Permis PrêtElectric scooters in Quebec: what are the rules?
Age, helmet, speed, which streets and sidewalks, and what drivers must do around an e-scooter.
Short answer: electric scooters and other motorized personal mobility devices (MPMDs) are allowed under a pilot project that has been extended to July 20, 2028. Riders must be at least 14, wear a helmet, stay at or under 25 km/h and keep to roads with a limit of 50 km/h or less, off the sidewalk. Drivers must treat them like cyclists: leave room when passing and yield when turning.
A pilot project, not the Code itself
The Code de la sécurité routière (Quebec’s Highway Safety Code) lets the Minister of Transport authorize pilot projects by order; they override the Code. They last at most three years, and the Minister may extend them by up to two years (s. 633.1). E-scooters fall under the Pilot project concerning the use of motorized personal mobility devices (c. C-24.2, r. 39.1.002), set up in 2023 by order 2023-21. It replaced the two earlier electric-scooter pilot projects, including the one for self-service rentals (ss. 50 and 51).
Order 2026-10 of June 29, 2026 (Gazette officielle, July 3, 2026) amended and extended it: it now ends on July 20, 2028 (amended s. 52). The rules may change after that date.
An MPMD is a vehicle with electric motors only, at least one wheel and no closed cabin: an e-scooter, an electric unicycle, and so on. Motorcycles, mopeds, power-assisted bicycles, motorized mobility aids, motorized toy vehicles and off-highway vehicles are excluded (s. 2). The pilot applies on public roads, on private roads open to public traffic, and in shopping-centre lots and other areas open to the public (s. 3.1).
Rules for riders
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Age | 14 or older, carrying proof of age to show a peace officer on request (s. 16) |
| Helmet | Required: rigid shell, padded inside, chin strap, properly adjusted and fastened (s. 17) |
| Devices with no hand support (e.g. electric unicycle) | Also: elbow pads, knee pads, gloves or other hand or wrist protection, closed shoes (s. 18) |
| Speed | 25 km/h maximum at all times (s. 19.1); the motor must stop driving the device at 25 km/h or less (s. 4) |
| Which roads | Not allowed on a road with a limit above 50 km/h, except to cross it at an intersection, to go through a roundabout between two roads posted 50 km/h or less, or in a cycle lane physically separated from traffic (s. 19) |
| Sidewalk | Not allowed unless necessary or signs permit it; then ride slowly and give pedestrians priority (s. 31, which applies s. 492.1 of the Code) |
| Road position | Like a cyclist: close to the curb or the right side, in the direction of traffic (s. 31; Code, s. 487) |
| Passengers | Not allowed (s. 20) |
| Earphones, phone | No earphones; no phone or screen, except a screen mounted on the device that shows only riding information, or when stopped at the side of the road (ss. 26 to 28) |
| Alcohol, cannabis, drugs | Not allowed while riding, as on a bicycle (s. 31; Code, s. 489) |
| At night | White front light and red rear light, switched on, unless the rider wears a visible light device (ss. 12 and 25) |
| Signs | Obey the signs that apply to cyclists (s. 32). A sign can ban MPMDs from a cycle lane or a street (ss. 33 and 34). |
The device itself must weigh 36 kg or less with its battery (s. 5), have wheels at least 190 mm across (s. 6), a brake on each wheel (s. 7), and white reflectors at the front and red ones at the rear and sides (s. 10). Before turning, riders give the same arm signals as cyclists, or use turn signals if the device has them (s. 24).
By comparison, a power-assisted bicycle (e-bike) is not an MPMD. The Code covers it: riders must be 18 or older, or hold a licence that allows them to drive a moped, and must wear a helmet (Code, s. 492.2).
What drivers need to know
For drivers, the pilot treats an MPMD rider like a cyclist on several points:
- Following and passing. Keep a safe distance behind (Code, s. 335, applied by s. 35). To pass in the same lane, slow down and leave at least 1 m where the limit is 50 km/h or less, or 1.5 m where it is higher; if the next lane isn’t clear, stay behind (Code, s. 341). When it is safe, you may cross a solid line to pass (Code, s. 344; pilot, s. 36).
- Turning at an intersection. Yield to an MPMD rider crossing the road you are turning onto (s. 37).
- Right turn on red. Where it is allowed, yield to an MPMD in the intersection or too close for the turn to be safe (s. 38).
- Turning into private property. Yield to an MPMD travelling on the road (s. 40).
On a shared street or a bicycle boulevard, the passing distance does not apply if there is enough room to pass safely (s. 41). A driver who breaks ss. 35 or 37 to 40 faces a $200 to $300 fine (s. 48). For riders, most offences carry a $100 fine; riding over 25 km/h, or on a device whose motor or weight doesn’t comply, carries $200 (ss. 44, 44.1 and 46).
Key points for the test
- E-scooter: 14 or older, helmet required, 25 km/h maximum.
- Only on roads posted 50 km/h or less, never on the sidewalk unless necessary or signed.
- For drivers it is like a cyclist: 1 m when passing at 50 km/h or less, 1.5 m above that.
- When turning at an intersection, the driver yields to an e-scooter crossing.
- These rules come from a pilot project in force until July 20, 2028.
Original questions with an explanation and a source, “Highway Safety Code” section.
Practise for free
See also
- Free SAAQ practice test: 15 questions
- Passing a cyclist in Quebec: how much distance do you need?
- Dooring in Quebec: when can you open your car door?
- Right turn on red: allowed in Quebec, banned in Montreal?
Official sources
- Pilot project concerning the use of motorized personal mobility devices (CQLR c. C-24.2, r. 39.1.002), ss. 2, 4 to 7, 10, 12, 16 to 20, 24 to 28, 31 to 41, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 51
- Order number 2026-10 of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, June 29, 2026 (French), Gazette officielle du Québec, Part 2, July 3, 2026 (pilot ss. 3.1, 4, 18, 19.1, 44, 44.1, 46 and 52)
- Code de la sécurité routière (Highway Safety Code, CQLR c. C-24.2), ss. 335, 341, 344, 487, 489, 492.1, 492.2 and 633.1
- Government of Québec, “Rules for using electric scooters and other motorized personal mobility devices”, Québec.ca (updated October 20, 2026)
General information page, current as of 2026-10-29. If in doubt, the official text prevails. Rules can change: check saaq.gouv.qc.ca, quebec.ca and legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca.