What happens if you get caught on an electric bike in Australia depends on whether the e-bike is legal and how you were riding it. In Australia, legal e-bikes must be pedal-assist pedelecs with a motor of 250 watts maximum, where assistance cuts out at 25 km/h, and must comply with European standard EN15194. If your e-bike meets this, you can ride it like a normal bicycle without registration or licence, but you must wear a helmet and follow road rules. If you get caught on an illegal electric bike, for example a 500W, 1000W or 2000W throttle-controlled bike that can go 40-60 km/h without pedalling, police treat it as an unregistered and unlicensed motor vehicle. Penalties vary by state but are serious. In NSW, you can be fined $2,200-$3,300 for riding an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle, plus $700+ for riding without a licence and $387 for not wearing a motorcycle helmet, and police can seize the bike. In Queensland and Victoria, similar fines apply and the bike can be impounded. If you are caught riding any e-bike illegally on a footpath over the speed limit, drink riding, or riding recklessly, you can be fined $120-$600 for bicycle offences. If you are involved in an accident on an illegal e-bike, your CTP and any bicycle insurance will not cover you and you can be personally liable for injuries.
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