The Metropolitan Police have seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters so far in 2026, already exceeding last year’s total. Portable roadside dynamometer kits ("rolling roads") and intelligence-led stop sites are being used to identify modified machines that exceed the 15.5mph legal limit. The force reports neighbourhood offences are down 14% year-on-year, with thefts from the person down 23% and personal robberies down 11%.
Metropolitan Police Seize Record 2,500+ Illegal E-Bikes and E-Scooters in 2026
The seizures were part of an ongoing crackdown on the illegal modification and dangerous use of two-wheelers by the Met Police [PA Media]
So far in 2026 the Metropolitan Police have confiscated more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters — already surpassing the total seized across the entire previous year. The force says the record haul is part of an intensified crackdown aimed at improving road safety and disrupting crimes such as mobile phone thefts and robberies.
Privately owned e-scooters remain illegal to ride on UK public roads, while e-bikes must meet legal specifications — including a maximum assisted speed of 15.5mph (25km/h) — to be roadworthy.
Targeted enforcement and new testing tech
By combining intelligence-led policing with new portable testing equipment, the Met says it has been able to pinpoint and remove modified two-wheelers from London streets. The force is one of only two in England and Wales — alongside Nottinghamshire Police — to deploy portable roadside dynamometer kits, sometimes referred to as "rolling roads," which allow officers to test whether a bike has been illegally modified to exceed the 15.5mph legal limit.
Some of the machines seized by the Met have recorded speeds in excess of 27mph (43km/h), putting riders and other road users at greater risk.
Local operations and results
Officers can stop bikes they suspect to be illegal; common indicators include very high speeds, the presence of throttles that let riders accelerate without pedalling, and large aftermarket batteries. On Friday, police seized 29 e-bikes and seven e-scooters near Tottenham Court Road Station after setting up a stop site to inspect modified vehicles. That was the seventh such operation in London this year, with five more stop sites planned through the summer.
The Met also said the enforcement campaign has contributed to falling local crime: neighbourhood offences were down 14% in the 12 months to June compared with the previous year — the equivalent of roughly 35,000 fewer reported incidents. The force highlighted a 23% drop in thefts from the person and an 11% fall in personal robberies, crimes frequently facilitated by offenders using illegal e-bikes and mopeds.
Cdr Neerav Patel: "We recognise that the use of e-bikes can be perfectly legitimate, but there are a vast number of people intent on using e-bikes for criminal and anti-social purposes. We know that e-bikes are used in phone snatches, particularly in this part of London. By combining new technology with an intelligence-led approach to precisely target hotspot areas, we have cleared thousands of two-wheelers from our streets and crushed them."
The Met says the programme balances road safety priorities with legitimate use of e-bikes, while continuing to target those who modify and misuse electric two-wheelers for criminal activity.
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