Amazon Sells Chinese Kits Fueling Illegal E-bike Surge, Investigation Finds

Amazon is facilitating the proliferation of illegal electric bicycles by selling Chinese-made conversion kits that can transform standard bicycles into high-speed machines, according to an investigation by The Mail on Sunday.

These kits, some priced under £500, allow for modifications that enable riders to exceed the legal speed limits for e-bikes. In the UK, legal e-bikes are limited to a 250-watt motor output and must stop providing assistance at 15.5 mph. Exceeding these specifications classifies the vehicle as a moped or motorbike, requiring registration, taxation, and insurance.

The investigation found that it was remarkably easy to acquire kits online that significantly boost bicycle speeds. Amazon lists a variety of conversion kits, including some with 2,000-watt motors advertised to reach speeds of up to 40 mph. A 500-watt motor kit, along with a battery and other components, was purchased for under £500 and arrived within days. Installation at a bike shop cost an additional £200.

The modified bicycle was capable of speeds exceeding 25 mph, and the investigation noted that even more powerful kits were readily available. Some websites offer "speed derestriction dongles" for up to £299, with one product claiming to "suppress the speed limiter" for "unlimited speed."

Police forces across the UK are reportedly struggling with a significant increase in illegal e-bikes. Seizures of such vehicles rose by 83 percent in the 12 months leading up to May 19, reaching 7,049 from 3,858. Lawmakers have described these illegal e-bikes as "the perfect accessory to phone theft, mugging and drug dealing," as criminal gangs increasingly use them for targeted attacks. In one operation this year, the Metropolitan Police arrested 187 thieves and seized 157 e-bikes, mopeds, and other vehicles.

These modified machines have also been linked to serious accidents. In Sunderland last year, 86-year-old grandmother Gloria Stephenson was killed after being struck by a teenager riding an illegal e-bike on a zebra crossing. The type of bike involved in that crash, which is still sold online, was capable of a claimed top speed of 47 mph and could accelerate from 0 to 30 mph in 2.7 seconds.

Safety advocates argue that the problem should be addressed at its source. While powerful conversion kits can be legally sold, they are intended for use on private land only, or if the finished bike is properly registered, taxed, and insured for road use. These rules are frequently disregarded.

Labour MP Julie Minns, who has introduced a Private Member's Bill to ban the sale of illegal e-bikes and conversion kits, called the investigation's findings "deeply alarming." She stated that it is "completely unacceptable" for major online platforms like Amazon to make it easy to purchase high-powered motors that can convert ordinary bicycles into machines capable of car-like speeds. Minns urged the government to take decisive action to ban the sale and supply of such kits and speed-derestricting devices by online marketplaces.

Margaret Winchcomb of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety described the situation as "unsustainable" if police are left to seize illegal vehicles on the streets. Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking, added that the availability of dangerous e-bikes and conversion kits online "must not continue."

In response, an Amazon spokesperson stated that the company is "removing the products" highlighted by the investigation. They affirmed that Amazon requires all products to comply with applicable laws and regulations and monitors for safety concerns. The company also requires sellers of e-mobility products to provide documented testing certification from an accredited lab.

A government spokesperson noted that e-bikes modified to exceed legal speed and power limits are considered motorbikes and are illegal on public roads without proper registration, taxation, and insurance. The government has provided police with stronger powers to seize such vehicles and is cracking down on unsafe products sold online.