An e-bike fine usually comes down to one question: is your bike a legal e-bike, or is it being treated as a motor vehicle? If it is genuinely compliant and was wrongly classified, you can dispute it. If it is over the limit, you can still ask for leniency: an official caution instead of the penalty.
Check your e-bike fine in minutes →Free case-strength check first. If your grounds are weak, we'll tell you · one flat price, $15 per letterThe rules are almost the same in each state. A legal e-bike is one of two things:
New South Wales is the only state that has allowed a higher class (up to 500 watts). It has announced it is bringing that back to 250 watts to line up with the rest of the country, though the exact timing is still being worked out, so check the current NSW rule before you rely on it. If a device has a more powerful motor, will drive on a throttle without pedalling, or keeps driving above 25 km/h under motor power, it is no longer a bicycle in law. It becomes a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle cannot be registered, insured or ridden on a licence as a bike, so riding it attracts the expensive unregistered, uninsured and unlicensed fines.
A dispute argues your bike is a compliant bicycle, wrongly treated as a motor vehicle. It is strongest when you can show:
You can also dispute if you were not the rider, or the notice has a genuine error in its details.
If the bike really is over the limit for its type (more than 250 watts for a pedal-assist bike, or 200 watts for a throttle bike; NSW currently allows a higher pedal-assist class), be honest with yourself. A dispute won't win, and we won't write one that can't. A leniency letter accepts the fine but asks the authority to use its discretion and issue a caution or warning. It leans on things like:
Whether you dispute or ask for leniency, the right paperwork is what moves a reviewer:
You keep the evidence yourself; you don't upload it to us. You describe it in your letter (Fight My Fine helps you word it), then attach it when you send it to the authority.
Some e-bike matters are beyond a self-help letter. If you have been charged or given a court date (rather than a penalty notice), you are disqualified or banned from driving, or anyone was injured, don't send a letter. Contact Legal Aid in your state, or a traffic lawyer. Our tool will tell you honestly when you're in this territory.
If your bike was seized or impounded, you can still dispute the fine, but getting the bike back is a separate and time-critical process (in Queensland you may have only about 30 days to apply for its release before it can be forfeited). Act quickly and get legal help for the bike itself.
Identify the notice, set out either your dispute grounds or your mitigating circumstances, attach your evidence, and make a clear request: withdrawal if the bike is compliant, or a caution if you're asking for leniency. Fight My Fine drafts an editable letter from a few plain-English answers and addresses it to the right place for your state.
A legal e-bike is either a pedal-assist bike (pedelec/EPAC) with a motor up to 250 watts continuous rated power that stops assisting at 25 km/h, or an older throttle-style bike with a motor up to 200 watts. This is the same across the country. NSW is the only state that has allowed a higher class up to 500 watts, and it has announced it is reverting to 250 watts. Anything more powerful, or that drives on a throttle without pedalling, is treated in law as a motor vehicle.
Yes, if your bike is genuinely a compliant e-bike and was wrongly treated as a motor vehicle. The strongest disputes turn on the motor's continuous rated power (not its peak figure), that assistance cuts out at 25 km/h, that it is pedal-assist, and on EN 15194 compliance documents. If the bike really is over the limit or drives on a throttle, a dispute will not succeed and a leniency request is the honest option.
No. These are strict-liability offences, so not knowing your bike was non-compliant does not defeat the fine. It can still support a request for leniency, especially where you were sold the bike as road-legal, it was legal when you bought it, it is your first offence, and no one was harmed.
One flat price per letter: $15 for an e-bike fine. No percentage of your fine. There is a free case-strength check before you pay, so if your grounds are weak we tell you first.
Fight My Fine is a self-help tool, not a law firm, and this page is general information, not legal advice. E-mobility rules are changing quickly and vary by state, so check the current rules for your state before you act. You are the author and sender of every letter, and the issuing authority makes the final decision on any review. For a seized bike, a court matter, or any injury, speak with a qualified lawyer or a free service such as your state's Legal Aid.