New South Wales & E-Bike Laws
Official 2026 guide to e-bike regulations, compliance requirements and penalties in New South Wales.
Max Power
250W
Speed Cut
25 km/h
Standard
EN 15194
Penalty
Seizure
The Real Risk
15+ Australians died in e-mobility incidents in 2025 (NRMA). A University of Melbourne study identified 37 fatal e-scooter incidents nationally between 2020 and 2025 — more than one in three involved a child under 18. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's first national report found hospitalisations for falls involving powered scooters nearly tripled between 2019–20 and 2024–25 (4,089 in 2024–25), with the rate for boys aged 12–15 up 15-fold (AIHW; hospital data can't yet separate e-scooters from other powered scooters). Emergency department physicians nationwide report treating preventable injuries from non-compliant e-bikes — head trauma, broken bones, missing teeth, and fatalities — prompting the AMA to call weakened state laws a "shocking disregard for safety."
4 deaths, 233 injuries (2025)
Transport for NSW data reported 4 e-bike-related deaths and 233 injuries in the first seven months of 2025 — a 77% rise on the 226 injuries recorded across all of 2024, when there were no deaths at all.
SourceThese are the outcomes this page exists to help New South Wales riders and parents avoid — not just fines.
Key Regulatory Dates
1 Nov 2025
DIY-converted e-bikes banned from trains and Metro. Regular pedal bikes fitted with aftermarket batteries and motors — a known fire risk from poor-quality wiring and second-hand batteries — can no longer be carried in fare-paid areas of Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink and Metro. Factory-built e-bikes and shared e-bikes are unaffected. Penalty: $400–$1,100.
1 Feb 2026
All new e-bikes sold in NSW must carry a Fair Trading Certificate of Approval and mandatory safety marking.
1 Mar 2026
Road-use power limit drops from 500 W → 250 W. Owners who bought a 500 W bike before this date get a grace period until 1 Mar 2029.
24 Mar 2026
Road Transport Amendment (Non-registrable Motor Vehicles) Bill 2026 introduced to NSW Parliament, giving police and Transport Authorised Officers power to seize and crush illegal e-bikes.
14 Aug 2026
Australian-first shared e-bike scheme laws. Shared/dockless e-bike operators must now get approval from Transport for NSW and authorisation from councils before deploying, meeting state-wide minimum standards for insurance, helmets, device standards, device ID, and trip/incident/complaint data. Penalties up to $55,000 plus $5,500/day for ongoing non-compliance, including failing to remove e-bikes from inappropriate locations.
21 Aug 2026
Seize-and-crush powers commence. NSW Police and Transport Authorised Officers can now seize any non-registrable e-bike used on a road or road-related area in the past 28 days that fails the 250 W / 25 km/h test. An owner who wasn't riding and didn't know or agree to the illegal use can appeal within 14 days of seizure; otherwise the bike is forfeited to the Crown after 15 days.
1 Mar 2029
Grace period ends. All e-bikes on public roads must meet the EN 15194 standard. No exceptions.
The Compliance Sticker Rule
Every new e-bike sold for use on New South Wales roads or shared paths must be an EPAC (Electrically Power Assisted Cycle). Legality is determined by the manufacturer's label and certified power output.
Sticker Rating ≤ 250W
Legal for road use. Motor assistance must cut out at 25 km/h.
Sticker Rating > 250W
Classified as a Motorcycle. Illegal for unlicensed riders.
Grace Period
If you owned a 500 W e-bike before 1 March 2026, you may continue riding it on NSW roads until 1 March 2029. After that date, all bikes must be EN 15194-compliant and ≤ 250 W — no exceptions.
EN 15194 Mandatory From 1 Mar 2029
EN 15194 certification required on all new bikes sold from Feb 2026. Mandatory for ALL road use from 1 March 2029.
Seizure & Retailer Accountability
Under the Road Transport Amendment (Non-registrable Motor Vehicles) Act 2026, Under the Road Transport Amendment (Non-registrable Motor Vehicles) Act 2026 (amending the Road Transport Act 2013), non-compliant bikes can be seized and crushed. NSW Police use portable Dyno Units to test whether motor power cuts out at 25 km/h — if it doesn't, the bike is illegal.
Report Unsafe Riding or an Illegal E-Bike
In immediate danger, call 000.
Unsafe or illegal riding — non-emergency
Call 131 444 to report a suspected illegal or dangerously ridden e-bike.
Prefer to stay anonymous?
Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 — a national, anonymous tip line for reporting a pattern of illegal riding or sales.
Retailer selling non-compliant e-bikes?
Report it to your state's fair trading / consumer affairs body — 13 32 20.
NSW Fair Trading — general complaint formEnforcement & News
22 More Illegal E-Bikes Seized Across Southern Sydney and the Illawarra
NSW Police and Transport for NSW ran a six-hour joint operation (2pm–8pm, Friday 16 Oct) across Cronulla, Wollongong and Shellharbour, seizing 22 non-compliant e-bikes, issuing 9 penalty notices and 4 cautions. One seized bike had been modified to travel at 50 km/h and several others to over 40 km/h. Police described it as the second operation since the new seizure laws took effect; Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander Assistant Commissioner David Driver warned that illegal or modified e-bikes may be seized, assessed and destroyed. During the operation a senior constable suffered a serious leg injury when allegedly struck by a rider who fled on an e-bike at Shell Cove; the officer was in a stable condition in hospital.
