Why are Electric Bikes Legal but not Scooters? An Explanation of Present UK Law
A growing number of people in the UK are becoming interested in electric scooters and are beginning to ask the obvious question ‘Why are electric bikes legal but not scooters?’ The simple answer is that electric bikes and electric scooters are currently classified differently.
Under current UK road legislation electric scooters are classified as motor vehicles. It would probably be more accurate to classify them as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEV), but all the same they are considered as motor vehicles whereas road legal electric bikes are classified as Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPCs).
You don’t need a driving license, insurance or tax for road legal electric bikes and you can ride them on public land as long as you meet these requirements:
- the e bike has to have an electric motor that does not go above 250W
- it has to be fitted with pedals that actually push it forward
- you have to cut off any electrical assistance from the bike when it reaches a speed of 15.5 mph (25 km/h).
It’s also worth being aware that some electric bikes aren’t allowed to be ridden on public land, just like electric scooters. In general these are the ones that have an electric motor that is too powerful (above 250W), or they are throttle-controlled e-bikes which mean that you don’t need to pedal to get them started (these are classified as motorbikes at present).
Going forward in 2024 many people are optimistic about the laws being changed after all the government backed rented electric scooter that have taken place over the last 4 years or so. However at present nothing has changed and privately owned electric scooters are still not allowed on public lands or roads.
In an interesting turn of events Paris banned the use of rented electric scooters in the city back in August 2023, however privately owned electric scooters are exempt from this. Many European cities allow electric scooters in bicycle lanes (and some on the roads as well) although not Norway, Greece or the UK.
For more information on e bikes and e scooters have a look at the latest UK government guidelines and safety recommendations.
Hopefully we will see these eco friendly and fun vehicles on the roads legally in the UK sometime in the near future!
FAQ’s About E Bikes and E Scooter Laws
Why are Electric Bikes Legal?
Electric bikes are legal because they are classed as Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPCs), meaning they are bikes which need to be pedalled before the electrical power kicks in. Throttle-controlled e-bikes (which don’t needed to be pedalled to engage the power) are classified as motorbikes and are not read legal without a license, insurance and taxation.
Electric bikes are legal as long as the e bike has an electric motor that does not go above 250W, the electrical assistance is cut off at 25 km/h or 15.5 mph and has pedals which actually propel the bike forward (instead of a throttle).