If your ebike has been derestricted or modified so that it no longer conforms to the 250W motor limit and 15.5mph speed restriction stipulated by UK law, you’ll find it impossible to find cycle insurance for it because in the eyes of the law, it’s a motorbike.
Is it illegal to derestrict my ebike?
There’s no shortage of advice online about how to derestrict ebikes using dongles and other hacks. While it’s not illegal to alter the performance of your ebike in this way, you risk invalidating your warranty and it will be against the law to use it on the road unless you register it as a motorcycle.
Can the police tell if my ebike has been derestricted?
E-bikes fitted with 750W motors and above are capable of 30mph – a speed that is bound to arouse suspicion. People have been known to fit official-looking 250W stickers to their over-powered e-bikes, but the police are wise to this. When there is doubt over the power of an e-bike it can be confiscated at the roadside and sent away for testing.
The same goes for ebikes that have started life as a road-legal 250W models and then gone on to be derestricted.
Insurance for ebikes
If the output of your electric bicycle does not exceed 250 W/15.5 mph, we’ll cover it under our cycle insurance at no additional cost. In fact, we offer a 20% discount for ebikes.
Every cycle insurance policy of ours includes the following as standard:
• Theft, accidental damage & vandalism
• Ebike battery theft cover
• Cycle Rescue (breakdown cover for your electric bicycle and you)
• No devaluation of your bike over time
• £2m third party PLUS £20,000 personal accident cover
• Straight forward shed & garage storage requirements
• Low standard excess of 5% (£50 minimum)
Ebike kits
If you fit an electric motor kit, you may end up stuck with a bike that’s are uninsurable and risks being seized by police if you’re stopped on the road if it doesn’t meet the legal definition of an ebike.
Once fitted, many of these kits look indistinguishable from the road-legal e-bikes with a 250W motor and limited to 15.5mph. However, many do not conform to the legal definition of an electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC) and as such are not permitted to be used on UK roads unless they’ve been registered as an electric motorcycle.
Which ebikes are legal?
There are so many different types of e-bike on the market, it can be tricky to know which are road legal – especially with some importers claiming that speed limiters are all you need to conform with British law.
Ebike legislation varies by country so buying second-hand, or online from abroad, can lead to confusion. Here in the UK, ebikes used anywhere other than private land must not provide powered assistance beyond 15.5 mph (25 km/h) and maximum continuous rated power up to 250W.
If your cycle has pedals and an electric motor of no more than 250 watts that cuts out once you’re travelling more than 15.5mph (25 km/h), then in the eyes of UK law it’s an EAPC (electrically assisted pedal cycle) sometimes referred to as an e-bike, or pedelec. It’s important to remember that the 250W figure refers to the power of the motor and not the battery. If you’re unsure about the power output of the motor (it’s not always visibly marked), then make certain that motorised assistance cuts out at 15.5mph.
If the ebike conforms to these requirements, you can ride it on the road or any cycle paths – anywhere a conventional bicycle can be used. It also means you won’t find it any trouble to insure. For example, here at the ETA, we charge no extra for insuring an electric bicycle and include £2m third party cover and protection against battery theft as standard. And if you break down, we’ll arrange for you and your ebike to be taken up to 25 miles to a repair shop, railway station or home.
Speed limiters
Beware ebikes that are sold with speed limiters you can alter yourself. The fact you can restrict your e-bike to 15.5mph does not make it legal for use on British roads if the motor is rated above 250W. Apart from anything else, you will not be able to insure this type of bike as a bicycle.
Who is allowed to ride an electric bike in the UK?
You don’t need a licence, vehicle tax or insurance to ride an electric bicycle, but must be over 14 years old.
Your ebike in safe hands
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.
Dr John Heathcote
Of course if it’s not restricted and therefore legally a motor bike, other law applies too. You need to wear a crash helmet, to have appropriate insurance, and to have a driving licence. You must also obey motor vehicle speed limits. Do you need type approval for the vehicle too?
Keith
“it can be tricky to know which are road legal”
No, it REALLY ISN’T “tricky”. Stop making excuses for the chavvy scumbags who ride illegal e-bikes.
Anthony Rogers
I am interested to know if it has extenuated 3rd party liabilities if say one was involved in an incident causing an injury.
Chris
There I am cycling along and whoosh, an ebike whizzes past doing 20+ mph, and they’re not even pedalling.
They’re all over the place like those e-scooters doing what looks like 30 mph.
Sooner or later, plod will take notice of these scum, and I for one will be pleased.
Mark Wheatley
It’s odd to have a limit that’s lower than the speed a bike can travel without an electric motor.