The Different Speeds Of E-Bikes - Do They Have a Limit?

When looking into buying an electric bike, you might be wondering the maximum speed one of these modern e-bikes can go and when it's legal to ride your full-assistance e-bike at higher speeds. 

On average, an e-bikes speed is around 20mph, and in the UK, assisted speed limit is 15.5mph as they have an electric power motor limit of 250W, however, some e-bike range models for off-roading and electric bike types with throttles with a 750W can even go up to 30mph.

To find out just how fast different electric bike models can go and whether or not you can make your e-bike go faster, we have made a small information guide below to answer all your questions.

How Fast Does a 2000 Watt Ebike Go?

2000-watt electric bikes are pretty damn fast. I mean, 40 to 46 miles per hour is nothing to scoff at. That's assuming you've got a good battery and motor. But still, that's some serious speed. If you're not careful, you could easily find yourself going too fast for comfort or safety. But if you can keep your wits about you and handle your bike with skill, then a 2000-watt ebike can be a blast to ride. Just be careful out there!

How Fast Does a 1000 Watt Ebike Go?

First off, let's start with high power e-bike motors of around 1000W. These e-bikes have lots of power and are not UK road legal, they can potentially reach speeds of up to 32mph when used on maximum power and are mostly seen on MTB e-bikes, they are not suitable for road use. 

Moreover, you can also read our dedicated blog post about how fast a 1000W ebike can go.

How Fast Does a 750 Watt Ebike Go?

A 750W premium e-bike system can ride at around 25mph and are more common in the US, this assisted speed is easier to control than a 1000W motor power but still is not UK road legal.

These types of e-bikes are not so great for mountain biking as they will often lose speed easily when hill climbing weight for power.

How Fast Does a 500 Watt Ebike Go?

For a 500 watt electric bike, this will give you a speed of around 20mph, this type of pedal power assist might be a better option for users who are heavier than a 250W max speed limitation. These are still however not UK road legal.

How Fast Does a 350 Watt Ebike Go?

A 350W e-bike will go around 18mph, these bikes tend to be less common than a 250W electric bike or a 500W electric bike but are a great option for people who want a little more power than 250W but still want control.

How Fast Does a 250 Watt Ebike Go? 

Having a 250W electric bike is UK road legal and will give you maximum speeds of around 15.5mph, this is when it is used without throttle power which can give your bike more of a power boost when needed. 

How To Make Your Electric Bike Faster

As most electric bikes come with a restricted maximum speed, you might be looking for ways to try and make your e-bike go faster without having to buy a whole new bike. 

To help you out, we have listed our best tips below for speeding up your bike. 

• Pump your tyres and keep them smooth - Mountain bike tyres with lots of tread patterns and knobbly parts can reduce your biking speed dramatically, smooth road tyres are always the better option for going faster. You should also keep your bike's tyres at their maximum pressure to help with speed.
• Swap the motor - To make your e-bike go faster you can also try switching out the model for a high-speed version that matches the voltage of your bike.
• Keep it charged and cool - Keeping your battery charged up is a great way to be using your bike at top speeds, this might been re-charging during the day after your commute to work, you should additionally keep your battery at cool temperatures, if your battery overheats under load then this will lead to a voltage sag which can affect the speed of your e-bike in turn.
• Switch the battery out - As motor speed and battery voltage correspond, you could try buying a bigger voltage battery for your bike to see if it makes it faster, just ensure that the controller of your bike can handle it before installing.
• Have a windshield - Attaching a windshield to your bike is a great way to help with speed as it lessens the drag caused by your body as you ride your bike, when installed, it could potentially add up to 3mph of speed!
• Crouch on your bike - If you want to raise the speed of your electric bike for small periods such as when you are pulling out of traffic then crouching is also a great way to reduce the drag caused by your midsection on your bike. Doing this acts as a windshield and helps with aerodynamics.
• Tune the brakes - When the brakes of your electric bike are not tuned well they increase the friction rub on the road when you are riding and lower your speed, so try getting your brakes tuned!
• Modify the bike - Before we get into this point, it must be noted that messing with your bikes internal electric system to add speed will likely make its warranty void and should be avoided if you want a legal bike. There are two ways in which you can try to modify your electric bike to increase speed, one is by removing the speed limiter cable on the controller and the other is by adjusting what the LCD thinks the wheel size is on your bike.

Last Words 

Overall, e-bikes can go very fast with pedal assist and will have different limits depending on the wattage of the motor you buy and the bike's battery, on average in the UK, this will be around 15.5mph but there are models on the market which can go up to 20mph too. 

If you are looking for ways to try to increase the speed of your e-bike without buying a new one, check our tips above to see if you can implement any.

Moreover, you should also read our previous article about what is the fastest electric mountain bike.