The rise and concern of the e-Bike

Our roads and paths are becoming swamped with the latest consumer craze for electronic driven devices – e-Bikes, e-Scooters and even those dreaded Hoverboards (which our media just to love to bash).

Sales of e-Bikes (or Pedelecs to give them their Sunday name) are on the increase. Back in 2003 it was estimated that sale figures were around the 2k mark… Today, e-Bike sales are over 25,000 per annum. Still nowhere near the likes of Holland (120,000) or Germany (400,000) and then there’s China with over 200 million e-Bike users.

But there is a concern with this growing Pedelec trend as retailers are selling ramped-up versions to consumers who could be dealt with rather heavily if they were to ride their super e-Bikes on British roads.

The UK Law and e-Bikes

The governments rules for e-Bikes are fairly rigid. You’re allowed to ride an e-Bike if you are 14 or over and you don’t need to have a licence, and there are no requirements for the e-Bike to be registered, taxed or insured as long as:

If the e-Bike breaches the above requirements – especially if its more than 250W then its legally classified as a moped – you’ll need it to be registered, taxed, insured and have an MOT to ride it on UK roads plus you’ll be required to wear proper attire like a safety helmet.

A quick search on the internet revealed e-Bikes for sale in this country with twice the maximum power output than the legally allowed 250 watts. You can even purchase converter kits that would give you even more power to your (ahem) pedal.

Retailers can get around the ‘strict’ maximum power output compliance by stating that the e-Bikes can be ridden on ‘private roads’ – hence no requirement for licences, insurance etc…

Make sure you properly understand what type of e-Bike you purchase from any dealer and that you are perfectly legal before you venture out onto any public road or path or you could be getting more than an e-ticket from the Police.