23 of the Northern Beaches E-Bikes Crushed; St Vincent's Reports 22% Rise in Injuries
NSW Police and Transport for NSW followed through on Operation E-Voltage, destroying 23 of the 36 high-powered e-bikes seized on the Northern Beaches in September — among them a bike capable of exceeding 90 km/h and others with overridden speed limiters. In the same report, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney said e-bike-related injury presentations rose 22% from January–July 2026 versus the same period in 2025, with 42% of those cases serious enough to require a trauma response.
Broadcaster Margaret Throsby Injured, Calls for Stricter Under-Age E-Bike Laws
Former ABC Classic presenter Margaret Throsby, 84, suffered a broken hip, broken thumb and head injuries after being struck by a large "fat bike" e-bike ridden by two teenage boys in the Illawarra. The riders apologised and stayed with her until emergency services arrived. Throsby has since called for stricter legislation on e-bike use by children, describing it as "civically irresponsible" to allow unlicensed minors to ride heavy, fast e-bikes.
Operation E-Voltage — 36 Illegal E-Bikes Seized on Northern Beaches
NSW Police, Transport for NSW and the Bike Coordination and Training Unit ran a joint operation across Manly, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Warriewood and Avalon Beach, using drones to track riders and set up checkpoints. Result: 36 non-compliant e-bikes seized for destruction, 16 penalty notices and 46 caution notices (helmet and mobile phone offences). One e-bike seized from a 14-year-old at Warriewood was allegedly capable of exceeding 90 km/h. Owners have two weeks to appeal before their bikes are crushed.
Tweed Shire Enforcement Blitz
NSW Police and Transport for NSW ran a paired blitz in Tweed Shire: one week of pop-up education stalls, followed by one week of active fines. Fines issued: $410 (no helmet) · $136 (adult footpath riding) · from $723 (illegal modifications). This model is being rolled out to other known hotspot corridors.
Operation Cyclesafe — 35 E-Bikes Crushed in Tweed/Byron, 23 More Before the Courts
Following almost a year of targeted enforcement under Operation Cyclesafe, Tweed/Byron Police District had 35 confiscated e-bikes destroyed — batteries removed, then dismantled at a waste management facility. Forfeiture applications for a further 23 e-bikes remained before the courts. Most bikes were confiscated over excessive speed, irresponsible behaviour and unsafe riding; officers engaged with hundreds of e-bike riders across the region during the operation.
Roadside Dyno Units Deployed
3 portable dynamometer units — funded at $100,000 from the Community Road Safety Fund — are trialling roadside testing at known illegal e-bike hotspots. Units verify whether the motor cuts out at 25 km/h. The NRMA has noted 3 units is insufficient for the scale of the problem. The approach is modelled on WA's Operation Moorhead (Jan 2026), which ultimately seized 76 e-rideables and charged 76 offenders — 61 juveniles and 15 adults — across 183 offences in Perth.
Northern Beaches "Know the Code" Campaign
Australia's first behavioural-change e-bike safety campaign, targeting teenage riders and parents. Delivered via 60 signage locations, school posters, social media, and partnerships with Bicycle NSW and local police. Council reports a reduction in complaints. Important limitation: councils have no enforcement power — education only. Northern Beaches Council has formally lobbied the NSW Government for enforcement powers to be transferred to councils.
MEDICAL COMMUNITY RAISES NATIONAL E-BIKE SAFETY CONCERNS
AMA Queensland formally criticised weakened state e-mobility laws as a "shocking disregard for safety," warning that insufficient age restrictions put children at risk nationally. Emergency department physicians across Australia report treating preventable injuries — head trauma, broken bones, missing teeth, and fatalities. The AMA has called on all state and federal governments to enact evidence-based safety legislation rather than yielding to industry and lobby pressure.
ONLINE SELLERS CAUGHT USING FAKE COMPLIANCE STICKERS
ABC News revealed online and overseas e-bike sellers were applying fake compliance stickers to high-powered, non-compliant bikes to help buyers evade police detection. The federal government reintroduced the EN 15194 national standard in late 2025 so certified bikes are verifiably safe and legal — but a genuine-looking sticker alone doesn't guarantee a bike is actually compliant. The government has flagged possible changes to national consumer law, including mandatory safety standards and bans on unsafe products.
FEDERAL: EN 15194 IMPORT STANDARD, ACCC FUNDING & NATIONAL STANDARD DIRECTION
From 24 December 2025, the Commonwealth requires EN 15194:2017 (or later) for all e-bikes imported as bicycles — agreed at the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers' Meeting. In May 2026, the Federal Government allocated $6.6 million over three years for the ACCC to develop a mandatory national safety standard covering speed limits, power caps, battery fire safety and consumer labelling. Following the 30 July 2026 Consumer Affairs Ministers' Meeting, the Government formally directed the ACCC to build that standard under the Australian Consumer Law — the same sale rules in every state and territory, drawing "a firm line against high-powered, high-speed devices." No completion date has been announced. NRMA reported at least 15 Australians died in e-mobility incidents in 2025.
Is the bike rated at 250W or less on the manufacturer's label?
Check the frame or near the motor. Bikes sold after 1 Mar 2026 must also carry an EN 15194 mark. All bikes need EN 15194 compliance by 1 Mar 2029.
Penalties at a Glance
Illegal e-bikes classified as motor vehicles
Mandatory CTP insurance required
Criminal record implications
Exceeding 10 km/h on footpaths
Approved helmet mandatory. Flat on-the-spot fine
Is your house at risk?
If an underage rider causes injury on an illegal e-bike, the financial fallout is catastrophic.
01. NO INSURANCE
Home & Contents policies exclude "unregistered motor vehicles." Illegal e-bikes are motorbikes.
02. ASSET SEIZURE
Your family home and personal assets can be seized to pay legal judgments.