Face the facts on SA’s e-scooter and e-bike laws

So, what are the facts?

You must be at least 16 years old to ride an e-scooter in public in SA.
You must wear a helmet. A full-face helmet is recommended.
The speed limit is 10km/h on footpaths/shared paths, and 25km/h on roads or dedicated bikeways.
E-scooters can only be ridden on roads with a speed limit of 50km/h or less (in the bike lane, if present) – or in an active bike lane on 60km/h roads. Where there is no active bike lane on a 60km/h road, riders must ride on the footpath.
You must not ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Carrying passengers is not permitted.

For a full list of e-scooter rules visit the My Licence website.

Only pedal-assisted e-bikes are legal in public areas.
The power assistance must cut out at 25km/h.
The maximum power output can be 250 watts (or 200 watts in some instances).
You must wear a helmet. A full-face helmet is recommended for extra protection.
If you’re buying an e-bike, ask the retailer if it’s legal to be ridden on public roads in South Australia. Be wary of retailers whose bikes may not comply with SA laws or are sold for use on private property only.
E-bikes are not toys – think carefully before you consider buying one for a child.

For more information on e-bikes visit the SA Government website.

Reach out to our road safety team on roadsafety@raa.com.au, or call us on 8202 4517.

Milad Haghani, One in three Australian e-scooter fatalities are children: An emerging paediatric public health, a safety concern and a call for investigating the epidemiology of risk, Safety Science, Volume 191, 2025, 106963,ISSN 0925-7535, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2025.106963.
R.Cockburn, T.Gillen, L.Harvey, and R.Kimble, “Heads Up: A Retrospective Review of Paediatric Trauma Secondary to Electric Scooters at a Tertiary Paediatric Trauma Centre in Queensland,” ANZ Journal of Surgery96, no. 1-2 (2026): 202–208, https://doi.org/10.1111/ans.70393.
Centre for Automotive Safety Research, Adelaide University, Observational Study.