05/30/2026
Beginning July 1, 2026, Tennessee law will change the minimum age for operating a Class 3 e-bike. The current minimum age of 14 will increase to 16. The different class definitions are defined in TCA 55-8-301:
(1) “Class 1 electric bicycle” means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour (20 mph);
(2) “Class 2 electric bicycle” means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour (20 mph);
(3) “Class 3 electric bicycle” means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty-eight miles per hour (28 mph); and
(4) “Electric bicycle” means a device upon which any person may ride that is equipped with two (2) or three (3) wheels, any of which is twenty inches (20″) or more in diameter, fully operable pedals for human propulsion, and an electric motor of less than seven hundred fifty (750) watts, and meets the requirements of one (1) of the three (3) classes of electric bicycles defined in subdivision (1), (2), or (3).
