Do Electric Motorcycles Require a Licence?

Yes. In the UK, you normally need the correct driving licence entitlement to ride an electric motorcycle on a public road. Running on a battery rather than petrol does not remove the usual motorcycle rules.

The licence you need depends mainly on the machine’s maximum design speed, continuous rated power and power-to-weight ratio. Your age, riding experience and test route also affect what you can legally ride.

Retailers use terms such as “electric bike”, “electric motorbike” and “e-moped” rather loosely. Legally, an electric bicycle and an electric motorcycle are very different vehicles.

Electric Motorcycle or Electric Bicycle?

An electric motorcycle is a motor vehicle. It usually has no usable pedals, can travel well beyond 15.5 mph and uses a much stronger motor than a legal pedal-assisted cycle.

A compliant electrically assisted pedal cycle, or EAPC, is treated much like an ordinary bicycle in Great Britain. It must have pedals capable of propelling it, a motor with a maximum continuous rated power of 250 watts, and assistance that cuts off at 15.5 mph. Riders must be at least 14, but they do not need a driving licence, registration, tax or insurance.

If a machine exceeds those limits, lacks usable pedals or can be driven by its motor above the permitted assistance speed, it may be classed as a moped or motorcycle. Calling it an “E-Bike” in an advert does not turn it into a bicycle. The law looks at the specification.

Which Licence Do You Need?

Electric motorcycles use broadly the same licence categories as petrol motorcycles. As an electric motor has no engine capacity in cubic centimetres, classification relies on power, speed and power-to-weight ratio.

Category AM

Category AM generally covers lower-speed electric mopeds with a maximum design speed above 25 km/h but no more than 45 km/h, roughly 28 mph. The rider must be at least 16. A learner will normally need a provisional entitlement and Compulsory Basic Training.

Category A1

Category A1 covers light motorcycles with continuous power up to 11 kW and a power-to-weight ratio no greater than 0.1 kW per kilogram. The minimum age is 17. For an electric motorcycle, the important figure is its approved continuous power rating, not a marketing claim about “cc equivalent”.

Category A2

Category A2 allows motorcycles producing up to 35 kW, provided the power-to-weight ratio does not exceed 0.2 kW per kilogram. The minimum age is 19. It suits many mid-powered electric commuter motorcycles.

Category A

Category A is unrestricted and covers electric motorcycles above A2 limits. Direct access is available from 24. Progressive access may allow a rider to take the category A practical test from 21 after holding an A2 licence for at least two years.

Can You Ride One After CBT?

Completing CBT usually allows an eligible learner to ride a qualifying moped or light motorcycle on public roads for up to two years. A rider aged 17 or over may generally ride a learner-legal motorcycle within A1 limits, displaying L plates (or the permitted L or D plates in Wales). CBT is not a full licence: learners cannot carry a pillion passenger or use motorways, and must pass the required tests or complete CBT again when the certificate expires.

Does a Car Licence Cover an Electric Motorcycle?

A normal category B car licence does not automatically cover every electric motorcycle. There is a limited moped exception: someone who passed a car test before 1 February 2001 may be entitled to ride a qualifying moped without L plates or CBT. Drivers who passed on or after that date generally need CBT to gain the relevant moped entitlement. Check the codes on your driving licence or use the official DVLA service.

What Else Is Legally Required?

A licence is only one part of making an electric motorcycle road legal. You will normally need:

• DVLA registration and a legal number plate
• At least third-party motor insurance
• Vehicle tax at the applicable rate
• Type approval or individual approval where required
• A valid MOT once applicable
• An approved motorcycle helmet

Electric motorcycles are no longer automatically exempt from vehicle tax. From 1 April 2025, electric motorcycles and tricycles became subject to vehicle tax.

What About Off-Road Electric Motorcycles?

You may not need a road licence when the motorcycle is used entirely on genuinely private land, closed to the public, with the landowner’s permission. That exception is narrower than it sounds. Parks, pavements, public car parks, footpaths, bridleways, cycle lanes and publicly accessible estate roads are not automatically private riding areas. An electric dirt bike may also be unsuitable for registration because it lacks type approval, road lighting, mirrors, approved tyres or other equipment.

Final Answer

Electric motorcycles require a licence when ridden on UK public roads. The correct entitlement depends on the vehicle’s approved continuous power, speed and power-to-weight ratio, ranging from AM for electric mopeds to category A for unrestricted machines. A legal Electric Bicycle meeting EAPC rules is the main exception. Check the approval documents, speak to an approved motorcycle training provider and confirm your DVLA entitlement.