The Ballarat teenager was arrested about 1.40am after leading police on a 75-kilometre chase around the city in a stolen Magna sedan.

He sustained minor injuries to his head and arms after colliding with two police cars and coming to a stop near a tree in Kent St, Redan.

No police officers were injured, but two Ballarat Traffic Management police cars sustained extensive damage.

Ballarat TMU Sergeant Ross Humphrey said police would interview the teenager as part of further inquiries and it was expected he would be charged "in the near future".

"It appears he might have been avoiding the booze bus, we later ascertained the vehicle was stolen," Sgt Humphrey said.

He added police were unaware the driver was underage until after he was caught.

He said speeds were generally not excessive during the chase, but at one point reached 150km/h.

Sgt Humphrey said police tried to maintain a safe distance during the pursuit.

The chase began after the driver turned into Little Bridge St in Ballarat's centre about 12.35am yesterday.

Near a booze bus, the driver reversed the car against traffic and continued along Peel St.

Senior constables Randall Smith and David Morton pursued, and with other units followed the 1994 blue Magna out of Ballarat on the Ross Creek Rd and the Glenelg Hwy.

Sgt Humphrey and Snr Const Brad Fisher were also in pursuit, as was a Ballarat police divisional van.

"On the way out we backed off to give him a number of opportunities to stop," Sgt Humphrey explained.

"He was travelling under the speed limit on the way out and most of the way back."

Sgt Humphrey said police believed they could stop the driver at the Cape Clear turnoff, but the plan failed when he did a U-turn over traffic islands and returned to Ballarat.

Police vehicles were placed at strategic points along the highway and in town to protect traffic and show the driver their presence.

The first collision occurred when Snr Const Smith positioned his vehicle to block the driver in Kent St, near the corner of Cromwell St.

"He's actually rammed (Snr Const) Randall's (Smith) unit," Sgt Humphrey said.

"In the process he spun around ... 180 degrees."

The driver then crashed head-on into Sgt Humphrey's black unmarked sedan, leaving the front badly damaged. The driver then drove off, only to return to Kent St when he again crashed into the police cars.

Sgt Humphrey said the driver came to a stop when he got stuck next to a tree about 1.30am.

He was arrested and taken to hospital for observation.