Best Electric Motorbikes in the UK for 2027
Honda says its WN7 will cover 87 miles on a charge. When we rode one on UK roads, a 28-mile loop of town, B-roads and dual carriageway used 49% of the battery. At that rate the whole battery lasts about 57 miles.
That gap is the most useful thing to know before buying any electric motorcycle. Most range figures on a spec sheet are measured at moderate, steady speeds, and every mile at 60mph or more cuts into them. A bike that claims 80 miles can be a perfect commuter for a 15-mile ride to work and a poor choice for a 40-mile one with motorway in the middle.
So the price on the showroom floor is only part of the decision. How you charge it, where you ride it and what the battery warranty covers matter just as much. All of that is set out below for the six electric motorcycles worth buying new in Britain right now.
What your licence lets you ride
The licence an electric motorcycle needs usually follows its continuous rated power, not the peak figure in the brochure. That is why Honda sells the WN7 as an A2 bike: it delivers 50kW in a burst but is rated at 18kW. Always check the licence the maker lists, because it is the maker's homologation that counts.
On a CBT you can ride a motorbike rated at up to 11kW, on L-plates, with no pillion and no motorways.
On a full A1 licence the 11kW limit stays the same, and the L-plates, the pillion ban and the motorway ban all go.
On a full A2 licence the limit rises to 35kW.
On a full A licence there is no limit.
Every motorcycle here is road registered and sold through a UK dealer or direct from its maker. Scooters are left out, because a twist-and-go with a footboard is a different buying decision. A few well-known names are missing on purpose. The Stark Varg EX is an enduro bike built for off-road riding first, and Zero's DSR/X is an adventure bike, a different buying decision from the road bikes here. BMW sells its CE 02 as an "eParkourer", its own name for something between a scooter and a motorbike. Can-Am's Origin and Pulse have barely reached British roads: DVLA records only a handful of Origins registered in 2025, and no Pulse.
The order within each group rests on four things: how far the bike goes in the riding you will actually do, what it costs, how it charges, and how long the battery is covered. Where the MOT record or the number registered in Britain says something useful, it is in the entry.
Learner-legal electric motorcycles: CBT and A1
All three here are rated well under 11kW, so a rider on a CBT can take one home. The real split is speed. Two of the three cannot hold 70mph, which matters the day you pass your test and are allowed on a motorway. If you would rather start on petrol, our beginner guide covers the same licences.
3. Kawasaki Z e-1
The Z e-1 is a proper Kawasaki naked motorcycle with an electric motor where the engine would be, and it is the only motorcycle in this group that comes with a five-year warranty on both the bike and its battery. It is light at 135kg, narrow, easy to filter with, and it has a walking mode that moves it forwards and backwards at a crawl when you are parking.
It also has the shortest range here, 45 miles on the standard WMTC test, and that drops quickly in town. Ridden hard around a city, the low battery warning arrives after 20 to 25 miles. The 62mph top speed needs the e-Boost button, which lasts about 15 seconds and then needs around a minute to recover, so without it you are capped at 53mph.
The two batteries lift out at 11.5kg each and charge indoors in 3.7 hours each on Kawasaki's own charger. That suits a flat with no parking space by a socket. The rear suspension is stiff over potholes, and the seat goes hard after about an hour.
Who it suits: a rider with a short urban commute who wants a mainstream brand and the longest warranty in the group, and who will not need the motorway.
2. Vmoto TC Max
The TC Max costs a little over half what the Kawasaki does, and on paper it goes further. Vmoto, which used to sell it as the Super Soco TC Max, quotes 57 miles, though that figure was measured at an average of about 28mph. In the fastest riding mode the battery drains quickly, so treat 57 miles as a town figure.
Its battery is covered for three years or 30,000 miles, and Vmoto's warranty pays out if the battery loses more than a set share of its capacity in that time. The battery comes out to charge indoors, and a full charge from a household socket takes about four and a half hours.
Its MOT record is the weak spot. In 2025, 76.5% of TC Max motorbikes passed their MOT first time across 315 tests, according to DVSA records. Across all motorcycles tested in 2025, the DVSA first-time pass rate was 86.2%. One TC Max in four going back for a second test is worth knowing before you buy, and worth budgeting for at year three.
