E-bike rules in the EU
EU law draws the line between a bicycle and a motor vehicle. A pedal-assist bike within 250 W and 25 km/h is outside the motor-vehicle approval rules; past that line it is a powered cycle or a moped. Rider age, helmets and where you may ride are national rules.
This page explains the rules in plain English and is not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can be stricter, so check the official source for where you ride before you buy or ride.
In short
- Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 does not apply to pedal cycles with pedal assistance and an auxiliary electric motor of up to 250 W maximum continuous rated power, whose output cuts off when the rider stops pedalling and is progressively reduced and cut off before 25 km/h (15.5 mph). EUR-Lex 1
- EN 15194 is the European safety standard for these electrically power assisted cycles (EPACs). EUR-Lex 2
- A speed pedelec, whose motor assists up to 45 km/h (28 mph), is outside the 25 km/h powered-cycle class and is a two-wheel moped (L1e-B) under Regulation 168/2013. In the Netherlands that means a moped licence, a yellow plate, insurance, an approved helmet and a minimum age of 16. EUR-Lex 1SWOV
What counts as a bicycle
The class here: Pedal cycle with pedal assistance (EPAC, or pedelec). An e-bike rides like a bicycle only if it stays inside every limit below.
| Rule | Limit | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| Motor power | 250 W continuous rated | Maximum continuous rated power of 250 W or less. EUR-Lex 1 |
| Assisted speed | 25 km/h (15.5 mph) | Motor output progressively reduced and finally cut off before the bike reaches 25 km/h. EUR-Lex 1 |
| Throttle | Pedal assistance only | The motor's output must cut off when the rider stops pedalling. EUR-Lex 1 |
| Minimum age | Set nationally | Regulation 168/2013 is a vehicle-approval law. Rider age, helmets and where you may ride come from each country's traffic rules, such as the Dutch rules below. EUR-Lex 1SWOV |
| Helmet | Set nationally | Set by each country. The Netherlands, for example, requires an approved helmet on a speed pedelec. SWOV |
| Licence, registration, insurance | None EU-wide for an EPAC; set nationally above it | A bike within the exclusion is outside the EU's type-approval law for mopeds and motorcycles. Licence, plate and insurance rules for faster bikes are national; the Netherlands example is below. EUR-Lex 1SWOV |
What falls outside the bicycle class
- 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. EUR-Lex 1
- Category L1e-A, 'powered cycles', covers cycles designed to pedal with an auxiliary propulsion whose primary aim is to aid pedalling, cut off at 25 km/h or less and limited to 1,000 W. EUR-Lex 1
- Speed pedelecs, with assistance up to 45 km/h, are legally mopeds: category L1e-B, the two-wheel moped. EUR-Lex 1SWOV
Where the rules vary
Only the regions we checked against an official source are listed here. Rules elsewhere can differ.
Netherlands
- Speed pedelec riders must be 16 or older and hold a moped licence (AM) or a driving licence; the bike needs a yellow moped plate and third-party insurance. SWOV
- The helmet must be approved: a moped helmet to ECE 22.05/06, or one to NTA 8776, the standard written for speed pedelecs. SWOV
- Speed pedelecs use the combined bicycle and moped track or the carriageway, never a bicycle-only track: up to 45 km/h on the carriageway, and on combined tracks 30 km/h in built-up areas and 40 km/h outside them. SWOV
Background
Who sets which rule
The EU defines the vehicle. Regulation 168/2013 covers the approval and market surveillance of mopeds, motorcycles and other L-category vehicles, and the pedal-assist exclusion is what keeps an ordinary e-bike out of it. EUR-Lex 1
EN 15194 is the harmonised European standard for EPACs, listed under the Machinery Directive with restrictions. EUR-Lex 2
What this means when buying
230 bikes in our catalogue are listed as sold in the European Union. By the figures we hold, 184 are within the bicycle-class limits, 46 are over them, and 0 lack the data to say.
- Within the limits as listedA-Spadz Cavet AIRlisted top speed 16 mph
- Within the limits as listedAAIRSK GT300listed top speed 16 mph
- Within the limits as listedAAIRSK GT900listed top speed 16 mph
- Over the limits as listedAAIRSK XT90listed top speed 28 mph
- Over the limits as listedAAIRSK XT90 Emtblisted top speed 28 mph
- Over the limits as listedAllegro TDL6131listed top speed 31 mph
How we count
We compare each bike's listed top speed, and its throttle and fast-class flags, with the class above: a listed speed over 25 km/h (15.5 mph) counts as over the limit. A throttle counts as not enough data, because a listing does not say whether it stops at 6 km/h. We do not hold rated motor power for every bike yet, so a bike within the limit on speed can still be over it on power. Where a store listed no top speed, our importer recorded 25 km/h, so a bike listed at exactly 25 km/h is weaker evidence than it looks.
A listing is not a legal classification. Check the label on the bike and the rules where you ride.
Questions people ask
Is a 500 W e-bike legal in the EU?
Not as a bicycle. The pedal-assist exclusion stops at 250 W maximum continuous rated power; above it the bike falls within Regulation 168/2013, the approval law for L-category vehicles. EUR-Lex 1
Do I need a licence for a speed pedelec?
A speed pedelec is a moped in law, so national moped rules apply. In the Netherlands that means being 16 or older with a moped (AM) or driving licence, a yellow plate, third-party insurance and an approved helmet. SWOV
Related reading
This page is the rules reference. The guides explain what the rules mean for choosing a bike.
Other markets
Sources
Every rule above links to the page it comes from. We read each of these on 7 October 2026.
- Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles, Article 2(2)(h)EUR-Lex
- Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/69 (harmonised standards for machinery, including EN 15194)EUR-Lex
- Pedelecs and speed pedelecs (fact sheet)SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research
This page explains the rules in plain English and is not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can be stricter, so check the official source for where you ride before you buy or ride.