New PACTS briefing outlines the road safety risks of illegal high-powered electric bikes
The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), joined by a coalition of road safety, industry and transport stakeholders, has published a new briefing warning Ministers that the rapid growth of illegal high-powered electric bikes – vehicles that exceed the legal Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC) definition – is creating immediate and escalating risks to pedestrians, cyclists and other road users, while undermining enforcement and public confidence in active travel and powered light mobility.
PACTS has published a briefing for MPs setting out the evidence and recommendations for urgent action.
These vehicles are legally motor vehicles but are increasingly used without registration, insurance, tax, rider licensing or appropriate personal protective equipment. Capable of speeds comparable to mopeds and motorcycles, they are frequently ridden on pavements, cycleways and in other spaces intended for vulnerable road users. Their close resemblance to legitimate EAPC bikes makes enforcement difficult, and the lack of registration means collisions and offences are likely to be under-reported.
PACTS further warns that without coordinated intervention, the unlawful use of illegal high-powered e-bikes risks becoming normalised in urban areas, creating increasing challenges for road safety, policing and legitimate businesses.
The gig economy is identified as a significant driver of the issue, with academic research highlighting the importance of speed for couriers operating under payment models linked to delivery volumes. PACTS warns that these models can incentivise some delivery riders to move away from compliant EAPC bikes towards faster or more powerful machines that fall outside road-legal requirements. Enforcement authorities have also reported increasing use among children and young people, as well as links to antisocial and criminal behaviour.
Stakeholders also warn that the growth of illegal high-powered electric bikes is undermining legitimate, regulated transport markets. Compliant manufacturers and retailers, operating within established safety and type-approval frameworks, are facing growing competition from unregulated alternatives sold outside the standards expected of road-legal vehicles.
Growing Risks and Existing Measures
PACTS’ briefing identifies a range of serious and growing risks associated with non-EAPC bikes, including their use at motorcycle-like speeds without equivalent safeguards, risks posed on cycle and pedestrian infrastructure, rising fire risks linked to poor quality batteries and conversion kits, and significant barriers to compensation for victims of collisions involving uninsured or untraceable riders.
While the briefing welcomes recent Government initiatives, including the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 and proposals for a Work-Related Road Safety Charter, it concludes that these measures alone will not address the substantial number of non-compliant vehicles already in circulation.