Who it suits: a rider on a tight budget who wants an electric motorcycle for town and can live with a motorcycle that needs more looking after than the others here.
1. Maeving RM1S
The RM1S is the only one of these three that can hold 70mph, which is the point at which an electric learner motorcycle stops being a town-only machine. Pass your A1 test and it will sit at motorway speed, which neither the Kawasaki nor the Vmoto can do.
It also goes furthest. Maeving quotes 80 miles on the standard WMTC test, 90 miles in its gentlest mode (which caps speed at 45mph) and 52 miles if you ride everywhere in Sport. Two removable batteries of 16.5kg each charge in the bike or in the house, from 20% to 80% in two and a half hours.
Britain registered 252 new RM1S in 2025, against 36 Kawasaki Z e-1s, according to DVLA figures. A motorcycle that sells in those numbers has a used market, owners to ask and a maker with a reason to keep supporting it. Maeving sells direct rather than through dealers, and a service costs £195 every 12 months or 3,000 miles.
Against it: there is no regenerative braking, and the standard suspension is firm on broken roads. The seat is fine for a commute and less so for a whole day. The battery is covered for three years or 22,000 miles.
If you want to carry a passenger once you have passed your test, the RM2 is the same bike with a longer two-up seat, for £7,995.
Who it suits: almost anyone on a learner licence who wants one electric motorcycle to do everything, including the motorway once the test is passed.
Electric motorcycles for A2 and full licences
Here the motorcycles are quicker and the batteries are bigger, but the gap between claimed and real-world range is wider. More power used means more battery used. Two of these three charge from a Type 2 public charger at home-charger speed, and only one takes the rapid DC chargers found at motorway services. If you would rather spend the money on petrol, the A2 bikes we rate are listed separately.
3. Honda WN7
The WN7 is the only motorcycle in this guide that takes a CCS2 rapid charger. Honda quotes 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes, and a full charge from a home wallbox in under two and a half hours. For anyone who will need to top up away from home, that alone moves it ahead of everything else here on convenience.
We rode one for our full WN7 review, and it was quick, calm in town and easy to place in traffic. It feels light once it is moving, despite its 217kg. The seat was another matter: it was hard enough to become uncomfortable within about an hour. On our ride, a public rapid charger estimated one hour and 12 minutes for its top-up, well over Honda's 30-minute figure, because real charging speed depends on the charger and the battery's temperature.
Range is where it falls short of Honda's claim. Our test pointed to about 57 miles in mixed riding against Honda's 87-mile figure. Honda's standard warranty is two years, and it can be extended a year at a time to six years if the bike is serviced at a Honda dealer. Honda does not list separate battery warranty terms on its WN7 page, so ask the dealer for them in writing.
The same bike is also sold at the same £12,999 in an 11kW version for A1 riders, with a 75mph top speed and a 96-mile official range.
Who it suits: an A2 rider who will charge on the road and wants a Honda dealer down the road, and who will test ride it for long enough to judge the seat.
2. Zero SR/F
The SR/F has the biggest battery and the longest range in this guide, and it is the fastest by a distance. Zero quotes 176 miles in town and 117 miles of fast commuting. Acceleration is instant and strong at any road speed, and with no engine cases or exhaust in the way there is plenty of lean angle.
The battery and the bike are both covered for five years with no mileage limit, which is the strongest warranty here. The SR/F's MOT record is good too: 88.7% passed first time across 71 DVSA tests in 2025, above the 86.2% average for all motorcycles.
The trade-offs are cost, weight and charging. At £15,500 before on-the-road charges, it is the most expensive motorcycle here, and dealers we checked list it from £16,900 to £17,500. It weighs 227kg and you feel it when braking and turning. There is no rapid DC charging: Zero quotes empty to 95% in 2.2 hours on its 6.6kW onboard charger from a Type 2 charger, though one home charge to 100% took about three hours. Zero lists the SR/F as a full A licence motorcycle, so do not assume an A2 licence covers it despite its 35kW rating.
Who it suits: an experienced rider who wants the longest range and the strongest warranty in an electric motorcycle, and charges at home.
