An investigation is presented on the use of the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) in nonaqueous media, namely pure ethanol and ethanol saturated with NaCl. The SVET was able to measure the ionic currents flowing in the liquid phase between anodes and cathodes in electrochemical systems such as platinum disk electrodes connected to a battery, a zinc-iron galvanic couple, painted galvanised steel with artificial defects and alumina coated cast aluminium alloy. The results show the applicability of the technique in non-aqueous highly resistive medium. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.