Unsure over the laws around e-bikes?
Here is PC Phil Hackford explaining the difference between legal and illegal e-bikes.
From August 1, anyone seen riding an e-bike or an e-scooter illegally will have it seized.
For more information visit https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rs/road-safety/advice-escooters/
What we have in front of us here are three electrically propelled pedal cycles or ebikes. Two of the bikes are manufacturer purchased. One of the bikes is a kit form. Two of these bikes are unlawful. And one of the bikes is a roadleal electrically assisted pedal cycle. So what we’ll do is we’ll just run through them and we’ll go through what makes one legal and what makes one illegal. We’ll start at the far right. So this machine is a kit produced machine. It started life as a mountain bike as a normal pedal cycle. The rear hub mechanism has been purchased from the internet and looking at the size of the motor it’s a 1000 watt. The power coming from a motor should only be 250 watts. We can see that it’s a 1000 watts because the console display will tell us that. It will also give us a potential speed that this machine can go at. Critically, it has a throttle, a twist grip throttle. The motorized effort to the wheels is separate to the pedals. And now the law states that the two must be connected so that when the pedaling stops, the effort to the back wheel stops. This is a motorcycle. It is unlawful. In order to ride this on the road, it needs to be registered, taxed, emoted. You must have a relevant license to ride it. You must have a crash helmet, which is equivalent to a motorcycle crash helmet, insurance, and everything else that goes with a motorcycle. Let’s move on to the next bike, the Bulacaco. This is a manufactured, produced, and purchased machine. They’re in excess of 4,000. Similarly to the one we’ve just been talking about, the propulsion system is separate to the pedaling effort. It has a twist grip throttle. It has a motor on the back which is around about 1,00 W. If you remember what we said, the twist grip throttle, the power of the motor and the separate assistance turns this into a motorbike. Come to our third machine, our little one. It’s a folding pedal cycle. It’s a bit of a commuter. This is a manufacturer purchased machine and complies with all the required regulations. So let’s have a look at what it actually wants to say to us. It tells us that in the back hub is the motor. If you have a look, it’s a smaller motor. It’s about the size of a T teacup saucer. It has stamped on it 250 W, which is exactly what the law states. There’s a little monitor device which counts the number of rotations of the pedals as they go round. That’s linked to the motor which will then shut off when you start to freewheel or stop pedaling. There is no throttle assistance. So we have 250 W, no throttle assistance. The pedaling and the electrical propulsion effort are directly connected and the propulsion stops when the pedaling stops. We have one little addition here which the law states. We have what we call a walk start mechanism. This is permitted and it will allow the pedal cycle to advance to 4 miles an hour to get you going um on a slope or just to get you going to stop the pedaling action. After this, the pedaling action takes over. One little caveat which I haven’t mentioned is that the motor assistance must cut out once the pedal cycle reaches 15 12 mph and you must be 14 years of age or over to ride one.
44 Comments
Now can you explain why we see so many illegal ebikes hurtling around the streets.
Party time is upon us
Even the Police cannot spell offence correctly these days. Thought they were supposed to be intelligent 🤔🤭
I've been on over 1000 excursions on my 750w bike with throttle, I don't ride like a goon, always pedal, always respect others and never been pulled over. These rules are unjust and I did not consent to them.
The Uk is run by retrosats…the scooter debacle proves this…nothing more than a mafia the only legal when rented situation…Every morning i travel through Olot in Catalunya and see various people with hi vis and helmets on e scooters going to work…without balaclavas on or robbing anyones telefone…😂😂
In the Uk one would attract 3 police vans and be top asbo offence…😂
I thought we were supposed to be thinking of the future and clean transport.
It seems to be the case of – if it is useful then it is illegal.
It's pretty messed up when the police start preaching inaccurate facts!
Nowhere does the law say that the motor has to be a 250w motor! It actually says "a maximum continuous power of 250w"
Most legal ebikes are restricted to 250w but have 500/750/1000w motors. But because they are restricted, the continuous power output is 250w making them legal.
I am glad however that he clarified that a throttle on a bike, only makes it non legal, if it does more then 4mph. 🙂
Physical size of the motor has nothing to do with rated watts. Well made geared hub motors are often very large and are the exact same physical size at 250W and 1000W.
A 250W motor can have a peak output of well above that (1000W+) so the watts shown on the screen is not necessarily an indication of an illegal motor. There are also no laws governing the amount of watts you can force through a 250W motor either. The law states that the motor 'must have a ‘continuous rated power’ output of no more than 250 watts'
Throttles are not strictly illegal either but you must pay to have your bike tested in order to try and gain a certificate to allow for one. 'Upon receipt of a certificate detailing the bike's make, model and frame number you may then ride on the roads with a throttle equipped.'
You would be surprised how little the majority of police officers actually know about the laws they are trying to enforce. If this video is supposed to be the spokesperson for ebike laws then you can imagine how little the average policeman knows about them.
UNWATCHABLE due to the distracting unnecessary subtitles. I guess the officer thought the spoken English would not be understood by an English-speaking person unless the words were duplicated on the screen.
Trust him to go for the "far right " first ! 🤣
Why are cars allowed on the road that can go faster than the 70 mph speed limit ?
6 Years too late! Thousands e-bikes are speeding on footpaths, roads, and streets used by couriers and gangs. Catch them if you can! I've seen hundreds of them in London speeding away in front of the Police cars ; )
Very effective prevention!
1 minute 24 seconds in and you're already wrong. I have a bike with a throttle limited to 15.5mph and it is completely legal. It's DVSA certified, but I don't need a license as it still comes under pedal assisted regulations.
Please stop misinforming people about throttle assistance. Guide them to reputable companies that provide DVSA certified cycles, such as Pedibal or Whisper.
