West Midlands Police pay out after destroying £6,500 electric bike over ‘bogus’ speed test

A high-profile police mix-up in Birmingham has highlighted a growing lack of clarity surrounding electric bike laws in the UK, after West Midlands Police were forced to reimburse a cyclist for wrongfully seizing and destroying a fully legal, £6,500 electric cargo bike.

The incident, which resulted in dropped charges and a formal apology, has prompted cycling groups to call for urgent, nationwide police training on how to correctly identify legal Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPCs).

The flawed roadside test

The stop and seizure took place on 24 April, when a cyclist was stopped on New Street in Birmingham city centre by officers participating in 'Operation FRISLEN', which is a police initiative aimed at cracking down on the misuse of illegal e-motorbikes and electric scooters.

The rider was using a Tern HSD S00 electric cargo bike, which had been legitimately loaned to him by the Birmingham Bike Foundry.

Suspecting the bike was an illegal e-motorbike, officers conducted a roadside test. Body-worn camera footage of the encounter shows officers lifting the rear wheel of the e-bike off the ground and vigorously spinning the pedals by hand. When the bike's display recorded a speed of 47 kph (29 mph), officers deemed it illegal.

However, experts quickly pointed out the roadside assessment was fundamentally flawed. Cycling UK’s Cyclists’ Defence Fund (CDF), who stepped in to represent the rider, explained that any bicycle equipped with a rear-wheel speed sensor can display speeds well above the UK's 15.5 mph legal motor-assist limit when the wheel is spun freely in the air without friction or load.

Despite the rider’s protests, officers issued a fixed penalty notice. The cyclist was handed a £300 fine and slapped with six penalty points on his driving licence for riding without insurance. Crucially, the £6,500 Tern e-cargo bike was seized by the force and sent to be destroyed before an appeal could be properly processed.

A full reversal and compensation

Following public pressure, media coverage, and legal intervention by the CDF, West Midlands Police have completely reversed their position and dropped all criminal charges and penalty points against the rider. Furthermore, they have agreed to fully compensate the Birmingham Bike Foundry for the destruction of the £6,500 e-bike.

In communications with the bike shop, the police admitted that while there was "no malice" in the officers' actions, the testing methodology used to justify the seizure was "not an accurate measurement of the bike's capability" and confirmed they would stop using the flawed testing method immediately.

A warning for the wider industry

For Autotrader readers navigating the transition to electric mobility, the case serves as a stark reminder of the ‘confusion’ that currently exists on UK roads. By law, a legal e-bike (EAPC) must require the rider to pedal for the motor to engage, and motor assistance must cut out at 15.5 mph. Anything that operates via a throttle alone, or assists above 15.5 mph, is legally classed as an electric motorbike and requires DVLA registration, insurance, and a valid licence.

Duncan Dollimore, Associate Director at Cycling UK, noted the wider implications of this case: “If police forces are going to destroy e-bikes worth thousands of pounds, they need to be able to carry out a proper test to determine whether they're legal or not. Cases like this underline the need for clearer guidance for police... as distinct from illegal electric motorbikes."

The incident coincides with the cycling industry's recent launch of the 'E-Bike Positive' trust mark, an initiative designed to help consumers and authorities easily distinguish safe, legally compliant e-bikes from illegally modified electric motorbikes that continue to cause issues on British streets.