E-scooter battery care and fire safety

E-scooters are a genuinely low-risk way to get around when the battery inside them is treated properly. The fires that make the news almost always come back to the same handful of preventable causes, and Australia's fire services have been consistent about what those are.

The scale of it

Fire and Rescue NSW has described lithium-ion batteries as the fastest growing fire risk in the state, recording 193 e-micromobility fires between 2022 and 2025, with the rate still climbing year on year. Western Australia's fire and emergency services recorded 166 lithium battery fires in 2024 alone, its worst year on record, with e-rideables, e-bikes, e-scooters and self-balancing scooters cited as a leading ignition source. This isn't a rare, freak occurrence, it's a known and rising pattern, which is exactly why proper charging and storage habits matter.

What actually causes these fires

According to Fire and Rescue NSW, the common threads are cheap, uncertified or counterfeit batteries, using the wrong charger, modifying a device with mismatched or aftermarket parts, physical damage to the battery, overcharging, and charging or storing devices in unsafe locations such as on beds, sofas or in escape routes. Notably, this is largely about the battery and how it's treated, not an inherent flaw in e-scooters as a category.

A new legal safety net in NSW

Since August 2024, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards, self-balancing scooters and the lithium-ion batteries that power them have been declared electrical articles under NSW's Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017. That means they must comply with mandatory safety standards before they can be legally sold in the state, a requirement enforced from February 2025, with penalties of up to $825,000 for sellers of non-compliant products. If you're buying in NSW, that's an extra layer of protection built into what's legally allowed on shelves, on top of choosing a reputable brand yourself.

Charging and storage, the practical version

Fire and Rescue NSW's guidance boils down to a short, consistent list:

1. Charge in an open, ventilated area like a garage or shed, not a bedroom or living space, and not near an exit.
2. Don't charge overnight while you're asleep, or while you're away from home.
3. Only use the charger that came with your scooter or battery. A mismatched voltage or current can damage the cells and cause overheating.
4. Don't charge or store the battery on a combustible or insulating surface such as a bed, sofa or carpet, and keep it away from flammable materials like bedding, clothing and paper.
5. Avoid direct sun, a hot garage or a parked car, heat accelerates both the everyday wear on a battery and the risk of a fault turning into a fire.
6. Don't keep a damaged, swollen or visibly faulty battery in use, or store it indoors, have it assessed by the manufacturer or an authorised service centre.

See how long e-scooter batteries actually last for how charging habits also affect a battery's everyday lifespan, not just its safety.

Buying with safety in mind

Stick to the manufacturer's own charger and, if you ever need a replacement battery, source it through the manufacturer or an authorised Australian retailer rather than a third party or overseas seller. Every scooter in ScootFinder's verified catalogue is sold through an official Australian distributor with a manufacturer-supplied charger, that's worth checking for any scooter you're considering that isn't.