I just googled it and in the UK, throttles are permitted if they don’t propel the bike faster than 4mph, also, as has already been stated, a bike certified by the DVSA can use a throttle if it passes.
This video is out of date already. You CAN have a throttle and 'no pedalling' as you ride along, due to the motor pushing you, it only needs the manufacturer to present the cycle for evaluation at a cost of £200 and you get an official certificate of compliance from the DVSA. The cost will be in the purchase price of course, as an option.
It's a bit expensive at about £2,100 currently, but I'm sure this feature will be available on other, cheaper 'bikes at some future point. It has a 250Watt motor aswell.
The model on youtube tested with this LEGAL throttle option is the PEDIBAL MAXIMA. Check it out.
The only problem I can see in someone owning one of these 'bikes, is the fact that our commie driven power mad police will not be aware of the regulations covering this particular bike yet, so will OBVIOUSLY try to arrest anyone who states the law back to them.
Carry the DVSA certificate with you at all times, until the mega PEA brained plod catches up with the REAL facts, unlike in the video which is ONLY 5 days old and is already SHOCKINGLY ill informed and totally WRONG on at least one major fact.
Legalise all e-bikes. The only solution to traffic jams and pollution.
Oh I don't know…maybe the E-bike wrote a hurty word tweet?
I'm in London UK. Most ebikes and scooters I see ride on the pavement, not the road. And at the speed they move, it's dangerous for people walking.
Kinda pathetic
And yet freewheeling downhill on a standard cycle using gravity you will reach speeds of around 25mph. Therefore the motor should be able to propel you to 25mph on the flat or uphill.
Then the Law needs updating, two wheel vehicles of all types are good for the environment, trafic nuisance reduction etc, etc. We need a system that can replace cars by all methods, from Trains, to Hydrofoils, from scooters to traveling walk ways of the type in airports.
Global worming necessitates a change in travel modals not petty wattage restrictions. As with all walks of life (Pun intended) we have laws sufficient for bad behaviour and driving standards.
When the police have not a clue , one e-bike ( legal) , two motor bikes ( licence , insurance , helmet and road tax reqd ) that's if you can get the DVLA to recognise them .
It's Maximum Continuous Power of 250w. Sustained power can go higher than 250w. Hence Amflow and Bosch motors on EMTB's being legal bikes.
Finally something useful from Police I am actually shocked 😮😊❤
He mentions riding on the road, except they don't. Round our way they all ride on the pavement at a high rate of knots and swear at pedestrians if you don't get out the quick enough. Same goes for e-scooters.
Why not make them legal for people over 25 yrs old ? Who are less likely to be riding them like idiots? And just want to use them to nip to local places and don't want to use a car or van and fuel
CHECK OUT PEDIBAL BIKES ROAD LEGAL THROTTLE CONTROLLED ELECTRIC BIKES. All PASSED AS ROAD LEGAL BY THE DVSA.
Police are so clueless nowadays and are so soft
So what LAW it ?. Don't want to her about made up ACTs/ legislation. Do your your research people just Google RIGHT TO TRAVEL UK you'll soon find the real COMMON law
250 watt ,wouldnt pull you out of bed . the more power the better .
That top's doing you no favours, Phil.
Response from DVSA regarding e-bikes purchased before 1st Jan 2016, to help clarify any confusion, created by this video:
Thank you for your email about your electric bicycle.
The regulations regarding electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs) were changed in 2016 to align with European standards and this is when the requirement for type approval for ebikes with a throttle came in.
Ebikes sold prior to 1st January 2016 are not subject to the changes in regulations and, as such, have ‘Grandfather rights’ when it comes to the ebike specifications, including throttles. Therefore the “twist & go” function on your bike can legally be used up to 15mph.
The difficulty comes in with the police as they may not be aware of the previous regulations and, to be honest, it is very rare to come across an ebike being used that was sold before the law change. You may face some difficulty in explaining this if you should be stopped.
But yes, your 2015 12mph throttle ebike is legal.
Thank you. It makes sense now
250 watts is a stupid limit. 20 mph speed limits are fine. Roads have hills.
Just allow it bro
Maybe it's time to address some of these outdated laws the UK has instead of making everything illegal. In the UK e-scooters are classed the same as a car or lorry according to the RTA 1988 which is ridiculous. These laws/acts clearly need looking at.
Just let ebikes ride by local speed limit. I can own a Lamborghini with massive power, yet i make the decision to ride safe and drive the speed limit.
The first one, a fast food delivery special.
So you can buy a Bugatti veyron capable of over 200 miles an hour doesn't mean you will go that speed. What is the difference how fast a bike can go? As long as you stick to 15mph assisted or not. I love cycling but knee ops and damage means I can not ride a traditional mountain bike any more. So all your just eat riders can Wiz around in the cities but I can not use my e bike in rural areas..and no I don't steal phones or sell drugs. They use cars but I don't see a ban for motor vehicles.
But All the delivery People Ride these , throughout our cities !
All of those could be legal…. If they were set at 250w continuous….. throttle limited to starting speed…. Assistance stops at 15.5mph….
The Police officer provided a set of Rules of Thumb which would indicate if an e-bike might be illegal…..
Eg the Bultaco might be set to the legal thresholds and the user might change the settings when they get to private land where they’ve obtained permission to ride….
Regardless something needs to be done about the misuse of e-bikes….. however incorrect information from the Police isn’t the answer
They will start clamping down next couple of years and To many idiots ruining it for us
Does this mean you have to be an illegal to ride an illegal bike.
Tax tax tax. Must tax the hard up.
Every delivery driver in Hull has an illegal e-bike and the police here allow it. Even the motor bikes without number plates helmet etc are allowed in hull.