Why is the e-scooter speed limit 25 km/h?
Australia's 25 km/h e-scooter speed cap isn't an arbitrary round number. It came out of a formal National Transport Commission review that weighed rider mobility against pedestrian safety risk, and 25 km/h is where the commission's own analysis landed as the best trade-off, not the safest option on paper.
Last reviewed 16 Jul 2026
Man wearing a helmet riding an electric scooter past a glass office building. Photo for illustration.
Key points
- The National Transport Commission (NTC) developed the national model rules most Australian states and territories used as the basis for their 25 km/h personal mobility device (PMD) cap.
- The NTC's own decision paper is explicit: 25 km/h on shared paths delivers the highest net benefit once mobility, commercial access and congestion reduction are weighed against safety risk, not the lowest risk figure available.
- States and territories still legislate and enforce their own rules, so lower speed limits near pedestrians (commonly 10 to 12 km/h) sit underneath the national 25 km/h ceiling in several jurisdictions.
- A scooter capable of more than 25 km/h isn't illegal to own, but it's a private land device everywhere in Australia, not a legal-class PMD.
Where the number comes from
The 25 km/h ceiling traces back to National Transport Commission work on barriers to the safe use of personal mobility devices, published as a formal decision regulation impact statement. The NTC's role is to develop nationally consistent model road rules that individual states and territories can adopt, adapt or ignore, it doesn't have direct legislative power itself. Most Australian jurisdictions ended up landing on the same 25 km/h top speed for PMDs on shared paths, separated paths and bicycle paths, largely following that national model.
Why 25, not 20 or 30
The genuinely interesting part of the NTC's own analysis is that it doesn't claim 25 km/h is the safest possible option. The commission's decision paper is explicit that permitting PMDs up to 25 km/h on pedestrian paths carries the highest safety risk among the speed options it assessed, not the lowest. It was chosen because the NTC judged the combined benefit, rider mobility, commercial delivery and hire scheme opportunities, and reduced car and public transport congestion, outweighed the incremental safety cost compared to a lower cap. It's a policy trade-off between access and risk, not a number derived purely from stopping distances or reaction times.
Why it isn't the only number that matters
The 25 km/h figure is a ceiling, not the speed you're meant to travel at in every situation. Most states layer lower limits underneath it: shared paths and around pedestrians commonly drop to 10 or 12 km/h, and some local government areas set their own lower limits again on top of the state rule. Queensland, for example, introduced a 12 km/h limit on footpaths and when passing pedestrians on shared paths from 1 July 2026, on top of the existing 25 km/h device cap, see our coverage of QLD's new e-scooter laws. The 25 km/h figure tells you the maximum a legal-class device is allowed to reach, it doesn't tell you the speed that's appropriate on a crowded shared path.
What it means for buying a scooter
If you're shopping for a scooter to ride on public paths in Australia, 25 km/h (or a device that can be limited to it) is the number that matters, see our guide to how to limit your e-scooter to 25 km/h if you've bought or are considering a faster model. Scooters built for higher top speeds, commonly 40 to 70 km/h in ScootFinder's own catalogue, aren't illegal to purchase, but they're private land devices in every Australian state and territory, regardless of how fast they can technically go. For the full breakdown of what's legal where, see are electric scooters legal in Australia.
The NTC's own paper says the quiet part out loud: 25 km/h on shared paths is the highest safety risk of the options it assessed, it was chosen because the mobility and economic benefits were judged to outweigh that risk, not because it's the safest number available.
Frequently asked questions
Who set the 25 km/h e-scooter speed limit in Australia?
The National Transport Commission developed the national model rules that most states based their limit on, though each state and territory ultimately legislates and enforces its own road rules.
Is 25 km/h the same limit in every state?
The top speed cap is consistently 25 km/h nationally, but the lower speed limits on footpaths and around pedestrians differ by state.
Why not a higher or lower speed limit?
The NTC's own analysis found 25 km/h carried the highest net benefit weighing mobility and commercial access against safety risk, a policy trade-off rather than a single technical figure.
What happens if my e-scooter can go faster than 25 km/h?
It's still legal to own, but it's a private land device in every state, not a legal-class personal mobility device. Riding it publicly can attract fines and, in Queensland from mid 2026, seizure.
Sources
- National Transport Commission: Barriers to the safe use of personal mobility devices (checked 16 Jul 2026)
- SA Government My Licence: Personal Mobility Devices (checked 16 Jul 2026)
- Queensland Government StreetSmarts: E-scooters, e-skateboards and e-unicycles (checked 16 Jul 2026)