What do the “classes” of bikes mean and what do they mean?

In the past A few years, electric bikes have skyrocketed in popularity (decision aware of not using the word exploded There), with certain estimates saying that vehicle vehicle sales in the United States have increased tenfold over the past decade. Whether you are on the market for your first bike or you borrow one from your local loan library, you may wonder what the class of an Ebike denotes.

There are three educational designations in America – class 1, class 2 and class 3 – which are defined by a small handful of characteristics. While most Védios have a maximum power of 750 watts, it is a combination of the top speed of a bicycle and how This speed is made which puts each vehicle in its correct class. The three classes also determine where you can mount your vehicle.

The laws vary in the state depending on the state, but there is enough crossing to make general points on how you can mount your vehicle, according to its class. “With regard to avoidance courses, laws are really similar to all states,” said Doug Dahl, communications lead to Target Zero, a Washington Traffic Commission division in Olympia, Washington.

Updated in September 2025: We have largely updated this explanator.

Class 1 electric bikes

Class 1 vehicles only use pedal assistance technology. In other words, a rider must feed the cycling pedals so that the electric motor launches. In some cases, class 1 bikes also have a handle -based accelerator or activated by the thumb. However, these can only be activated when the cyclist pedals the bike.

In addition, class 1 vehicles have a top speed of 20 miles per hour.

In most places, a class 1 bike is legal to drive almost everywhere where you can make traditional bicycle (which is known as “analog bikes” or even more boring “acoustic bikes”), as on greenways, cycle paths and park paths.

Class 2 electric bikes

In addition to the pedal assistance, class 2 vehicles are equipped with throttas that a cyclist can work even when he does not pedal. Think of a small moped or a very, very slow motorcycle. If slow, in fact, that their top speed is legally regulated at 20 miles per hour.

Like class 1 bikes, class 2 bikes are authorized almost everywhere. In other words, the only difference between class 1 vehicles and class 2 is an accelerator which can be operated independently of the pedal assistance mechanism.

Class 3 electric bikes

With a top speed of 28 miles per hour, class 3 bikes are the most powerful of all. However, given their speed, most states impose heavier restrictions on where you can mount a class 3 bike. Like any bike, runners can operate a class 3 bike on roads, traffic lanes and cycle routes adjacent to the road. However, class 3 bikes are generally prohibited on greenways, paths and parks.

Some vehicles offer runners the possibility of switching between classes 2 and 3, offering more options on where and how you could mount your Ebike.

Evacuation or electric motorcycle vehicle?

Before going further, let’s go to the place where I mentioned a small moped or a very, very slow motorcycle. While electric technology develops quickly and the states and municipalities aim to follow, there is a lot of gray zone as to what is and is not an Ebike, how these things differ from scooters, and whether or not one of them is moped.

An easy way to determine if your vehicle is really an Ebike, thus requiring any additional license such as a motorcycle license or a driving license, is to note the top speed of the bicycle. If the electric motor of the machine is capable of speeds greater than 28 miles per hour, it is not a vehicle, whatever the condition in which you are.