EcoMove, The UK's Best Electric Moped Dealer

With the government recently extending electric motorcycle, scooter and moped grants in a bid to encourage more people to go electric, electric scooters and mopeds are slowly becoming a more attractive option to riders.

Of course, as we found out in our opinions survey on electric motorbikes, there are still some riders who aren’t ready to go electric. Thankfully, over the past few years, more options have become available, and the anxieties around range and charge times have diminished somewhat as battery technology improves and the number of charge points increase.

Additionally, the government has confirmed that they plan to phase out “the sale of new non-zero emission powered two and three-wheelers (and other L-category vehicles)” by 2035 in their Decarbonising Transport plan, so it’s likely that electric motor scooters will become more and more popular as time goes by. But are they a practical alternative?

Electric mopeds have increasingly become real contenders as an economical, environmentally-friendly option. Mopeds are increasingly being seen as a viable option for commuter riders, particularly as most commuters’ round trips are, on average, 23 miles, which is usually covered by a single charge of most electric scooters and mopeds.

As with their petrol-powered siblings, the restrictions on who can ride electric mopeds and scooters are determined by their speed.

As a general rule, electric moped are limited to a speed of 28mph and are powered between 1000W (1kW) and 4000W (4kW). These can be ridden by any rider who is 16 years old and above, has passed a CBT course and has a category AM or P on their existing driving licence. Note that electric mopeds can’t be used on motorways.

Anything with power over 4,000W and a speed higher than 28mph is likely to be a scooter or motorcycle classed as an L3E-A1 bike. Riders must be 17 years and older, should have passed a CBT course and have a full A1 motorcycle licence.

In both cases, riders will need number plates, registration documents, road tax, electric scooter insurance, and the scooter or moped must be MOT’d after three years. Riders must wear helmets. Note that electric scooters are road tax exempt! For more information, read our guide to electric scooters and the law.

It’s important to know the difference between true electric motorcycles and electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs). EAPCs are classed as electric bicycles, limited to a maximum speed of 15mph and must have pedals. This means that they can be ridden without a driving licence and do not require road tax, insurance or an MOT.

All the options listed on our website are for adults. Despite what some people say, electric mopeds can be ridden by anyone – they’re not limited to teenagers who have just passed their test.

We’ve listed our favourite road-legal electric scooters and mopeds that are available to buy now. NIU electric mopeds are a listed company that offer fantastic products. Horwin is our favorite start-up with extremely good value for money.

Electric vehicles are categorised by power rating based on KiloWatts (KW) instead of engine size in CC. There are different categories of electric mopeds and motorbikes as defined by the European Commission. Category L applies to Mopeds, Motorcycles, Motor Tricycles and Quadricycles and the applicable categories we sell include the following:-

Powered Cycles (L1e-A). Power up to 1000w (Electric or combustion). Power assist cuts off at speeds above 15 mp/h. Can also have 3 or 4 wheels. Must have pedals but are not the same as EAPC push bikes..
Mopeds (L1e-B). Power up to 4kW. Max speed 28mph. These are typically regarded as being equivalent to about 50cc
Motorbikes (L3e). There are 3 categories based on power. No speed restrictions
L3e-A1 Power <= 11kw, Power/Weight <=0.1 kw/kg. These are typically regarded as being equivalent to 125cc

L3e-A2 Power <= 35kw, Power/Weight 35kw

All our mopeds and motorcycles are either 50cc equivalent (called "L1e") or 125cc (called "L3e") and so they can be ridden on a CBT.

Just like petrol based bikes, electric mopeds are used for everything you’d use a conventional scooter or moped for. From commuting, nipping around the city to delivery and public sector use such as law enforcement and police.

Yes. Mopeds can be fitted with "Pizza Box" sized delivery boxes. Combined with removable batteries and spare chargers would enable a shift to be completed.

The biggest advantage of electric bikes from this perspective is that there are no gears so they are extremely simple to ride. There are twist and go controls and some have economy and performance modes that provide different characteristics for certain riding conditions or requirements. All the other controls are the same as conventional motorbikes such as indicators, horn, speedometer etc. Some of the more recent bikes provide mobile phone apps to allow details and configuration of your bike to be monitored remotely.

One of the advantages of electric mopeds and bikes is that they are significantly quieter than their petrol equivalents but are not totally silent. You will hear the electric motor as you ride. Belt driven bikes also typically make more noise than hub motors

Yes. All our bikes conform to European standards and will come complete with Certificate of Conformity for your records. We also provide off-road (motorcross style) electric motorbikes that cannot legally be ridden on the road.

You can ride our L1e (50cc) electric moped from age 16. You must be at least 17 years old to ride the L3e category (<=11kw) 125cc equivalent.

Yes but the licence category required can be confusing. The table below summarises it.

As with all mopeds and motorcycles you may need to complete a compulsory basic training course (CBT) to validate your licence before you can ride on the road.

If you obtained your full driving licence before 1 February 2001 you do not need to complete CBT.

If you obtained your full driving licence on or after 1 February 2001 then CBT is required after which you can ride without L plates.

If you have a provisional moped licence then CBT is required and you must display L plates until you qualify for a full licence – provisional entitlement with CBT is valid for two years after which CBT must be retaken.

CBT can be completed in one day and costs around £70. More information about Driver Vehicle Licencing including CBT can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring.

Electric mopeds and motorbikes are required to be registered with the DVLA using a V5 document but there is no Road Tax because of zero emissions. Number plates will need to displayed just like their petrol equivalents.

After 3 years an MOT will be required

Yes. Insurance and a helmet is required

The cost of mains electricity to fully charge the battery is under 20p. If you compare an average petrol moped consumption of 60mpg and an example range of a single charge of an electric moped of 60 miles, with current petrol prices of £1.20/litre, an electric moped could travel over 1,500 miles for the equivalent cost of a gallon of fuel.

As electric mopeds and motorbikes do not have a combustion engine, the major element that requires maintenance does not exist. Therefore maintenance essentially comes down to consumable items such as tyres and breaks, plus electrical items.

This is a function of the power of the engine, the consumption of the battery and driving style. Typical range starts at about 35 miles but can go up to 100 miles on the bikes we offer.

All our bikes are Lithium based which are lighter and safer than Lead Acid. This also ensures that our bikes can qualify for the Governments Plug In Grant scheme.

This depends on the model and if you are charging them from a domestic 13amp socket or a commercial charging station. However, Batteries take around 6 to 8 hours to fully charge but fast chargers chargers can reduce this significantly and some models offer the option. Also, most models offer removable batteries meaning they can be taken in to offices, coffee shops etc to top up while out and above.

A charge indicator on the display console provides a ‘fuel gauge’ view of the remaining battery charge. Some models offer apps to remotely interrogate the bikes statistics

As with their petrol equivalents, many have an under seat helmet storage compartment and some also have a lockable glove box. In additional, we can supply an optional secure back box.

Your electric scooter will arrive fully assembled with any options purchased attached, registered and taxed. Your V5C will come direct from DVLA separately. You will need to insure it.

Electric mopeds and motorcycles have very low maintenance and servicing requirements as there is no petrol engine etc. Consumable items such as tyres, brake pads and discs will need maintenance as with petrol equivalent bikes. Your documentation will tell you of the servicing requirements which are typically light in nature due to the fact that the motor and battery are non-serviceable components.

EcoMove can supply a full range of spare parts for our electric scooters including replacement batteries and chargers. Please email us any concerns you have.