Low-Speed Electric Two-Wheelers Specs Reconsidered: India’s Testing Agencies Weigh Raising 250W Power and 60kg Weight Limits

Indian vehicle testing agencies are reviewing the specifications of low-speed electric two-wheelers, which could reshape one of the country’s most accessible EV segments, but it is already polarising safety advocates and enforcement agencies that are struggling to police today’s no-licence scooters.

Autocar Professional has reliably learnt that the country's automotive testing and certification agencies are mulling over recommending changes in the specifications of low-speed electric two-wheelers under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR). Industry discussions suggest increasing the permissible motor power beyond the currently mandated 250W limit. The second change being mulled is increasing the existing vehicle weight limit from the current 60kg unladen weight limit.

For context, the current regulations on low-speed EVs are typically designed for single-rider use, with occasional exceptions. EVs within this category are intended to promote affordable, inclusive and convenient mobility for citizens, including women and economically marginalised communities. To encourage widespread and barrier-free adoption, the CMVR exempts such low-speed EVs from mandatory vehicle registration, driver’s licence and helmet requirements, thereby treating them as non-motor vehicles if they meet the specified technical thresholds and not speed alone.

Industry sources emphasise that these restrictions exist for a reason. Limiting the weight of EVs in this category keeps these vehicles lighter, while restricting their top speed reduces the likelihood and severity of serious accidents. Together, these measures protect riders, pedestrians and other motorists from high-impact injuries, fatalities and property damage. For years, low-speed EVs operating within these parameters have served a variety of urban use cases in logistics, commutes, leisure rides and city tourism.

"Any further relaxation of the existing norms risks complicating on-ground enforcement and could inadvertently legitimise vehicles that are already operating outside the CMVR framework. Instead of diluting the category definitions, strengthening monitoring mechanisms and introducing stricter penalties for non-compliance would help ensure adherence to CMVR rules, improve accountability among operators and contribute to safer roads for all users," an industry insider noted.

A source at one of the leading testing agencies confirmed the development without divulging details.

Why Test Agencies Are Revisiting the Specs

It is against this backdrop that India’s testing and certification agencies are understood to be debating an upward revision of two technical parameters for the exempt category: the motor power ceiling and the 60kg unladen weight cap, while preserving the 25kmph top-speed limit. Industry executives argue that slightly more powerful motors and heavier frames would allow better hill-climbing, sturdier construction and more practical payload capacity, especially with modern lithium-ion battery packs that add weight.

However, one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that if the motor power ceiling is raised without reclassifying the vehicle, it creates a real policy inconsistency because the current exemption is built around the combined package of power, speed, brakes, reflectors and weight.

The timing overlaps with a broader regulatory rethink around young riders and EVs. A draft proposal opened for comments reportedly sought comments and suggestions on whether to allow teenagers aged around 16 and 17 years to legally ride electric two-wheelers with power outputs of up to 1,500W, provided the vehicles are capped at 25kmph, signalling a willingness in government to experiment with higher-power, low-speed formats.

In parallel, multiple OEMs have launched entry-level, low-speed scooters primarily marketed on the promise of “no licence, no registration, no helmet” rather than on their performance envelope.

On paper, increasing permissible power and weight while leaving the 25kmph cap unchanged can look like a narrow engineering tweak that does not alter real-world safety outcomes. In practice, however, mass and power are critical determinants of kinetic energy, braking distance and the way vehicles are actually used in dense Indian traffic.

Higher vehicle weight and motor capacity make it easier to carry a pillion and heavier cargo loads without an obvious drop in performance, especially on flyovers and gradients. With the category still exempt from registration, insurance, licence and helmet rules, this effectively sanctions two-up and commercial-style usage on vehicles that regulators continue to treat as “bicycles” for compliance purposes. The risk is most acute in pedestrian-heavy urban corridors and on mixed-use roads where these scooters already intermingle with cyclists, pedestrians and conventional two-wheelers.

