NSW can now seize and crush illegal e-bikes: the new powers are in force

The waiting is over in New South Wales. On 21 August 2026, the state's new e-bike seizure and crushing laws came into effect, moving the Road Transport Amendment (Non-registrable Motor Vehicles) Act 2026 from legislation passed in May to live power on the street. NSW Police and Transport for NSW authorised officers can now seize an illegal e-bike ridden on a road or path, and the state can destroy it.

The target is the machine that behaves like a motorbike while dressed as a bicycle. When we covered the bill passing in July, the powers were still weeks away. Now they are operational, and NSW joins Queensland and Western Australia in having confiscation with teeth.

What makes an e-bike seizable in NSW

• A throttle that propels the bike on its own above 6 km/h, rather than the motor only assisting while you pedal
• Motor power beyond the legal pedal-assist limits, including derestricted and grey-import machines
• Assistance that keeps pushing past the 25 km/h cut-off, including bikes with modified or removed speed limiters

Roadside dyno testing is coming

Enforcement gets its own hardware. NSW is rolling out portable dynamometer units that can test a bike's power output and speed behaviour at the roadside against the pedal-assist standard, with the first unit already received from Europe. That closes the loophole where a derestricted bike looks identical to a legal one until it is actually measured.

The scheme is modelled on Western Australia's existing seize-and-crush laws, and it lands alongside the rest of the NSW push: a government estimate of around 760,000 e-bikes in the state, and Treasury still exploring compulsory insurance and a minimum riding age.