Across the EU, the line between "bicycle" and "motor vehicle" is drawn by a single standard, and once you understand it the rest follows.
The rule that decides everything: EN 15194
A pedelec — what everyone means by "e-bike" — is defined by three conditions:
- A motor with a continuous rated power of no more than 250 W.
- Assistance that cuts out at 25 km/h.
- Assistance that only operates while you pedal.
Meet all three and the machine is legally a bicycle in Germany, the Netherlands and France. No driving licence, no registration, no number plate, no compulsory insurance. You can use cycle paths and cycle lanes like any other bike.
Fail any one of them and you are in a different legal category — with everything that brings.
Two things that are commonly misunderstood
Torque is not regulated
The limit is on continuous rated power, not torque. A 250 W motor producing 100 Nm — like the mid-drive on the L20 3.0 Pro — is entirely legal. This surprises people who assume high torque means high power. It does not.
Peak power is not the rated figure
Manufacturers sometimes quote a peak or maximum wattage that is several times the continuous rating. The legal figure is the continuous rated power on the compliance label. If a listing shouts "1000 W" without qualification, treat it as not road legal until proven otherwise.
Germany
A pedelec meeting EN 15194 is a Fahrrad. No helmet requirement, no insurance requirement, no minimum age set by the vehicle class.
Above 250 W or above 25 km/h, you move into S-Pedelec or moped territory: type approval, an insurance plate, a helmet and a driving licence class.
Electric scooters are an entirely separate regime and this is where most people get caught. See the scooter guide — the short version is that a scooter needs a KBA type approval (ABE) capped at 20 km/h plus a current insurance plate, and a 25 km/h scooter cannot hold one.
The Netherlands
A 250 W / 25 km/h pedelec is a bicycle. At present there is no helmet requirement and no minimum age tied to the vehicle class.
What is changing: the Dutch government has announced plans to require helmets for riders and passengers under 18 on all electric bicycles — deliberately covering every e-bike rather than trying to define "fatbike" separately, because that distinction proved unworkable. September 2027 has been given as the intended start date, with the proposal going to parliament in autumn 2026. If you are buying for a younger rider, check where this has got to.
Bikes that have been modified — a throttle fitted, or the limiter removed — fall into the moped category, bringing a helmet requirement, insurance, a minimum age of 16 and an AM licence. Insurers can and do refuse claims on modified bikes.
France
The French term is vélo à assistance électrique (VAE), and the same EN 15194 conditions apply: 250 W nominal, assistance to 25 km/h, pedal-activated.
Above that, a machine falls under the cyclomoteur regime — registration, insurance, helmet and licence category. In practice a 1000 W fat bike cannot lawfully be ridden on a French road or cycle path as sold.
Any throttle function that propels the bike without pedalling is restricted to private land.
What this means when you are shopping
Three checks before you buy anything:
- Look for the continuous rated power, not a peak figure. It should say 250 W.
- Look for EN 15194, ideally with a TÜV or equivalent certification reference.
- Be suspicious of "street legal" as a phrase. It is marketing language, not a legal term. Certification numbers are legal; adjectives are not.
On this site, every bike in the main range is supplied in EU pedelec specification. The high-power machines are in a separate, labelled category because they are not road legal here, and we would rather say so than sell you a problem.
Why de-restricting is a bad idea
It is technically possible to remove a speed limiter. Doing so:
- takes the bike outside the legal definition of a bicycle, so you are riding an unregistered, uninsured motor vehicle;
- voids the manufacturer warranty;
- gives your insurer grounds to decline a claim after an accident;
- overloads a drivetrain and brakes designed for 25 km/h.
The last point is the one riders underestimate. Brakes sized for a 25 km/h bike are not sized for a 45 km/h one.