Misuse Is Already Stressing the Framework

Regulators are not starting from a clean slate. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has repeatedly warned states about manufacturers and dealers exploiting the low-speed exemption by marketing vehicles that technically pass type tests at 250W/25kmph but are then sold or modified with higher-capacity batteries and motors, allowing real-world speeds of 40–55kmph. Earlier, such violations were flagged in court, noting that many scooters marketed as “low speed” can actually touch 50–60kmph, in clear breach of CMVR norms and consumer protection standards.

States have begun to push back. In Kerala, Motor Vehicles Department raids in 2023 exposed dealers retrofitting exempt 25kmph, 250W scooters with 1,000W motors and high-capacity batteries while retaining their tax- and registration-free status; several showrooms were shut, and the alleged tax loss was pegged at around ₹100 crore for one RTO region alone. In Mumbai, the state transport department announced a crackdown on small unregistered e-bikes frequently used by gig workers, citing safety concerns and the absence of registration or licensing data to trace offenders after crashes.

Fleet Operators and the Blurred Line

For fleet operators, the current regime offers strong incentives to push the boundary. Low-speed vehicles can be deployed for short-distance deliveries and ride-hailing in crowded city cores without the overhead of registration and insurance, yet the absence of plates and formal driver credentials makes post-accident accountability difficult. Officials in Delhi and at the Union heavy industries ministry have flagged similar misuse in the e-rickshaw and small e-bike space, warning that some manufacturers are selling vehicles that exceed 25kmph while branding them as exempt to simplify sales and avoid homologation costs.

If the technical limits on power and weight are relaxed without a parallel tightening of usage and enforcement rules, the grey zone widens. From a traffic policeman’s vantage point, it is already hard to distinguish an over-spec scooter masquerading as a 25kmph/250W vehicle from a compliant one, especially when both lack number plates.

The emergence of quick-commerce, food delivery and hyperlocal logistics has turned low-speed scooters and e-bikes into workhorses for gig workers and small fleets, particularly in congested metros where parking, tolls and fuel costs weigh heavily on unit economics.

At the same time, consumer-facing OEMs and EV retailers continue to promote the low-speed segment as inherently safer, arguing that a 25kmph cap reduces the likelihood of severe crashes and makes these scooters suitable for school and college students. Safety advocates counter that crash severity is also a function of mass, traffic mix and helmet use; a heavier, more powerful scooter ridden without head protection in dense urban traffic can still inflict serious harm even at 25kmph, particularly to pedestrians and cyclists.

India’s Rules in a Global Mirror

What makes the issue more complicated is that regulations for such low-speed two-wheelers differ across the world. In the EU, the regulation applies to pedal-assist e-bikes that stay within the 250W/25km/h threshold, so it is not directly comparable with India’s throttle-based exempt low-speed scooters.

European markets generally classify mopeds and speed-pedelecs into separate categories, with registration, licensing and other compliance requirements. Likewise, in China, rules vary by city, and many jurisdictions impose registration, plates and helmet requirements even for low-speed electric bicycles. In short, major markets tend to preserve a tight bicycle-like exemption at low power and speed, while pushing higher-performance light EVs into distinct, more regulated categories rather than loosening the exemption itself.

Policy Choices on Cards

For India, the debate over low-speed EV specifications sits at the intersection of multiple policy goals: accelerating electrification, preserving inclusive access to mobility, protecting vulnerable road users and ensuring that commercial operators compete on a level regulatory playing field. One option is to keep the exempt category tightly defined and double down on enforcement and penalties for tampering, misclassification and unsafe use, especially by organised fleets.

Another is to pair any technical relaxation on power and weight with new safeguards, such as mandatory helmets for all riders of electric two-wheelers, some form of lightweight registration or unique identification for commercial deployment, and clearer visual labelling to distinguish genuinely compliant low-speed vehicles from those that should be fully type-approved.

Whatever path India ultimately chooses, the low-speed EV segment is unlikely to remain a regulatory backwater for long. As more of India’s daily trips and an increasing share of urban deliveries shift to small electric two-wheelers, the fine print of what counts as a bicycle-like EV will have outsized consequences for safety, accountability and the economics of micro-mobility.