E-bike classes and laws: what each law actually says.

United States: the federal definition covers the product

Federal law defines a "low-speed electric bicycle" in 15 U.S.C. 2085(b): a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 horsepower), whose top speed on motor power alone, on a paved level surface with a rider weighing 170 pounds, is less than 20 mph. The section was added by Public Law 107-319 in December 2002.

The statute treats these bicycles as consumer products. Section 2085(a) makes them subject to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's regulations, and the CPSC's guidance says its bicycle rule, 16 CFR Part 1512, covers them. Section 2085(c) lets the CPSC add requirements it considers necessary for rider safety, and 2085(d) pre-empts state product requirements stricter than the federal ones. The federal section is about the e-bike as a product; it does not set out where or how e-bikes may be ridden. The three classes people talk about come from state law.

The three classes: California as the example

California's AB 1096 of 2015 added section 312.5 to the state's Vehicle Code, defining an electric bicycle as a bicycle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, and created three classes:

The same bill required makers and distributors, from 1 January 2017, to fix a permanent label showing the class, the top assisted speed and the motor wattage. For Class 3 it set extra conditions: no one under 16 may operate one, riders and passengers must wear a helmet meeting ASTM or CPSC standards, and Class 3 e-bikes may not use bike paths, trails, bikeways, bike lanes, or equestrian, hiking or recreational trails unless the path is within or next to a roadway or a local authority allows it by ordinance.

This is one state's law as enacted in 2015. Other states have their own versions, and later California changes from 2024 to 2026 were not checked for this page.

Has California's wording changed?

The 2015 enrolled bill says a motor of "less than 750 watts". A third-party host of the codified text, read only in a search summary, gives "not exceed 750 watts". Section 312.5 may have been amended since 2015; we did not open the current official text, so its present wording is unconfirmed.

How many states use three classes?

No official count was found. PeopleForBikes, an industry trade group, said on 23 June 2021 that 36 states had passed its model e-bike law using the three-class system. A GearJunkie article, read only in a search summary, says 39 states. A driving-school blog says 36 states plus the District of Columbia and reports Hawaii adopting classes in July 2026. These are the claims of a trade group and of media, not an official tally.

Is a Class 3 e-bike covered by the federal definition?

The two sides, read only in secondary summaries: PeopleForBikes argues that Class 3 e-bikes fall within the federal definition because its 20 mph limit applies to motor power alone. Some industry consultants and a retailer say they do not. We found no CPSC statement settling it.

European Union: 250 watts and 25 km/h

Regulation (EU) No 168/2013, which sets type approval for two- and three-wheeled vehicles, excludes in Article 2(2)(h) pedal cycles with pedal assistance whose auxiliary electric motor has a maximum continuous rated power of 250 W or less, where the output cuts off when the rider stops pedalling and is progressively reduced and cut off before 25 km/h. Cycles within that exclusion are outside the regulation's type-approval scheme.

The product standard is EN 15194. According to the Estonian standards body's listing, EN 15194:2017 covers electrically power assisted cycles (EPACs) for private and commercial use, except those hired from unattended stations, with a saddle height of 635 mm or more and meant for public roads; a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kW; and assistance cut at 25 km/h or when pedalling stops. It also covers power management and electrical circuits, including charging, for systems up to 48 V DC or with integrated 230 V AC chargers. The Estonian body lists the 2017 edition as withdrawn from 1 September 2023 and replaced by EN 15194:2017+A1:2023; another standards catalogue, read only in a search summary, gives 23 August 2023 for the withdrawal.

United Kingdom: the EAPC rules

The UK government's information sheet for Great Britain (updated 10 December 2024) says an electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC) must have pedals that can propel it and a motor of no more than 250 watts continuous rated power, with assistance cutting off at 15.5 mph, and may be ridden by anyone aged 14 or over. It must show the maker's name, the motor's maximum continuous rated output, and either the battery voltage or the maximum assisted speed. The governing law it names is the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/1168, amended by SI 2015/24) and the Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/1176, amended by SI 2015/474).

• What falls outside. The Department for Transport's view, on the same sheet, is that an "off-road mode" letting the motor drive the bike above 15.5 mph makes it non-compliant, so it is treated as a motor vehicle needing registration, insurance, tax, a driving licence and a motorcycle helmet.
• Throttles. "Twist and go" e-bikes placed on the market after 1 January 2016 generally need type approval, while a "walk assist" mode up to 3.7 mph is outside type approval.
• The 2015 changes. The explanatory note to SI 2015/24 says it allowed more than three wheels, removed weight limits, switched to "maximum continuous rated power" as defined in EU Regulation 168/2013, and raised the permitted motor power.

Northern Ireland's official nidirect page gives the same definition and age of 14. It says no licence, registration, tax or insurance is needed, though insurance is advised, and that a motorcycle helmet is not required but a suitable helmet is highly recommended. An electric bike that does not meet the EAPC rules is classed as a motorcycle or moped, needing registration, tax, insurance, a driving licence and a motorcycle helmet.

E-bikes in UCI racing

Racing e-bikes follow the UCI's rules, not road law. UCI Part 1 (version on 1 July 2026, article 1.1.035) requires riders in events using EPACs to be 19 or over, and the UCI's own limits on assistance, drive unit and battery are on the mountain biking page.

Battery standards and fire guidance from fire services and regulators are on the e-bike batteries and fire safety page. The UK lock-testing body Sold Secure recommends a lock rated for powered cycles for e-bikes.