Open question · asked every run
Your own e-scooter: road or pavement?
The right answer Neither: in England it's against the law to ride your own e-scooter on a public road or pavement.
Checked against GOV.UK on Mon 12 Oct 2026
17 of 18 tries right in run 1 six apps · three tries each · Sat 3 Oct 2026
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Copilot
- Gemini
- Grok
- Perplexity
Every answer that came back was right.
- ChatGPT: 3 of 3 right
- Claude: 3 of 3 right
- Copilot: 3 of 3 right
- Gemini: 3 of 3 right
- Grok: 2 of 3 right
- Perplexity: 3 of 3 right
Our view
The whole thing turns on one word, hired: hired e-scooters can use some roads in trial areas, while your own isn't allowed on a public road or a pavement at all.
Tip: Tell it the scooter is yours. Leave that out and you may get the rules for the hired ones.
dixon.ai, after run 1, Sat 3 Oct 2026
The official line
“The rules for private electric scooters have not changed. It is against the law to use a privately owned electric scooter on public land.”
“You must not use an e-scooter on the pavement.”
Last read by us on Mon 12 Oct 2026. We read it before and after every run, and the key follows the page.
What we asked, word for word
I've just bought my own e-scooter (a stand-up electric kick scooter). Am I allowed to ride it on the road or on the pavement in England?
The same words to all six apps, three times each, in fresh chats, with no follow-up. This question is open: its wording, every answer and the key are published every run.
Why this one can trip an AI
Hired e-scooters are allowed on some roads, in official trial areas, and the rules for them sit on the same GOV.UK page as the rule for your own. An answer that blends the two waves you out onto the road.
The law could change, too. If it does, this question shows which apps notice on the day and which announce it early.
“You can use a rental e-scooter on the road (except motorways) and in cycle lanes in an official trial area.”
One answer, as captured: ChatGPT, run 1, try 2
Run 1 · Sat 3 Oct 2026
What each app said, in its own words
17 of 18 tries right. The other one, Grok's, came back empty (its own error message).
The pilot: the apps were on the plans we had that day, shown by each name. From run 2, every app is on its free plan.
-
Public roads: You cannot legally ride your privately owned e-scooter on a public road. ... Pavements/footways: You cannot ride it on the pavement either.
ChatGPT, try 1, as captured -
Short answer: no, not yet. In England a privately owned e-scooter can't legally be ridden on the road, the pavement, or in cycle lanes.
Claude, try 1, as captured -
You cannot legally ride it on a public road. ... You cannot legally ride it on a pavement.
Copilot, try 1, as captured -
No. It is illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on public roads, pavements, cycle lanes, or in public parks in England.
Gemini, try 1, as captured -
No, you are not legally allowed to ride a privately owned e-scooter (also called an electric kick scooter) on public roads, pavements, cycle lanes, parks, or any other public places in England.
Grok, try 2, as captured -
Short answer: In England, you cannot legally ride a privately owned stand‑up e‑scooter on public roads or pavements.
Perplexity, try 1, as captured
Asking an AI something like this?
- Say which one you mean: your own scooter or a hired one. The answer flips.
- Ask what the law is today. A promised change isn't the law until the day it starts.
- Look for GOV.UK among the sources. For a rule about English roads, that's the page that settles it.
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