A new law in Washington state is set to take effect next week, drawing a clearer line between electric assisted bicycles and electric motorcycles. State legislators tackled the growing questions around the two types of vehicles during the 2026 legislative session, and the resulting rules are about to become enforceable across the state.
At the heart of the law is a distinction between what are known as e-assisted bicycles, or e-bikes, and electric motorcycles. The new framework spells out specific requirements that a vehicle must meet to be treated as an e-bike, rather than being classified as a motorcycle under the law.
Under the rules, electric assisted bicycles must have pedals and must be powered by the rider. The motor is meant to play a supporting role, and the law makes clear that it should only provide assistance to the rider rather than serving as the primary source of power for the vehicle.
The law also sets firm limits on the motor and the speed. An e-bike cannot have a motor more powerful than 750 watts, its speed cannot exceed 20 miles per hour without the rider pedaling, and it must be capped at 28 miles per hour even when traveling downhill, keeping the vehicles within defined bounds.
If a vehicle does not meet those requirements, the consequences change significantly. In that case, it is considered an electric motorcycle, which would require a motorcycle endorsement on top of a standard Washington driver's license, placing it under stricter rules than a simple bicycle.
The push for clearer rules comes against the backdrop of safety concerns, highlighted by a recent crash. The parent of an underage electric motorcycle rider is being cited after a collision in Camas last week, in which a 15-year-old riding an electric cycle the wrong way caused a head-on crash on Northeast Franklin Loop in the afternoon.
According to the account of that crash, the teenager was wearing a helmet but was thrown off the bike and into the windshield of a car, and was treated for minor injuries while the bike was impounded. The parents now have to answer a citation for unlawfully allowing a minor to drive, underscoring the issues the new law aims to address.