Is your e-bike legal? Check five markets at once
Enter three figures from the bike's label or spec sheet: rated motor power, top assisted speed and what the throttle does. You get one answer for each of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia, worded the same way as on every bike page, each linked to its law page and the official sources it was read on.
On the figures you entered; not legal advice. The label on the bike and the law where you ride decide.
Continuous rated watts, not peak. It is on the motor plate or the spec sheet.
The speed at which the motor stops helping, in your units.
Result by market
Enter the motor power and top speed (and the throttle speed, if it stops at one) to see the five answers.
What is compared
Each market's rule is read from the same cited record as its law page. The checker compares your figures with three limits.
| Market | Rated motor power | Assisted top speed | Throttle |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Under 750 W | 28 mph (45 km/h) | Class 2 only, to 20 mph (32 km/h) |
| Canada | 500 W (ON, BC, QC) | 32 km/h (20 mph) | Varies by province |
| UK | 250 W continuous rated | 15.5 mph (25 km/h) | To 6 km/h (3.7 mph) only |
| EU | 250 W continuous rated | 25 km/h (15.5 mph) | Pedal assistance only |
| Australia | 250 W (Vic, Qld); 500 W in NSW until 2029 | 25 km/h (15.5 mph) | 6 km/h (NSW, Qld); 200 W throttle bikes in Vic |
Power is the continuous rated figure, never the peak. The same motor can be rated 250 W and peak at two or three times that, and every law here limits the rated figure.
Speed is the speed at which the motor stops assisting. It is not how fast the bike can go downhill or when you pedal hard.
A throttle is a control that drives the motor without pedalling. Where a market allows one only up to a speed, the checker uses the speed you say it stops at, or the top speed if it works at any speed. Where a market counts it only as walk or start-up assistance, or the regions disagree, the checker says it cannot tell.
Three answers are possible. "Fits" means every figure you entered is inside the limits. "Exceeds" names the figure, the limit and what applies instead. "Cannot tell" means the figures do not settle it, for example a throttle, or a rated power exactly on a limit where definitions differ.
The limits are in each market's units; speeds you type are rounded to whole km/h, because the laws state 28 mph as 45 km/h and 20 mph as 32 km/h.
Common questions
Each answer quotes the limits on the law pages, and says which figure it rests on.
Is a 750 W e-bike legal in the UK?
Not as an e-bike. 750 W is above the 250 W limit on continuous rated power in the UK (250 W continuous rated). Motor assistance above 15.5 mph, continuous rated power above 250 W, or no pedals that can propel it: the bike is not an EAPC.
Is a 750 W e-bike legal in the EU?
Not as an e-bike. 750 W is above the 250 W limit on continuous rated power in the EU (250 W continuous rated). More than 250 W, assistance beyond 25 km/h, or a motor that keeps driving when the rider stops pedalling: the bike falls within Regulation 168/2013, the approval law for mopeds, motorcycles and other L-category vehicles.
Is a 750 W e-bike legal in the US?
750 W sits exactly on the 750 W limit in the US, where the definitions disagree about the boundary (Under 750 W). Check the rule where you ride.
Is a 500 W e-bike legal in Canada?
On power alone, yes: 500 W is within the 500 W limit on continuous rated power in Canada (500 W (ON, BC, QC)). Speed (32 km/h (20 mph)) and the throttle rule (Varies by province) apply as well, and the figure must be the rated one, not the peak.
Is a 28 mph e-bike legal in the EU?
Not as an e-bike. 45 km/h (28.0 mph) is above the 25 km/h (15.5 mph) assisted-speed limit in the EU. More than 250 W, assistance beyond 25 km/h, or a motor that keeps driving when the rider stops pedalling: the bike falls within Regulation 168/2013, the approval law for mopeds, motorcycles and other L-category vehicles.
Is a 28 mph e-bike legal in the US?
On speed alone, yes: 45 km/h (28.0 mph) is within the 28 mph (45 km/h) assisted-speed limit in the US (20 mph (32 km/h); 28 mph (45 km/h) for Class 3). Power (750 W) and the throttle rule (Class 2 only, to 20 mph (32 km/h)) apply as well.
Is a 20 mph e-bike legal in the UK?
Not as an e-bike. 32 km/h (19.9 mph) is above the 15.5 mph (25 km/h) assisted-speed limit in the UK. Motor assistance above 15.5 mph, continuous rated power above 250 W, or no pedals that can propel it: the bike is not an EAPC.
Can an e-bike have a throttle in the UK?
To 6 km/h (3.7 mph) only. Power without pedalling is exempt from type approval only up to 6 km/h (3.7 mph), to help you start. A 'twist and go' bike that goes faster on the throttle must be type approved, or individually approved as a 250 W low-powered moped. A throttle is the one rule the checker cannot settle from a top speed alone, so it says "cannot tell" where the record does not allow it outright.
A single figure answers only part of the question: speed, power and the throttle all apply, and the checker above takes all three together.