PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Electric Bicycles: Licensing (22 November 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department's policy that (a) electric bikes require licencing and (b) bicycles that have been modified with electric motors require licencing.

Asked by:
Charlotte Nichols (Labour)

Electric bikes or bicycles that have been modified with electric motors do not require licensing as long as they comply in full with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 (as amended). These requirements include that:

• The bicycle must be fitted with pedals that are capable of propelling it;
• The maximum continuous rated power of the electric motor must not exceed 250 Watts;
• electrical assistance must cut-off when the vehicle reaches 15.5 mph.

If a bicycle does not comply with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC) regulations then it is to be treated as a motor vehicle when used on roads, which means that it must be licensed and insured.

Answered by:
Chris Heaton-Harris (Conservative)
29 November 2021