1. LiveWire S2 Del Mar
The S2 Del Mar costs £2,309 less than the Honda and £4,810 less than the Zero, and it gives up less than that gap suggests. It is A2-legal, rated at 30kW, inside the 35kW A2 limit. LiveWire quotes 86 miles combined, 113 miles in town and 70 miles at a steady 55mph. In mixed riding it holds close to its combined figure.
Its battery has a five-year warranty with no mileage limit, matching the Zero's, where Honda publishes no separate battery terms for the WN7. It charges from 20% to 80% in 78 minutes on a Type 2 public charger, or overnight from a household socket, but it has no rapid DC charging. The last few percent of indicated range fall away quickly, so do not plan a trip around them.
It turns in quickly and stays settled mid-corner, and the single front disc stops harder than its size suggests. Its weakness is the seat, which lacks padding for a full day, and its rarity: DVLA records only 12 new LiveWire S2 Del Mars registered in Britain in 2025.
Who it suits: an A2 rider who wants the most performance and battery cover for the money, and can charge at home.
How the six compare
| Bike | Price | Official range | Claimed top speed | Rapid DC charging | Battery warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vmoto TC Max | £3,990 | 57 miles | 60mph | No | 3 years |
| Maeving RM1S | £7,495 | 80 miles | 70mph | No | 3 years |
| Kawasaki Z e-1 | £7,699 | 45 miles | 62mph | No | 5 years |
| LiveWire S2 Del Mar | £10,690 | 86 miles | 103mph | No | 5 years |
| Honda WN7 | £12,999 | 87 miles | 80mph | Yes | Not published |
| Zero SR/F | £15,500 | 117 miles | 124mph | No | 5 years |
Prices are the makers' UK prices, checked in November 2026. Honda's is on the road and Zero's is before on-the-road charges; the others do not say. Official ranges are each maker's own figure and are measured in different ways: the Vmoto's at an average of about 28mph, the Zero's on fast commuting. Real-world range at motorway speed is lower for all six.
The verdict
On a licence limited to 11kW, buy the Maeving RM1S. It goes furthest, it is the only one of the three that holds 70mph once you have passed your test, and more of them are sold in Britain than the other learner bikes here. If the budget stops at £4,000, the Vmoto TC Max does the town job for about half the price, but budget for its MOT.
On an A2 licence, buy the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. It costs the least of the three bigger motorcycles and has a five-year battery warranty. Choose the Honda WN7 instead if you will often charge away from home, because it is the only one that takes a rapid charger.
On a full licence, the Zero SR/F is the one that goes furthest between charges, and nothing here has a longer warranty.
Key takeaways
- Most range figures on a spec sheet are moderate-speed figures. On our WN7 test, 28 miles of mixed riding used 49% of the battery, so plan on well under the claimed figure if your ride includes fast A-roads or motorway.
- Licences usually go by continuous rated power, which is why a 50kW Honda is A2-legal at 18kW.
- Removable batteries, on the Maeving, Kawasaki and Vmoto, matter if you cannot park next to a socket.
- Only the Honda WN7 takes a rapid DC charger. Every other motorcycle here charges at home-charger speed wherever you plug it in.
- Check the battery warranty in years and miles, not just the bike warranty. Here it ranges from three years to five years with no mileage limit.
Common questions
Yes. Every motorcycle in this guide is a motorcycle in law and needs at least a CBT. On a CBT you can ride one rated at up to 11kW, on L-plates, with no pillion and no motorways.
Yes, if it is rated at 11kW or less. The Maeving RM1S, Kawasaki Z e-1 and Vmoto TC Max all qualify, and so does Honda's WN7 in its 11kW version.
Of the motorcycles here, the Maeving RM1S at £7,495. It is learner-legal and claims a 70mph top speed.
Of the six here, the Vmoto TC Max at £3,990. It tops out at 60mph and its official range is measured at town speeds.
In this guide, the Zero SR/F, with 83kW at its peak and a claimed top speed of 124mph. It needs a full A licence.
The official figures here run from 45 miles for the Kawasaki Z e-1 to 117 miles of fast commuting for the Zero SR/F. Riding at 60mph or more cuts that sharply.
Yes, from three years old, like any other motorcycle. DVSA records show 76.5% of Vmoto TC Max motorcycles passed first time in 2025, against 88.7% for the Zero SR/F.