Your basket is currently empty
We are an E-Bike positive approved Retailer.
E-Bike Positive is the trust mark for e-bikes which are rigorously safety-tested and fully UK road legal as Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles.
As an e-bike positive retailer, we along with other bike shops and mechanics have committed to the following best practice:
To sell only road legal e-bikes which are safety-tested and from trusted suppliers, and which come with full safety information and user instructions.
To repair only road legal e-bikes.
To repair or modify e-bikes only in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
To ensure that after any repair or modification, the e-bike can be charged and used safely. If this cannot be guaranteed, to refuse to do the work.
To supply only safety-tested chargers and batteries from trusted suppliers.
To supply only chargers, batteries and other components which are documented to be compatible with each other, and with the e-bike where they will be used.
To supply chargers and/or batteries with full safety information and user instructions.
Our hope is that by pledging the above our customers will feel empowered to be e-bike positive, whether that is through owning an e-bike themselves or simply supporting their friends and family to experience the benefits of e-cycling safely.
You can find out more about The Electric Bike Alliance & E-Bike Positive campaign, as well as info on e-bike safety and more.
FAQ About safe and road legal e-bikes
Why buy from an E-Bike Positive approved retailer?
An E-Bike Positive approved retailer has stepped up as a responsible supplier and pledged to sell, service and repair only safe and road legal e-bikes in accordance with industry best practice. The UK's national cycle industry trade bodies verify that retailers live up to this pledge through a variety of mechanisms including 'mystery shopper' visits.
When you go to an E-Bike Positive retailer for e-bike purchase, servicing, repair or spare parts, this means:
What is a road legal e-bike?
All e-bikes sold by E-bike Positive verified brands and approved retailers are road legal to use in the UK.
To be road legal, an e-bike needs to pass some simple tests:
If it meets all of these rules, and the rider is at least 14 year of age, you can ride it in the UK just like you can ride any other pedal cycle.
It's worth noting that the term "e-bike" is often used in the media and elsewhere quite loosely. Confusingly, it's often not clear whether a headline or media report about "e-bikes" actually refers to proper, road legal e-bikes or simply to anything bike-like with an electric motor. Fully road legal electrically powered motorcycles and mopeds do exist of course, and if these are properly approved by the DVSA, registered, taxed and insured, then these can be used legally on roads (but not cycle paths) in accordance with the established rules and regulations for motorcycle use, including holding a suitable licence and wearing an approved motorcycle helmet. But often vehicles reported as "e-bikes" turn out to be unregistered e-motorbikes being used illegally on road.
This possible confusion is one reason why we have developed E-Bike Positive - so that a potential purchaser looking for an e-bike can be absolutely confident that when they buy a verified brand from an approved retailer, their e-bike is fully road legal in the UK.
Want more detail?
What are the consequences if my e-bike is not road legal?
If your e-bike is not road legal as an Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC) or as a fully registered moped/motorbike, and you use it on road, on cycle paths or in a public place, it will be treated by police and other authorities as an unregistered motorbike. So you risk fines and other penalties (such as points on your driving licence), for offences such as riding a motor vehicle without insurance or a proper licence, or riding a motorbike without the proper helmet. Police have also recently been granted powers to seize and swiftly dispose of illegal e-motorbikes, so you may lose the vehicle too.
Potentially even more serious than the legal aspects is the risk of personal liability. If a rider of an illegal (non-EAPC) vehicle were to injure a third party, or damage property, it is highly likely that any insurance cover they may have which covers third party liability will be invalid. The result could be life-changing personal liabilities (e.g. the lifetime cost of medical care for an injured third party).
For all of these reasons we very strongly recommend that riders use only road-legal EAPCs from reputable suppliers - buy E-Bike Positive to be sure.
Why are some non-road legal e-bikes advertised for sale?
Just because an e-bike or other mobility device is advertised for sale on a major online marketplace or by a retailer does not mean that it is legal to use it on the road or in public places.
E-Bike Positive and other safety campaigns have argued that the law should be changed to restrict sales of non-road legal products. But as it stands, it remains legal to sell vehicles which cannot be legally ridden on road, provided that they are advertised as for use on private land only.
More accurately, this use of non-road-legal e-bikes or e-motorbikes on private land is legally permitted only on private land to which the public do not have unrestricted access, and with the landowner's permission.
Unfortunately, many sellers on online marketplaces and some retailers do not make this restriction clear to purchasers, as they are required to do by law, so purchasers may unknowingly buy a non-road legal device.
We recommend purchasing from an E-Bike Positive approved retailer to be confident that your new e-bike is fully road legal.
What is a properly safety-tested e-bike?
E-Bike Positive verified brands carry out extensive testing on e-bikes and e-bike batteries before placing them on the market, testing them to established international standards. The checks we carry out before a brand is listed as E-Bike Positive provide independent verification that these standards are met.
Aspects tested include mechanical, electrical and electromagnetic compatibility safety, that proper user information is provided, and that proper processes are in place to monitor product quality in production and use.
This extensive testing to ensure quality and safety is then backed up by final pre-delivery checking, usually by an authorised E-Bike Positive retailer, who will use manufacturer-authorised parts and procedures to keep the e-bike in top condition.
Want more detail?
What are the risks if my e-bike was not properly safety-tested?
There are two main areas of risk
Battery and electrical safety. In properly tested e-bikes, the batteries are very safe, of high quality and tested to the relevant international product safety standard. They are supplied together with a matching charger as a complete system. There is minimal risk with such batteries, used normally and in accordance with the instructions.
But unfortunately, there are products on the market which are much less safe - by design, because of poor manufacturing quality or because battery and charger are purchased separately, and may not be compatible.
If one of these batteries catches fire or explodes, the consequences can be very severe indeed, and sadly in some cases such incidents have been fatal. You may have read reports of such incidents in the media. As well as intense fire, toxic fumes can be generated which may impede escape.
So it's essential to follow the advice of the Fire & Rescue Services to purchase e-bike batteries from reputable suppliers only. E-Bike Positive aims to help you identify those reputable brands and retailers, so that you can be confident in the safety of your e-bike and battery.
Mechanical safety. Without proper testing and quality controls, there's a risk that the frame, forks or other structural parts could break under load, or that the brakes might not be up to the job of stopping you. In contrast, properly safety-tested e-bikes (such as E-Bike Positive brands) are designed and tested to international standards to ensure reliable performance.
