UK Electric Bike Laws (as of December 2018)
In April 2015 the UK Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC) legislation was brought into line with the EU law EN15194, which means that it could possibly change after Brexit. But for now, it’s pretty clear in defining what can, and what cannot be called an electric bike.
The minimum age for using an electric bike is 14 years of age. The maximum permissible power output is 250w. The bike must have pedals and throttles are only allowed for start-up assistance up to 6km/h or 3.7mph (throttles that go up to 15mph are allowed on electric bikes purchased before January 1 2016) The electric pedal assist must cut-off at 15.5mph (25km/h).
Before you buy a conversion kit, you need to think about the law and how it could potentially effect you.
The law is very clear on the above, and while the police do not have the resources or necessarily the inclination to stop and test every electric bike they see. If you do find yourself on the wrong side of the law, while riding an illegal electric bike, consider the following sobering facts:
- Any illegal electric bike would come under the umbrella of the Road Traffic Act.
- Your bike would be confiscated
- It is likely that you would be prosecuted and fined for no insurance, tax, MOT, and using an unregistered vehicle. If you have a driving license there is a good chance you may either lose it or end up with a lot of points.
- If you are disqualified from driving you could be charged with driving while disqualified and receive an extension to your ban or a custodial sentence.
- If you were riding home from the pub after a few drinks you would be charged with drink driving, even worse, if you were to fatally injure someone then you could potentially be facing up to 14 years in prison.
You can find out more about UK electric bike laws here.