e-bikes have sparked debate around the country over their lack of regulation. Photo: Sandu Herta.
The NSW Minns Government is introducing a minimum age to ride an e-bike in the state as part of a staged reform process with the goal of improving rider, pedestrian and community safety.
NSW will adopt the European safety and performance standard, which ensures that e-bikes perform like bicycles, hoping to mitigate the effects of high-powered e-bikes that operate like motorbikes.
There are about 760,000 e-bikes in NSW, and while they have enabled greater mobility for some, there is a clear need for more consistent rulings around their safe use.
Under current laws, a child of any age can use an e-bike, and riders can even carry passengers if the bike’s design allows.
A review led by Transport for NSW will recommend a legal minimum age of between 12 and 16 for riding an e-bike. A key consideration is whether children and teenagers have the required skills, maturity and situational awareness of danger to carry passengers.
“I acknowledge the concern in the community about groups of teens piling onto fatbikes — often three to a bike — and sometimes breaking simple road rules,” Minister for Transport John Graham said.
“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.”
The review will include consultation with child development experts and road safety specialists, including the NSW Office for Youth and Young People. There will also be consultation with parents and young people before a decision is made on the age minimum.
The findings will be given to the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Roads by June.
These reforms are part of the NSW Government’s suite of changes, which includes:
- A trial of portable units to measure e-bike speed for roadside compliance checks.
- New police powers to seize and destroy illegal e-bikes.
- Undoing the former Liberal government’s 2023 decision to allow 500-watt e-bikes on NSW roads.
- New standards for lithium-ion batteries to reduce the risk of fires associated with e-bikes and e-scooters.
Under the to-be-adopted EU safety standard, e-bikes must operate with a maximum power output of 250 watts and power assistance must cease at 25 km/h. No power assistance can be provided after 6 km/h if not pedalling the bike.
“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,” Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said.
“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.”
To pre-empt the possibility of illegal alterations, the government will adopt European standards of anti-tampering protection. Western Australia also requires these standards.
Recognising that many e-bikes fitting these newly non-compliant descriptions were purchased when legal, a three-year transition period will apply.
The change will come into full effect on 1 March, 2029, when only e-bikes meeting the new standard will be road legal in NSW.
This three-year period reflects the average lifespan of an e-bike and gives households and businesses time to adjust to the changes.
