New South Wales will introduce a minimum age to ride an ebike as part of a bid to address safety concerns and clamp down on “dangerous behaviour”.

The Minns government announced the reforms on Friday, saying an expert review led by Transport NSW will recommend a legal minimum age limit between 12 and 16, and consider whether children and teenagers should be able to carry passengers.

The review will consult with child development and road safety experts, as well as parents and young people.

The findings will be given to the minister for transport and the minister for roads by June, and the NSW government will make a final decision on age limits and passengers.

Under NSW’s current rules, a child of any age can ride an ebike and carry passengers, if the bike design allows. Western Australia has already imposed an age limit of 16 – and any child under 16 caught riding an ebike faces a $50 fine.

The minister for transport, John Graham, said he wanted children outdoors but keeping them safe was “paramount”.

“It’s simply dangerous to have kids as young as 10 or 11 on these high-powered bikes,” he said.

The age limit restrictions will build on a range of other NSW ebike reforms, including new powers for police to seize and crush illegal bikes.

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The NSW government noted there had been a rapid increase in ebikes, with an estimated 760,000 in the state, which enabled more people to get around and keep active – but there was also a need for clearer rules.

Mass “rideouts” of young people on ebikes have prompted safety concerns, with the federal health minister, Mark Butler, earlier this month calling illegal ebikes a “total menace on the roads”.

The state of New South Wales recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. In just the first seven months of 2025, that had already to surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.

The police minister, Yasmin Catley, said the age limit and crack down on illegal, high-powered bikes would help police “prevent dangerous behaviour before more people are seriously hurt”.

“Police see firsthand the consequences when powerful ebikes are misused,” she said. “This is about getting the balance right so ebikes remain a useful transport option without putting the public at risk.”

On Friday, the Minns government also announced it would adopt European safety standards, ensuring ebikes operate like push bikes and not motorbikes.

Under the European standard, ebikes cannot be modified, preventing power and speed limits from being altered, with a maximum power output of 250 watts.

Power assistance must cut out at 25km/h and, if the rider is not pedalling the bike, it cuts out at 6km/h.

There will be a three-year transition period, with only bikes meeting the European standard considered road-legal in NSW from March 2029.

“This is a huge challenge … especially after the former Liberal government opened the door to 500-watt ebikes,” Graham said. “We’ll be working to make sure that there are options for people to modify those bikes.”

The government will work with manufacturers to ensure future stock complies with the updated rules.

The CEO of Bicycle NSW, Peter McLean, said the organisation was “very pleased” with the introduction of European standards.

“It is the gold standard,” he said. “Ebikes are an incredible way to get from A to B … it’s becoming easier and easier in Sydney.”

McLean said ebikes are often quicker than public transport or private vehicles, but their increasing popularity requires public safety education.