E-bike laws in the United States
Two layers of law apply. Federal law decides what can be sold as a low-speed electric bicycle; each state decides how it is ridden, and most states sort e-bikes into three classes.
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
- Federal law defines a low-speed electric bicycle as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and a motor of less than 750 W, whose top speed on motor power alone is under 20 mph (32 km/h) with a 170 lb rider on level pavement. 15 U.S.C. § 2085
- PeopleForBikes counts 46 states using the three-class system. Class 1 and Class 2 stop assisting at 20 mph (32 km/h) and Class 3 at 28 mph (45 km/h); only Class 2 may be driven by the motor alone. PeopleForBikes 636 CFR 1.4
- A vehicle over 750 W, or one that can pass 20 mph on the motor alone, is not an electric bicycle. PeopleForBikes says that in most states such a machine must be registered and insured, and needs a driver's or motorcycle licence. PeopleForBikes 7
- New Jersey is the exception to the bicycle treatment: since 2026 every e-bike there has to be registered and its rider licensed. NJ MVC 8PeopleForBikes 6
What counts as a bicycle
The class here: Electric bicycle (Class 1, 2 or 3). An e-bike rides like a bicycle only if it stays inside every limit below.
| Rule | Limit | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| Motor power | Under 750 W | Less than 750 W (1 hp) in the federal definition. 15 U.S.C. § 2085 |
| Assisted speed | 20 mph (32 km/h); 28 mph (45 km/h) for Class 3 | Federal: under 20 mph (32 km/h) on motor power alone. 15 U.S.C. § 2085Under the class system, assistance stops at 20 mph for Class 1 and Class 2, and at 28 mph (45 km/h) for Class 3. 36 CFR 1.4 |
| Throttle | Class 2 only, to 20 mph (32 km/h) | Class 2 is the throttle class: its motor may propel the bike on its own, and stops assisting at 20 mph (32 km/h). Class 1 and Class 3 assist only while you pedal. 36 CFR 1.4 |
| Minimum age | Set by each state | Set by each state. New Jersey, for example, requires riders to be at least 15. NJ MVC 8NJ MVC 9 |
| Helmet | Set by each state | Set by each state. New Jersey, for example, requires every e-bike rider to wear a helmet. NJ MVC 9 |
| Licence, registration, insurance | Treated as a bicycle in most states; NJ requires them | PeopleForBikes says e-bikes are consumer products, not motor vehicles, and are generally regulated like bicycles; its model law is meant to make clear that owners are not subject to the vehicle laws for more powerful machines. PeopleForBikes 7PeopleForBikes 5New Jersey now requires registration and a licence for every e-bike. NJ MVC 8 |
What falls outside the bicycle class
- A motor over 750 W, or a top speed over 20 mph (32 km/h) on the motor alone: not an electric bicycle, even with pedals and even if the seller calls it street legal. PeopleForBikes 715 U.S.C. § 2085
- Pedal assistance beyond 28 mph (45 km/h): outside all three classes, since Class 3 stops at 28 mph. 36 CFR 1.4
- A 20 mph mode on a faster machine does not make it a Class 2 e-bike. PeopleForBikes warns of electric mopeds sold with pedals or a speed-limited setting and labelled as e-bikes. PeopleForBikes 7
Where the rules vary
Only the regions we checked against an official source are listed here. Rules elsewhere can differ.
New Jersey
- A law enacted in January 2026 (P.L.2025, c.285) requires every e-bike to be registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and its rider to be at least 15 and hold an e-bike licence or a driver's licence. NJ MVC 8NJ MVC 9
- Insurance is required for what the law calls motorized bicycles, which PeopleForBikes reads as Class 2 and Class 3, and not for low-speed electric bicycles. Riders who newly needed it had until 19 July 2026. NJ MVC 8NJ DOBIPeopleForBikes 6
- The Motor Vehicle Commission opened licensing and registration appointments in June 2026. NJ MVC 9
- Every e-bike rider must wear a helmet. NJ MVC 9
California
- Vehicle Code section 312.5 defines the three classes and requires a Class 3 e-bike to have a speedometer; section 21213 sets 16 as the minimum age for Class 3 and requires a helmet on one. Cal. Veh. Code 312.5Cal. Veh. Code 21213
Recent and coming changes
- 2026New Jersey moved from bicycle treatment to registration and licensing for all e-bikes, which PeopleForBikes calls the most restrictive e-bike law in the country. PeopleForBikes 6NJ MVC 9
Background
Two layers of law
The federal definition is a product rule. It makes a qualifying e-bike a consumer product under the Consumer Product Safety Commission's bicycle regulations (16 CFR part 1512), and it supersedes any state law or requirement on low-speed electric bicycles that is more stringent than those federal requirements. 15 U.S.C. § 2085
How and where you ride is state law. PeopleForBikes notes that almost every state defines what an electric bicycle is and how and where it may be ridden, generally under the same rules as bicycles, which is why age, helmet and trail rules differ from one state to the next. PeopleForBikes 7
What this means when buying
275 bikes in our catalogue are listed as sold in the United States. By the figures we hold, 259 are within the bicycle-class limits, 16 are over them, and 0 lack the data to say.
- Within the limits as listedAniioki A7 Prolisted top speed 28 mph
- Within the limits as listedAventon Aboundlisted top speed 20 mph
- Within the limits as listedAventon Aventure 2listed top speed 28 mph
- Over the limits as listedHAOQI Mustanglisted top speed 75 mph
- Over the limits as listedHeybike Herolisted top speed 35 mph
- Over the limits as listedHeybike Ranger Slisted top speed 32 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 28 mph (45 km/h) counts as over the limit. A throttle counts as not enough data when the listed top speed is above 20 mph (32 km/h), because a listing does not say where the throttle stops. 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 1,000 W e-bike legal in the US?
Not as an electric bicycle. Anything over 750 W is outside the federal definition and the three classes, and PeopleForBikes says that in most states such a machine must be registered and insured, and needs a driver's or motorcycle licence. 15 U.S.C. § 208536 CFR 1.4PeopleForBikes 7
Do I need a licence or insurance for an e-bike?
In most states an e-bike within the three classes is regulated like a bicycle rather than a motor vehicle, and the model law is meant to keep its owners out of the vehicle laws for more powerful machines; check your state's rules. New Jersey is different since 2026: every e-bike must be registered and the rider licensed, and what the law calls motorized bicycles must also be insured. PeopleForBikes 7PeopleForBikes 5NJ MVC 8
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.
- 15 U.S.C. § 2085, Low-speed electric bicyclesLegal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 36 CFR § 1.4, Definitions (electric bicycle and its three classes)Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- California Vehicle Code § 312.5 (electric bicycle classes)California Legislative Information
- California Vehicle Code § 21213 (Class 3 age and helmet)California Legislative Information
- Policies and Laws: Electric BikesPeopleForBikes
- New Jersey Passes Most Restrictive E-Bike Law in the U.S.PeopleForBikes
- The E-Bike Problem is an E-Moto ProblemPeopleForBikes
- E-Bike RequirementsNew Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
- NJMVC begins appointments for e-bike licensing and registration (23 June 2026)New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
- Bulletin No. 26-03: Minimum insurance coverage limits for certain electric bicycles pursuant to P.L.2025, c.285New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance
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.