Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1167, a law that for the first time draws a clear legal distinction between electric bicycles and the more powerful electric motorcycles, or e-motos, that are often sold in the same showrooms. Starting January 1, 2027, sellers must state in all advertising that e-motos are motor vehicles requiring registration, an M1 or M2 motorcycle license, and insurance, according to Streetsblog California and Bicycle Retailer. E-bikes remain capped at 750 watts, preserving their status as bicycles under California law.
The change matters because many e-moto owners believe they purchased a bicycle and never obtain the license, registration, or insurance that the law already requires. That gap can complicate an injury claim in several ways. When an uninsured e-moto rider causes a crash, the injured person may turn to their own uninsured motorist coverage, which applies when the at-fault motor vehicle carries no liability insurance. When the e-moto rider is the one injured, many auto policies exclude uninsured motorist coverage for injuries on a vehicle the policyholder owns but did not insure, leaving riders without a backup source of recovery. And when fault is disputed, riding without a motorcycle license does not by itself make a rider responsible for a crash, but insurers often raise it to argue the rider shares the blame.
The law arrives as motorcycle crashes remain a serious concern in East County. In 2023, El Cajon recorded 34 motorcyclists killed or injured, ranking ninth worst among 62 similarly sized California cities, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Barry P. Goldberg, A Professional Law Corporation, notes that its motorcycle accident lawyer in El Cajon, CA represents riders, drivers, and families of those killed in these collisions.
“Most families who buy these machines have no idea they’ve bought a motorcycle,” said Barry P. Goldberg, founder of the firm and a recognized authority on uninsured and underinsured motorist law in California. “The new disclosures should help. Until they take effect, anyone who rides one or shares the road with one should confirm their auto policy carries uninsured motorist coverage, because that’s often what pays after an e-moto crash.”
For riders and families, the new classification could mean that after a crash, the absence of proper registration and insurance becomes a central issue in determining who pays. The disclosures required by SB 1167 may reduce the number of buyers who are unaware of their legal obligations, but until the law takes effect, the burden remains on owners and other motorists to understand their coverage.
