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Data on collisions which cause injury and take place on the road network, including adjacent pavements and cycle lanes, is collected by Police Scotland as part of the GB-wide dataset known as STATS19.

Within STATS19, vehicles involved in injury road collisions can be recorded as ‘bicycle’ or ‘electric motorcycle’. However, there is currently no systematic way of determining which of these vehicles would be described as illegal e-bikes.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government. When local authority trading standards services find products that are non-compliant with the relevant product safety legislation this should be input into the Product Safety Database. This is operated by the UK Government’s Office of Product Safety and Standards.

This is an operational matter for Police Scotland. I have asked Police Scotland to write to you on this matter.

Data on collisions which cause injury and take place on the road network, including adjacent pavements and cycle lanes, is collected by Police Scotland as part of the GB-wide dataset known as STATS19.

Within STATS19, vehicles involved in injury road collisions can be recorded as ‘bicycle’ or ‘electric motorcycle’. However, there is currently no systematic way of determining which of these vehicles would be described as illegal e-bikes.

The Scottish Government maintains contact with the UK Government on the shared challenge of tackling illegal e-bikes. The Scottish Government has noted the work undertaken by the UK Government through its Defence and Security Accelerator to undertake research on technology to tackle e-scooter and e-bike enabled crime, including technology to bring these vehicles to a controlled stop in a manner which does not pose a significant risk to the rider, the public or police officers.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I have asked Police Scotland to write to you on this matter.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I have asked Police Scotland to write to you on this matter.

Legislation surrounding the use of e-bikes and regulatory standards is a reserved matter for the UK Government. For an e-bike to be legal for use in the UK, they must meet the criteria of an electrically assisted pedal cycle and the electric motor should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling more than 15.5mph, with a maximum power output of 250 watts. This ensures speeds similar to that of other bicycles.

Ebikes that are modified to exceed speed and power limits are classify under motorcycle legislation. Police Scotland are responsible for taking action against those who ride illegal ebikes. Between January 2024 and Sept 2024 Police Scotland seized 281 illegally modified ebikes.

Members of the public who are seeking clarity on the standards required to ride on public roads should visit https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

The Scottish Government fully supports local authorities and their partners in dealing with the misuse of such vehicles.

There is no record of Aberdeen City Council having requested support from the Scottish Government to enforce the laws regulating e-bikes.

Support for any local authority trading standards service to enforce product safety regulations is a matter for the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I have asked Police Scotland to write to you on this matter.