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Electric Bicycles

Asked by Preet Kaur GillLabour (Co-op)Department for TransportTabled Answered 27 January 2025UIN 26056

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of requiring electric bike users to (a) have a number plate and (b) be insured.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

The Government has no intention of requiring cyclists, including those who ride Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles, to display number plates or to have insurance. This would require a national registration scheme for all cycles which would be complex and expensive to design and administer. It would also be likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of people cycling, which would have negative health and environmental consequences. The Government believes that insurance for cycling should remain a matter of personal choice. Cyclists who are not insured are liable for the consequences of their actions should these result in injury or damages to others.

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