Free tool · No signup · 50 US states + UK + EU
E-bike legality checker
Is your e-bike street-legal? Pick your region, enter the bike's specs, get a plain-English verdict + the exact rules on license, helmet, and bike-path access. Sourced from PeopleForBikes, GOV.UK, and EU Type Approval 168/2013.
Class 3 rules + helmet age vary by state
Continuous-rated wattage on the spec sheet, NOT peak
mph (US standard)
US federal cap is 20 mph; UK + EU don't allow real throttles
Affects helmet + minimum-age rules in some states
How the rules work
🇺🇸 US — three-tier
- Class 1: pedal-assist only, ≤ 20 mph
- Class 2: pedal-assist + throttle, ≤ 20 mph
- Class 3: pedal-assist ≤ 28 mph
- Federal cap: 750W rated motor
- 38 of 50 states allow Class 3
🇬🇧 UK — EAPC
- Motor ≤ 250W rated
- Pedal-assist ≤ 15.5 mph (25 km/h)
- No real throttle
- Rider ≥ 14
- Pass = legal bicycle. Fail = moped.
🇪🇺 EU — pedelec
- Same thresholds as UK EAPC
- Above the cap = L1e-A "low-powered moped"
- Member states may add local rules
US state-level data sourced from PeopleForBikes State Law Tracker. UK rules from GOV.UK. EU framework from Regulation 168/2013 (Type Approval).
How this checker stays accurate
Verdicts come from a hand-curated lookup table of every US state, the UK EAPC framework, and the EU pedelec framework — not a live API. The decision logic runs locally in your browser, so there's nothing to wait for and no data leaves your device.
Update cadence: the state-laws table is reviewed manually once a year against PeopleForBikes State Law Tracker, the source of truth for US rules. E-bike state law typically changes 1–3 states per year, so annual review catches every realistic change. The footer above shows when the data was last reviewed and when the next review is due.
Why hardcoded vs API: PeopleForBikes does not expose a public API. Hardcoding makes verdicts deterministic, fully renderable in HTML and JSON-LD for search engines + AI assistants to cite, and eliminates rate limits. It does mean we depend on the annual review — the footer disclosure is the trade-off being made transparent.
Federal + UK + EU thresholds are statute (15 USC §2085, EAPC Regulations 1983, EU Reg 168/2013). Those don't change without new legislation, so they're effectively permanent.
Spotted something out of date? Email john.weeks.dev@gmail.com and we'll review the affected state immediately.
Legality checker — FAQ
Is an e-bike legal on bike paths in California?
Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed on California bike paths and trails. Class 3 (28 mph) is not. Class 3 riders also need a helmet regardless of age, and must be at least 16. California is among the stricter states on Class 3 — most other states allow them on roads but not paths, but California adds the helmet-for-all rule on top.
Do I need a licence for an e-bike in the UK?
No — provided the bike is EAPC compliant (motor ≤ 250W rated, pedal-assist ≤ 15.5 mph / 25 km/h, no unrestricted throttle, rider ≥ 14). EAPC bikes are legally bicycles. Bikes that fail those criteria are mopeds (L1e-A) and require a CBT license, MOT, road tax, insurance, and registration.
What's the difference between an EAPC and a moped in the UK?
An EAPC (Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle) is legally a bicycle: 250W max, 15.5 mph pedal-assist max, no real throttle, rider 14+. A moped is anything that fails one of those criteria — most US-spec Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes count as mopeds in the UK. Mopeds need CBT license, MOT, insurance, and registration; EAPCs need none of that.
Are Class 3 e-bikes legal everywhere in the US?
No. Class 3 (28 mph pedal-assist) is street-legal in 38 of 50 states as of 2026. The 12 holdouts include Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oregon, North Carolina, Hawaii, Alabama, and a few others where state law caps motor-assist at 20 mph regardless of class. Even in legal states, Class 3 is usually banned from bike paths.
Is a 1000W e-bike legal in the US?
Federally, no — 750W is the federal rated-power cap (15 USC §2085). A bike with a rated 1000W motor is classified as a motor vehicle and requires registration, license, and insurance. Watch the difference between 'rated' and 'peak' power: many bikes advertise '1000W peak' but rate at 750W or less, which keeps them legal. The number that matters is the rated continuous wattage on the spec sheet.
Do I need insurance for an e-bike?
Not in most US states or the UK — provided the bike is street-legal as an e-bike (Class 1/2/3 federally + EAPC in UK). A few US states (Alabama, North Carolina) do require it because they treat e-bikes as mopeds. Bikes that exceed the federal/EAPC limits are mopeds and require insurance everywhere.
What's the minimum age to ride an e-bike?
US Class 1/2: usually no minimum, though some states have one for parental supervision. US Class 3: typically 16 (varies — Utah is 8, Louisiana is 12, Connecticut + most others are 16). UK EAPC: 14 minimum. EU pedelec: no EU-wide minimum, but member states may set their own (most don't).
Want the deep dive on the three-tier system?
Read the full guide on what Class 1, 2, and 3 actually mean in practice.
Read the Class 1, 2, 3 guide