WASHINGTON, D.C.—Consumer Reports (CR) has endorsed a new bipartisan bill in Congress to make the e-bike marketplace safer for consumers. H.R. 7839, the Safe SPEEDS Act, would establish clear federal classifications and safety labeling for e-bikes and certain other electric mobility products.
“The Safe SPEEDS Act would bring some much-needed clarity to consumers when they’re shopping for an e-bike,” said Cooper Lohr, senior policy analyst for transportation and safety at Consumer Reports. “Some manufacturers play fast and loose and make their e-bikes much more powerful than advertised, putting the safety of riders—and especially children—at risk. By requiring uniform labels for power and speed, reasonable age recommendations, and a prohibition on the sale of e-bikes that can be easily modified for higher speeds, this bill would help address serious safety hazards and crack down on products that don’t deliver what they promise.”
The legislation, introduced in early March by Reps. Dave Min (CA-47), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Jared Huffman (CA-02), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), would help consumers distinguish between true e-bikes and much more powerful “e-motos.” Numerous recent reports have documented an increase in e-moto use and a spate of injuries associated with these products, which reach speeds above 20 mph when powered solely by the motor and can even reach top speeds of 40-50 mph or greater.
As e-bike popularity continues to surge, outdated federal standards have left consumers navigating a marketplace flooded with underregulated and potentially dangerous products. For example, some companies might label a product as a Class 1 e-bike (providing assistance up to 20 mph only when the rider is pedaling) while installing a motor capable of much higher speeds—sometimes even showing buyers how to “hack” the bike’s software to go faster.
CR has previously warned regulators about e-bike hazards affecting the public. In 2024, CR submitted comments urging the CPSC to update safety standards to address the evolution of e-bike technology, as the agency weighed new rules to reduce injury risks associated with e-bikes. The Safe SPEEDS Act would codify requirements for the CPSC to clearly define categories for different types of products, implement labeling requirements, establish minimum age recommendations, and prohibit devices from being sold that can be configured or modified to go beyond the speed or power limit of the category for which it is designed, manufactured, or displayed. Additionally, the bill would improve local crash incident reporting and data collection to help communities better respond to public safety risks associated with e-bikes and other micromobility products.
CR tests, evaluates, and compares e-bikes for braking, acceleration, hill climb, and control response. View CR’s electric bike ratings and advice for consumers.
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Media Contact: Emily Akpan. emily.akpan@consumer.org