In the EU the default legal e-bike is not a US Class 2. It is an EPAC: 250 watts continuous, assistance that stops at 25 km/h, pedals that work. Go faster as a product category and you usually leave “bicycle” and enter moped paperwork.
This brief is the EU counterpart to our UK EAPC page. It is not legal advice. Member states and cities still add helmet, insurance, and path rules. Confirm the statute where you live.
The 20-second version
| Product | Assist cap | Typical power | Treated as |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPAC (pedelec) | 25 km/h | 250W continuous | Bicycle in most EU rules |
| Speed pedelec | 45 km/h | Often more; type-approved | Usually L1e-B — plate, insurance, helmet |
| Unlocked import | 20–28 mph / 32–45 km/h | “750W” US class bikes | Often neither — a problem |
If the shop only shouts “1,000W peak” and 45 km/h with no type-approval talk, you are not looking at an EPAC.
EPAC — the 25 km/h bicycle
EN 15194 is the standard most EPAC products lean on. The useful buyer version:
- Pedals can propel the bike
- Motor assistance cuts at 25 km/h
- Continuous rated power 250W
- The bike is sold as a bicycle, not as a moped
Lankeleisi.fr listings that print 25 km/h and 250W nominal sit in this bucket on paper. Peak watts on the same page do not rewrite the 250W continuous rule. Dual-motor off-road models (X3000 MAX class) are the wrong brief for a city commute.
Speed pedelec — not “a fast EPAC”
A speed pedelec that assists to 45 km/h is a different vehicle in most of the Union. Expect type approval, registration or a plate, insurance, and a helmet rule that does not apply to a 25 km/h EPAC.
Do not buy a speed pedelec because an ad said “still an e-bike.” The word is doing too much work.
US Class stickers do not map
| US class | Why it fails as an EPAC |
|---|---|
| Class 1 to 20 mph | 20 mph is ~32 km/h — over 25 |
| Class 2 throttle to 20 mph | Throttle at road speed + overspeed |
| Class 3 to 28 mph | Far outside EPAC |
A Velotric Discover on a US spec sheet is a US commuter. Shipping it to Paris or Berlin does not convert it into EN 15194.
France, Germany, and “the EU”
The 250W / 25 km/h idea is shared. Helmet laws, insurance, and whether you may use a piste cyclable are not. France is not Germany. A .fr checkout (Lankeleisi) is a French retailer, not a pan-EU legal stamp.
We will keep country pages when a rule actually changes the bike you should buy. Until then this page is the shared ceiling.
How The Ride Brief will use this
EU shortlist rows must show 25 km/h and 250W continuous (or a clearly labeled speed-pedelec path we do not pretend is an EPAC). The current commuter shortlist already isolates Lankeleisi.fr from Velotric and Puckipuppy. That split stays.
Read with: UK EAPC, US e-bike classes, commuter shortlist, real-world range.
Official starting points differ by country. For the product definition, start with the Commission / national transport page that defines pedelec vs L1e — not a marketplace listing.