Guide
Where can they
legally ride?
The short answer is private land with the landowner's permission, or a track. The long answer is worth reading, because the bit most people get wrong is the one that sounds most reasonable.
None of these bikes is road legal
Not the petrol ones, and not the electric ones either. They have no registration, no tax, no MOT and no insurance, and they are not type approved for road use. That means no roads, no pavements, no cycle paths, no parks, no common land and no bridleways.
The 250W trap
This is the one that catches people out, and it is an entirely reasonable mistake.
An electric bike is only exempt from registration, tax, licence and insurance if it is an electrically assisted pedal cycle. GOV.UK sets out the test: a maximum continuous rated power of 250 watts, assistance that cuts out at 15.5mph, a rider of 14 or over, and the part that decides it here: it βmust have pedals that can be used to propel itβ.
No kids motocross bike has pedals. They are throttle only. So the 250W figure buys you nothing: in law the bike is a motorcycle whatever the motor size, from the smallest 100W first bike to a 3500W machine. If it does not have pedals, the electric bike rules do not apply to it.
Where you can ride
Private land, with the permission of whoever owns it. That means a garden, a paddock, a field you have been given the nod for, or land you own yourself. Permission is not a formality: riding on private land without it is an offence in its own right.
Or a track. Pay and ride motocross parks and practice tracks exist for exactly this and are the best place to learn, because somebody is watching and everyone there expects a bike.
What it is not
An empty car park is not private land you have permission for. Neither is a field behind the estate, a park at six in the morning, or a path nobody uses. Bikes do get seized for this, and it is usually a child's bike that gets taken.
Age and supervision
On private land there is no legal minimum age. What there should be is a helmet that fits, and an adult close enough to stop it. We would rather sell you a smaller helmet twice than see one bike accident.
Where people ride round here
We are not going to list tracks in a guide, because they close, change hands and change their rules, and we do not want you driving to a shut gate on our say-so. Ring us and ask. We will tell you what is running and what is worth the trip.
Common questions
Are kids electric dirt bikes road legal in the UK?
No. They have no pedals, so they are not electrically assisted pedal cycles in law, and they are not registered, taxed, MOT'd or insured. That applies to 250W models too.
Can my child ride on the pavement or in the park?
No. Pavements, cycle paths, parks and common land are all public land. Private land with the landowner's permission, or a track.
What age can a child ride one?
There is no legal minimum age on private land with permission. A properly fitted helmet and an adult present matter far more than the number.