New Jersey will make e-bike riders get licenses, register with the Motor Vehicle Commission, and buy insurance starting July 2026. Riders must be at least 15.
Helmets become required for everyone. No exceptions. The legislation passed after dangerous riding and deadly crashes sparked worries throughout the state.
Insurance costs? Nobody knows yet. Tom Heist from Heist Insurance Alera Group thinks premiums might run between $250 and $500 each year, but that’s just a guess at this point.
“We think the insurance premiums will be in the neighborhood of $250, $300, to $500 per year,” Heist said, according to NBC Philadelphia. “The state really hasn’t defined what minimum limits they want yet.”
Police departments across New Jersey are stuck waiting. Lt. Joe Scullion from the Margate Police Department said officers have tons of unanswered questions about making this work on the streets.
“Are there gonna be license plates like cars are required to have? Are they gonna have to carry around an actual registration card?” Scullion said.
The Motor Vehicle Commission hasn’t finished building the system yet. An MVC spokesperson told NBC10 the agency continues working on procedures, still deciding who can even register an e-bike.
What about tourists? Pennsylvania residents who bring e-bikes to the Jersey Shore can’t register in a state where they don’t live, creating a massive loophole that enforcement officials will have to grapple with.
“You’re a resident of Pennsylvania. You can’t register your vehicle here. You’re not a resident,” Heist said.
Heist sees chaos coming. “I do. There’s going to be a lot … There’s confusion now,” he said when asked about anticipated problems. “It’s going to change things dramatically.”
Ventnor and Atlantic City have struggled with illegal riders tearing through boardwalks in recent years. Officials believe the new restrictions will make things safer, even though nobody seems sure how this will actually work.
“I think it’ll make people a little bit safer,” Scullion said.
Residents can sign up on the MVC website for updates when the agency figures out what comes next.
