An electric motorbike or electric scooter with a throttle is, in Portuguese law, a moped (up to 45 km/h and 4 kW) or a motorcycle. It needs a licence, registration, insurance and a helmet, just like a petrol bike.
The only things you can ride without a licence are pedal-assisted e-bikes and electric kick scooters limited to 25 km/h. The advantage of electric bikes is running costs: they pay no IUC and have no periodic inspection.
This guide explains whether an electric motorbike without a licence exists, which licence each electric scooter needs, what changes for registration, insurance and IUC, what support there was in 2026 and what electric motorbikes for sale in Portugal cost.
An electric motorbike without a licence: does it exist?
In practice, no. The Portuguese Highway Code only waives the licence for cycles and vehicles treated as cycles. Every other motor vehicle requires a licence. What counts is motor power and top speed, not the name the shop gives the model:
- e-bike (power-assisted cycle): motor up to 1.0 kW that only helps while you pedal and cuts out at 25 km/h. No licence, no registration and no compulsory insurance;
- electric kick scooter: ridden standing, with a motor up to 0.25 kW and a top speed of 25 km/h. Also no licence;
- electric moped: top speed up to 45 km/h and power up to 4 kW. This is the typical "50 cc" electric scooter. A licence is required;
- electric motorcycle: goes over 45 km/h or 4 kW. It requires an A1, A2 or A licence depending on power.
If an advert says "no licence needed" and the vehicle has a throttle, no pedals and does 45 km/h, it is a moped. Riding a motor vehicle without a licence is a criminal offence in Portugal. A kick scooter above 0.25 kW or 25 km/h is no longer treated as a bicycle and may not be ridden on public roads.
Which licence you need for an electric motorbike
The categories are the same as for petrol bikes. Electric bikes have no engine capacity, so it is the power stated in the certificate of conformity and the vehicle document that matters:
- mopeds (up to 45 km/h and 4 kW): category AM, which a car licence (category B) also includes;
- A1: bikes equivalent to a 125, up to 11 kW; from age 16;
- A2: up to 35 kW, from age 18;
- A: no power limit, at 24, or at 20 with two years of A2.
According to IMT, the transport authority, a category B holder may ride A1 motorcycles, up to 125 cc and 11 kW, from age 25, or earlier with a moped licence. The rule applies in Portugal and needs no test. The steps, ages and prices for each category are in our guide to the A1, A2 and A motorcycle licence.
Registration, insurance and helmet
In law, an electric motorbike is a motor vehicle like any other. The basic rules are:
- registration: motor vehicles may only be used on the road when registered, and that includes electric mopeds and motorcycles;
- third-party liability insurance: compulsory, and riding uninsured is fined. What the policy must cover is explained on the consumer portal of the insurance supervisor (ASF);
- helmet: compulsory on mopeds and motorcycles, of an approved model, properly fitted and fastened.
IUC and inspection: what you save with an electric motorbike
Motorbikes and mopeds pay IUC in category E. But article 5 of the IUC Code exempts vehicles that are exclusively electric, and that exemption stays in place under the new IUC calendar in 2027.
As for inspection, Law 25/2025 abolished the compulsory periodic inspection of motorcycles, which had never actually come into force. In practice, the fixed costs of an electric motorbike come down to insurance and maintenance.
Fundo Ambiental support for electric motorbikes
In the 2025/2026 notice of the Fundo Ambiental, the category for electric motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles paid 50% of the price including VAT, up to €1,500, with one grant per person. Unlike cars, it did not require scrapping an old vehicle.
The second phase took applications from 11 June to 27 July 2026 and has closed, with 167 grants for the whole country. Invoices from 1 January 2025 counted. If you buy now, keep the invoice and watch the Fundo Ambiental website for a new notice.
Range and charging
Most urban electric scooters have a removable battery that you take indoors and charge from an ordinary socket. Bigger bikes charge plugged into the bike itself, and some also at public charging points.
- advertised range: measured in favourable conditions; cold, hills, a passenger and high speed reduce it;
- two batteries: some models take a second battery, which adds a lot of range;
- a flat with no garage: a removable battery solves it, because it charges indoors.
What an electric motorbike costs in Portugal
On AUTO.MOTO.pt, electric bikes are still few. In October 2026 there were 11 electric motorbikes advertised among 313 motorbikes for sale:
- 9 electric scooters between €1,550 and €3,490, almost all new, from 2026;
- 2 bigger electric motorbikes from 2025, at €8,610 and €9,200;
- for comparison: the median price of all motorbikes advertised is €6,200.
See the electric motorbikes for sale and, to compare with petrol models, the scooters for sale.
Electric motorbike or a petrol 125?
For short trips in town, an electric bike has clear advantages: no IUC, it is quiet and needs little maintenance. For national roads, long trips or riders with nowhere to charge, a petrol 125 is still more practical.
If you are still deciding, compare prices, fuel use and models in our guide to the 125 motorbikes you can ride on a car licence.
Frequently asked questions about electric motorbikes
Which electric motorbikes do not need a driving licence?
No motorbike or scooter with a throttle. Only pedal-assisted e-bikes (motor up to 1.0 kW that cuts out at 25 km/h) and electric kick scooters up to 0.25 kW and 25 km/h need no licence.
Can I ride an electric motorbike on a car licence?
Yes, within limits. A category B licence covers mopeds and, from age 25, A1 motorcycles up to 11 kW. Above that you need an A2 or A licence.
Do I need a licence for an e-bike?
No, as long as it is a power-assisted cycle: the motor only helps while you pedal, has up to 1.0 kW and cuts out at 25 km/h. A bike with a throttle that rides on its own faster than that no longer meets the rule.
What do I need to ride an electric motorbike?
A licence of the right category for the vehicle's power, registration, third-party insurance and an approved helmet. The rules are the same as for a petrol bike.
Do electric motorbikes pay IUC?
No. The IUC Code exempts vehicles that are exclusively electric, including motorcycles and mopeds.
Can a 45 km/h electric scooter use the motorway?
No. The Highway Code bans mopeds from signposted motorways and their slip roads. Nor may it use cycle lanes, which are reserved for cycles.
