police — Electric powered scooters
- Victorian Treasurer's notice — penalty unit value 2026–27 ($209.10)
- Order in Council declaring certain motor vehicles not to be motor vehicles — electric scooters (Road Safety Act 1986, s 3(2)(b)), Victoria Government Gazette No. S 321, 18 June 2024, cll 4, 7
© State of Victoria. Sourced from the Victorian Legislation website at 27 Aug 2026. For the latest information on Victorian legislation please go to https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version — authorised versions are published at legislation.vic.gov.au.
© State of Victoria. Sourced from the Victorian Legislation website at 9 Oct 2026. For the latest information on Victorian legislation please go to https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version — authorised versions are published at legislation.vic.gov.au.
© State of Victoria. Sourced from gazette.vic.gov.au at 28 Aug 2026. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version.
Other rules for Victoria
- Are e-bikes legal in Victoria? Legal, with conditions
- How high can a fence be in Victoria? Legal, with conditions
- Is it legal to record a conversation in Victoria? Legal, with conditions
- What are the pool fence rules in Victoria? Legal, with conditions
E-scooters rules elsewhere
- Australian Capital Territory Legal, with conditions
- New South Wales Illegal
- Northern Territory Illegal
- Queensland Legal, with conditions
- South Australia Legal, with conditions
- Tasmania Legal, with conditions
- Western Australia Legal, with conditions
Page history
Every change to this page
- 9 Oct 2026
- Cluster re-check against the Victorian register. All extracts, the $209.10 penalty unit (2026–27) and every fine confirmed current; the Road Rules version (026) has not moved. Repointed the Road Safety Act 1986 source to its current in-force version (237, as at 30 September 2026); the earlier version (236) was superseded on 15 April 2026. The quoted sections 3, 49 and 68A are identical in both versions, so no quoted text changed.
- 27 Aug 2026
- First published. Current to the Victorian Road Rules as at 18 February 2026, including the new class A, B and C scooter system.