How Fast Do Lime Scooters Go? A Look At Their Top Speed

Visit major cities worldwide and you're sure to spot a Lime Scooter, the ubiquitous green and white rental scooters designed to get you where you need to be, faster. Lime currently has two scooter models in cities around the world: the Lime-S Electric Scooter and the latest model, the Lime Gen 4.1 E-Scooter, which rolled out in 2021, made by Segway Ninebot, one of the best e-scooter brands. The Lime-S packs a 250-watt motor, while a 350-watt motor powers the Gen 4.1 model. Both have top speeds of around 15 mph. 

That's not to say you'll always get to travel that fast. Congestion aside, some cities may have local laws enforcing lower e-scooter speed limits, so it's always best to check the regulations for your area.

To find out if Lime is available in your city, you can download the app for iOS or Android, or check Google Maps, since Maps added Lime bike and scooter locations to transit options in 2018. Availability of scooters, pricing, and the ability to reserve vehicles varies depending on your location, with Lime currently available in over 280 cities across 30 countries. In the U.S., you'll find Lime scooters in 76 cities, from the South to the Midwest.

Lime Scooters are an easy and convenient way to get around a city, with a range of between 12 and 25 miles, depending on road conditions, the weight of the rider, and the scooter's age (including any wear and tear). They're generally safe to use, provided the rider pays attention to the roads and wears a helmet, but there have been safety concerns in recent years, which has led to many cities imposing e-scooter speed limits. In Washington, D.C., for example, the speed limit for e-scooters is capped at 10mph, one of the lowest speeds in the U.S. 

Lime issued a safety notice in February 2019 which stated that some of its scooters could see their wheels "lock up" when travelling at high speeds. Several riders in Dunedin and Auckland, New Zealand, were injured following issues with scooter brakes, and a 23-year-old man died following an incident involving a Lime scooter. Though there was found to be no fault with the scooter, this contributed to Lime losing its license to operate in both cities, with its scooters withdrawn from the streets by December 6, 2019.

According to Lime, 99.9% of journeys using its scooters are incident-free. Only 93% of reported incidents involved minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises that didn't require medical attention, with only 0.0011% of trips assessed requiring medical attention or hospitalization.