A minimum age to ride an e-bike in NSW is being introduced as part of the Minns Labor Government's measured and staged reforms aimed at improving safety for riders, pedestrians and the wider community.
NSW will also adopt the European safety and performance standard to ensure e-bikes perform like bicycles, and the current crop of high-powered, illegal motorbikes masquerading as e-bikes are removed from the state's roads and footpaths.
There are an estimated 760,000 e-bikes in NSW. The rapid growth has brought new opportunities for people to get around and to keep active, but it's highlighted the need for clearer, more consistent rules to support their safe use.
The former Liberal-National government opened the floodgates to e-bikes with power up to 500-watts without introducing a rules framework.
The reforms being introduced by the Minns Labor Government recognise the law needs to keep pace with the popularity of e-bikes while ensuring families and riders who have already purchased devices are treated fairly.
We believe this approach strikes the right balance: improving safety for riders and the wider community, while preserving e-bikes as an accessible and popular form of everyday transport.
Minimum age
Under current NSW Road Rules, a child of any age can ride an e-bike and bicycle riders of any age can carry passengers if the bike's design allows.
E-bikes are heavier and faster than traditional bicycles, which can increase the force involved in a crash, heighten the risk of serious injury, and make them more difficult to control and manoeuvre.
An expert review led by Transport for NSW will recommend a legal minimum age between 12 and 16 for riding an e-bike in NSW, while also considering whether children and teenagers have the skills, maturity and awareness of potential dangers required to safely carry passengers.
As part of this review there will be consultation with experts in child development and road safety, including the NSW Office for Youth and Young People, and will listen directly to parents and young people before making a final decision on the appropriate age threshold.
Advice and findings will be provided to the Minister for Transport and Minister for Roads by June, with the NSW Government to make a final decision on an age limit and passengers.
Age limit restrictions will build on e-bike reforms already announced by the Minns Labor Government, including:
- New powers for NSW Police to seize and crush illegal e-bikes.
- A trial of portable 'dyno units' to measure e-bike speed in roadside compliance checks.
- Tearing up the former Liberal government's 2023 decision to allow 500-watt e-bikes on NSW roads.
- Introduced new standards for lithium-ion batteries to reduce the risk of fires associated with e-bikes and e-scooters.
NSW will adopt the EU Safety Standard
NSW will adopt the European safety standard (EN15194) in March this year to ensure e-bikes operate like bicycles, and not motorbikes.
Under this standard, e-bikes must have a maximum power output of 250 watts and power assistance must cut out at 25km/h. No power assistance is delivered at all after 6km/h if a rider is not pedalling the bike.
The standard also includes strict battery, electrical and fire-safety requirements, as well as anti-tampering protections to prevent power and speed limits being altered.
NSW will join only Western Australia in requiring this benchmark, giving riders clearer rules and stronger safety protections.
A Practical Transition
Recognising hundreds of thousands of e-bikes currently in use were purchased legally under the former Liberal National Government's 2023 rule change, which increased the allowable power from 250 watts to 500 watts, a three-year transition period will apply.
From 1 March 2029, only e-bikes meeting the European standard will be road legal in NSW.
The three-year period reflects the typical lifespan of an e-bike and provides households, retailers and manufacturers with certainty and time to adjust.
However, after a period of consultation, retailers will be required to clearly specify whether a bike meets the EU standard and is therefore road legal in NSW.
The Government will also work closely with manufacturers to ensure future stock complies with the updated rules.
The reforms provide clarity and certainty: compliant bikes remain legal and accessible; higher-powered devices will need to meet higher regulatory requirements.
This is a staged, practical reform that recognises the reality on our streets while steadily moving toward a safer and more consistent framework for the future.
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
"We want children outdoors and active but keeping them safe is paramount.
"I am concerned that we have primary school-aged children trying to control e-bikes that in some cases are heavier than them.
"I acknowledge the concern in the community about groups of teens piling on to fatbikes - often three to a bike - and sometimes breaking simple road rules. This review has been tasked with investigating whether teens have the ability to safely double their friends and how young is too young to be in the saddle of an electric bike.
"We are increasing the powers of NSW Police to seize and crush illegal e-bikes, and the adoption of the EU standard is part of building a safe and clear framework of rules around this popular form of transport."
"The community has spoken against souped-up motorbikes masquerading as e-bike and this new standard makes clear that e-bikes must perform like bicycles not motorbikes.
"Make no mistake, with more than 750,000 e-bikes on NSW roads, this is a huge challenge to solve, especially after the former Liberal government opened the door to 500-watt e-bikes."
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said:
"Police see firsthand the consequences when powerful e-bikes are misused.
"By introducing sensible age settings and cracking down on illegal, high-powered bikes, we are helping police prevent dangerous behaviour before more people are seriously hurt.
"The vast majority of people do the right thing, and these laws are designed to support them.
"This is about getting the balance right so e-bikes remain a useful transport option without putting the public at risk."
Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
"While there may be some people who would prefer no age restrictions on riders, we believe the safety risks are significant enough that restrictions need to be rolled out.
"We want to make sure riders are physically and cognitively capable to handle e-bikes, so they can be ridden safely within the road rules.
"Age restrictions for young riders will help ensure this can be done and reduce the risk of injury for not just young people but also other road users too.
"We think the risks are significant enough to warrant a change, and now we want to draw on the best evidence and expert advice available to make a call on what the limits could be. As a result, we will make a decision on the age limits after the findings of Transport for NSW's review and recommendations are handed down."
