Definition
Class 4 Is a Sales Term With No Legal Standing
No US state defines a Class 4 electric bicycle. The label covers anything faster or more powerful than Class 3.
The three-class system, drafted as model legislation by PeopleForBikes and adopted by most states, stops at Class 3: pedal assist that cuts out at 28 mph, with a motor of 750 W or less. Sellers use "Class 4" for bikes past that line, usually with motors of 1,000 W to 3,000 W and top speeds of 30 to 45 mph.
Federal law draws the same line. The Consumer Product Safety Commission treats a "low-speed electric bicycle" as a consumer product only if it has working pedals, a motor under 750 W and a top speed under 20 mph on motor power alone. Above that, the vehicle falls under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a motor vehicle and must meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to be sold for road use.
Where the classes stop
The Three Legal Classes and the Line Above Them
Class is set by how the motor is controlled and where it stops helping.
| Class | Motor control | Motor stops at | Motor limit | Regulated as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Pedal assist only | 20 mph | 750 W | Bicycle |
| Class 2 | Throttle allowed | 20 mph | 750 W | Bicycle |
| Class 3 | Pedal assist; speedometer usually required | 28 mph | 750 W | Bicycle, with age and path limits |
| "Class 4" | Pedal assist, throttle or both | Over 28 mph | Over 750 W | Moped, motor-driven cycle, motorcycle or off-road vehicle |
What states call it
States Are Writing These Vehicles Out of the E-Bike Definition
The recent laws exclude anything that exceeds a class or can be unlocked to exceed it, then point to an existing motor-vehicle category.
| State | What changed | Category it falls into | In force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | A throttle vehicle that can exceed 20 mph is not an e-bike; sellers must disclose the likely classification | Motor-driven cycle, electric motors up to 3,700 W | Oct 2025 |
| Washington | Excludes vehicles that exceed e-bike limits or can be unlocked by switch, app or software | Moped or motorcycle; work group to define "e-moto" | Passed both chambers 2026 |
| California | AB 1774 bars selling e-bikes that can be modified to exceed their class | Moped or motorcycle | 2025 |
Every other state's treatment is on its state law page.
What gets sold as Class 4
Three Kinds of Vehicle Carry the Label
- Electric dirt bikes. The Sur-Ron Light Bee and Talaria Sting have no pedals and are sold for off-road use. On a street without a plate, they are unregistered motorcycles.
- Unlocked moped-style e-bikes. Sold inside Class 2 limits, then unlocked by a setting or app to run at 28 mph and up. See Moped-Style E-Bikes.
- High-power conversions. Hub or mid-drive kits of 1,000 W and more fitted to an ordinary bicycle frame.
Enforcement focus. Teenagers riding unplated electric dirt bikes on streets and paths drove most of the 2025 and 2026 state bills.
Where you can ride one
Off-Road Areas, Private Land, or the Street With a Plate
Without a plate, a Class 4 vehicle is legal on private land and in off-highway vehicle areas that allow motorcycles. Bike paths and most trails exclude it, and the Forest Service already treats every e-bike as a motor vehicle.
Street use needs registration as a moped or motorcycle, which needs the lights, mirrors and federal safety certification most of these vehicles were never built with.
Record
Sources
- Federal definition
- Consumer Product Safety Act, low-speed electric bicycle
- Connecticut
- HB 6862, 2025 bill analysis
- Washington
- SB 6110, 2026 bill report
- California
- AB 1774
- Last verified
- Q4 2026