Leigh Day joins with parliamentary group to warn of illegal e-bike battery safety
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) has recently (16 June 2025) released its report on illegal e-bikes which has identified a surge in battery fires linked to unregulated e-bike conversion kits, low-cost batteries, and poor-quality imports.
Posted on 16 June 2025
It found that the majority of serious safety incidents, particularly battery fires, are linked to poor-quality, and often illegal products.
The APPGCW heard evidence from fire services highlighting that callouts to battery fires are rising sharply, with some resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. Their report states that this is not an issue with e-bikes more generally, but a “specific and growing problem” linked to illegal products.
The APPGCW’s report also highlights online marketplaces selling unsafe products with little or no oversight, enforcement, or legal liability and calls on the government to:
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Make online marketplaces legally accountable for unsafe listings.
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End the Road-Legal Loophole that allows illegal vehicles to be sold under the guise of off-road use.
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Call on online retailers to immediately withdraw unsafe e-bike items from sale.
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Equip police with new, simpler powers to seize unsafe e-bikes.
Leigh Day personal injury partner and product safety specialist, Jill Paterson, gave evidence to the APPGCW’s inquiry earlier this year and welcomes the report’s findings.
Jill said:
“The concerning rise of lithium-ion battery fires and the dangers surrounding illegal e-bikes highlighted by the APPG’s report further underlines the urgent need for better regulation of online marketplaces and a well-overdue update of product safety laws to bring them up to date with the modern world.
“E-bikes provide an important and eco-friendly form of transport for many, which should be accessible and encouraged. It is time that consumers purchasing online are afforded better protection from the potential dangers posed by fake and sub-standard products available online.
“It is vital that any products that are available to UK consumers are safe.”
Rory McCarron, senior associate solicitor in Leigh Day’s cycling team, said:
“For many people, particular the elderly and those with disabilities, e-bikes are often a great way to enjoy the benefits of active travel. However, the surge in illegal e-bikes is damaging the good reputation that regulated e-bikes do to promote active travel.
“Sadly, unregulated e-bikes can also pose a danger to other road users, particularly vulnerable ones – and we should be doing all we can to ensure that they are kept safe.”
Fabian Hamilton MP, Chair of the APPGCW, said:
“This is a crisis hiding in plain sight. While responsible cycling businesses continue to meet high safety standards, the rise of illegal and unsafe e-bikes, often bought online and used in the gig economy, has created serious risks for riders, the public, and the future of active travel. We need urgent action from Government and industry to stop unsafe products entering the UK and to protect those being exploited while trying to earn a living.”
Jill Paterson
Jill Paterson is a renowned market leader in representing people who have been harmed
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