National Action Required Against Illegal E-Bikes

 

National Action Required Against Illegal E-Bikes, says MCIA

 

Illegal e-bikes are becoming a national road safety and enforcement challenge that policing alone cannot solve, the Motorcycle Industry Association has warned.

The MCIA is calling for coordinated action from Government, police, regulators and delivery platforms ahead of the Second Reading of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Bill.

The association says illegally modified e-bikes, and non-compliant products sold as “e-bikes”, are increasingly being used on public roads despite being capable of moped or motorcycle-level performance. These vehicles can operate without licensing, registration, insurance or safety oversight, creating what the MCIA describes as a parallel, unregulated mobility market.

For driver and rider trainers, the issue is significant. Illegal e-bikes are now a growing part of the road environment, particularly in urban areas, and can present risks to learner drivers, pedestrians, riders and other road users. Their speed, weight and acceleration may not match what other road users expect from a pedal cycle, making hazard perception and early observation increasingly important.

The MCIA says the legal powered two-wheeler sector is also being affected. Registrations of new L1 mopeds have fallen by more than 40% since 2022, a decline the association says coincides with the rapid rise of illegal e-bikes being used as de facto mopeds outside the proper regulatory framework.

Over recent months, MCIA says it has engaged with every Chief Constable, Police and Crime Commissioners and the Policing Minister. It reports that every policing representative it has spoken to recognises illegal e-bikes as a growing and pressing issue, with many forces already carrying out seizures and targeted operations.

However, enforcement varies across the country, reflecting local priorities, resources and operational frameworks. MCIA says police forces have also raised concerns about the lack of clear national guidance on identifying, seizing and disposing of illegal vehicles, which contributes to inconsistent enforcement.

Police feedback suggests enforcement often focuses on anti-social behaviour because it is highly visible, while a significant proportion of illegal e-bike use is linked to gig-economy delivery work. MCIA says riders are often operating under the branding of major platforms such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.

Targeted operations have also uncovered wider criminality, including illegal working, exploitation, weapons offences and drug offences, underlining the complexity of the issue.

MCIA is calling for national leadership, particularly from the Home Office, to create a cross-Government framework that supports policing, addresses the wider drivers of illegal e-bike use and strengthens expectations on delivery platforms to prevent the use of non-compliant vehicles.

Tony Campbell, Chief Executive of MCIA, said law-abiding manufacturers, retailers and users of mopeds and motorcycles are “fed up” with seeing widespread disregard for the law.

He said: “This is not simply a market trend, it is the emergence of an unregulated substitute for mopeds and motorcycles operating on public roads posing significant risk to pedestrians, other road users with these illegal vehicles being used to enable more serious crime.

“Police forces are key partners in the solution, but they cannot solve this alone. What is needed now is national clarity, consistent policy direction and coordinated action across Government.”

The MCIA says the EAPC Bill gives Parliament a timely opportunity to address the gap between legal electrically assisted pedal cycles and high-powered illegal e-bikes before an unregulated market becomes further embedded on UK roads.

AA ordered to refund 80,000 Learner Drivers over illegal ‘drip’ pricing

 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has fined the BSM Driving School and AA Driving School  a combined £4.2m and forced them to repay £760,000 after they were found to have added a mandatory £3 booking fee to lessons at the checkout.

And these driving schools owned by the AA have been ordered to refund more than 80,000 customers after overcharging for lessons using illegal “drip” pricing.

The drip pricing is , where customers are not told the full cost of a service upfront, and it was banned in April last 2025.

Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the CMA, said: “If a fee is mandatory, the law is clear: it must be included in the price from the very start – not added at checkout – so consumers always know what they need to pay.

“At a time when people are watching every pound, dripped fees can tip the balance. And when it comes to something as important – and costly – as learning to drive, people deserve clarity.”

The CMA launched an investigation into deceptive drip pricing tactics last year.

The CMA found the AA had added mandatory booking fees to lessons between April and December last year, only revealing the full price of booking a lesson after customers had picked their times and added their personal details.

Customers who were charged hidden fees by the AA can expect to be written to and refunded. The average refund is expected to be around £9.

The CMA said in November that it had written to more than 100 businesses regarding its concerns about their use of deceptive additional fees and sales tactics. It also launched investigations into eight businesses, including the AA driving schools, about deceptive pricing.

A 2023 government study found that as many as 46pc of online businesses were using some form of hidden fees, costing consumers an extra £3.5bn per year.

Learner drivers have been grappling with Waiting times for Driving Tests  of six months or longer amid a backlog of bookings that is not expected to be cleared until 2027.

A shortage of instructors and hundreds of thousands of missed tests during the Covid pandemic left new drivers paying over the odds to secure tests by relying on third-party websites to book slots.

The National Audit Office found in December there was a backlog of about 1.1 million tests dating from Covid.

The CMA said the AA had admitted to breaking the law and agreed to settle the case.

An AA spokesman said: “Although the £3 booking fee was made clear to customers prior to their purchase, we acknowledge it should have also been displayed at the start of the online booking journey.

“Having listened to the regulator, we made immediate changes to our website to make the £3 booking fee more prominent. We are now refunding all relevant customers.