What's going on with the new NSW e-bike regulations?

There are three big changes that have been announced recently (two for NSW, and one nationally):

• Electrical certification: From Feb 1st 2026, all e-bikes sold in NSW (or sold into NSW from other states) need to be certified. The same is true for all e-bike batteries and chargers (and also other micromobility devices like scooters and hoverboards).
• EN15194 standard for road use: NSW has announced that they are reducing the maximum power of e-bikes from 500W to 250W, bringing them in line with most other jurisdictions in Australia, as well as the European standard. The maximum speed at which a throttle can operate will be 6km/h (walk-assist), and the motor can't assist over 25km/h. EN15194 also includes the requirement that e-bikes have a height-adjustable saddle.
• Import controls: The Australian government has announced that they will be re-introducing import controls on e-bikes, which will require importers to confirm that the e-bikes they're importing adhere to the European standard EN15194 (or its Australian equivalent). This is a great move, which should eventually result in the disappearance of the unregistered e-motorbikes, none of which meet the standard.

Why are bikes required to be electrically certified?

Lithium battery fires have been increasing in NSW (and around the world) as they become more common in various devices. Phones, laptops, electric cars, power tools - they all use lithium batteries. When a battery is damaged (and can short circuit), or the battery/charger continues to charge the battery even when it's full, "thermal runaway" can result, causing a fire.

NSW Fire and Rescue published a report on 2022/23 battery fires, including a list of the brands implicated (shown below). You won't find any familiar bike brands on this list - it's all cheaper e-bike specific brands, and nothing that we sell at Omafiets.

With increasing numbers of battery fires, the NSW Government decided they had to do something, so they introduced additional certification requirements for e-bikes.

How does certification work?

NSW Fair Trading manages the certification of many electrical items like refrigerators, toasters, and electric blankets. All of them need to be certified before they can be sold by a retailer. This is done by either NSW Fair Trading themselves, or a private certifier who is accredited with NSW Fair Trading. This certifier looks at data that the manufacturer has obtained from a testing lab (most commonly in the country of manufacture). They will assess it against the standards that NSW Fair Trading has mandated, and if it passes they'll give it a certification number (with a three-letter prefix denoting the certifier), which is required to be displayed on the product, like the one below from a Bosch charger:

Rather than look at electrical systems and say "this Bosch electrical system is safe, so any bike that uses it will be electrically safe", NSW Fair Trading has instituted a per-model certification system, so every brand that uses the same Bosch system needs to get each e-bike model certified. This has greatly increased the cost to brands, particularly some of the more established brands that have many different models - each model can cost thousands of dollars to certify.

The testing requirements are extremely strict, and took many established brands (which are used to self-certifying their bikes against the European standard) by surprise. It's arguable whether these additional tests are going to result in safer bikes, given that e-bikes from these quality brands weren't causing fires beforehand.

You can find the list of certified batteries and e-bikes here.

Will electrical certification result in safer e-bikes in NSW?

Maybe.

If you compare the list above of e-bikes that have caused fires with the list of certified bikes, you'll find that most of the e-bike brands that have caused fires have already been certified as "safe". It's possible that they have improved these e-bikes compared to the old models that caused fires.

This regulation won't do anything to address the cheapest and most fire-prone e-bikes, which are converted from regular pedal bikes using kits sold online from overseas.

It also doesn't address the proliferation of e-motorbikes masquerading as e-bikes - particularly the "fat tyre" bikes that are often not speed limited, have throttles that go over 6km/h, and have motors far in excess of 250W (often 1000W).

What negative consequences will the electrical certification requirements have?

Many of the brands that produce safe e-bikes (e.g. those that use Bosch systems) have decided that some models aren't sold in sufficient quantities to warrant the expense of certification, and so instead they'll be withdrawing these perfectly safe bikes from sale in NSW. This particularly applies to last-season bikes which the brands have projected they won't sell enough of.

Some brands have decided that certification is too expensive, and they will exit the NSW market completely, such as Moustache (which uses the completely safe Bosch system).

After some intense lobbying from the share-bike operators (Lime, Ario and Hello), rental e-bikes have been exempted from the regulations. This also means that food delivery riders can continue to rent unsafe e-bikes from unscrupulous operators, and they can still cause battery fires. One caveat is that the bikes need to have been purchased prior to Feb 1 2026, so eventually the fleets will age out and need to be replaced with certified bikes.

What about the NSW EN15194 standard for road use?

EN15194 is the standard that the European Union has developed for e-bikes. The main requirements are:

• 250W maximum continuous rated power
• 25km/h maximum speed at which motor provides assistance
• 6km/h maximum speed at which throttle operates (walk assist)
• Height-adjustable saddle

Importantly, the NSW solicitor-general has advised that if a motor is rated to 500W, and it's then down-rated to 250W by software controls, it cannot meet EN15194. This means that high-powered motors that can be "unlocked" for use on private land won't be legal to ride on NSW roads.

Existing bikes have been grandfathered for 3 years, so from 2029 the police will be checking bikes to make sure they meet EN15194. There will be some sort of scheme where accredited bike shops are able to assess a bike, and affix a sticker.

What about the import controls?

The federal government has announced they're reversing the 2021 decision to no longer require that importers of e-bikes obtain a ruling that basically says what they're importing is a street-legal e-bike. This is a good change - e-bike regulations should be harmonized across all states and territories in Australia, so brands can have confidence to import good quality bikes into Australia without onerous regulation.

This is possibly the most effective measure to prevent the importation of e-motorbikes (aka "fatbikes") that people are riding around at 50km/h without pedalling, because there is no way these bikes meet EN15194, and if importers declare that they do, they could be prosecuted.

What are the implications for owners of e-bikes?

• Electrical certification: Basically none - if you already own an e-bike, there is no requirement that it be certified, and if you sell it secondhand to someone else this isn't covered by the regulations (just like if you sell a fridge secondhand).
• EN15194 standard for road use: If your bike doesn't meet EN15194, you won't be able to ride it legally in NSW from 2029.
• Import controls: None if you already have an e-bike in Australia, however if you're importing an e-bike from overseas (e.g. you're moving to Australia) you will need to get a declaration that it meets EN15194 from the manufacturer, and go through the customs process.