Amazon pulls illegal e-bike listings in California after crashes

2 min readUpdated May 12, 2026

Amazon $AMZN agreed to stop selling e-bikes in California that exceed state speed limits, following a consumer alert from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a string of fatal crashes involving high-speed electric two-wheelers.

The move came after local TV outlet KCRA contacted Amazon about listings for e-bikes advertised with top speeds above 40 mph. When KCRA raised the issue with Amazon, the company responded by announcing that all third-party sellers must now meet both state law and Amazon's internal standards for how e-bikes are classified. Listings identified in the inquiry have since been taken down, and Amazon says it is now reviewing comparable products to assess whether they meet applicable standards.

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Bonta issued a consumer alert last month alongside district attorneys from Marin County, San Francisco, and San Mateo County warning manufacturers, retailers, and parents that marketing or selling out-of-class vehicles as e-bikes may be a crime. "We are seeing a surge of safety incidents on our sidewalks, parks, and streets," Bonta said in a statement.

The alert cited a University of California, San Francisco study finding that e-bike rider injuries almost doubled each year from 2017 to 2022, and a University of California, San Diego study showing injuries among riders under 18 in San Diego rose 300% from 2019 to 2023.

The crackdown follows several high-profile incidents in California. Authorities said a 13-year-old in Garden Grove lost his life when the black E Ride Pro electric motorcycle he was operating at roughly 35 mph veered into a median and he was thrown onto the road. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has filed charges against at least three parents for allowing their children to ride illegal electric motorcycles, calling the vehicles a "loaded weapon." In one of those cases, an Aliso Viejo woman was charged with involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors allege she had been warned repeatedly that the e-motorcycle her 14-year-old son was riding was illegal, yet the boy ultimately collided with and killed an 81-year-old pedestrian.

Kendra Ramsey, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, told KCRA that consumers searching for e-bikes on Amazon could find illegal devices. "Having consumers understand what they are buying — if you go on Amazon and you search e-bike, you are going to get an illegal device today," Ramsey said. The coalition is co-sponsoring SB 1167, which would amend California law to restrict what vehicles can be advertised or sold as e-bikes.

As Electrek noted, direct-import sites and smaller online storefronts continue to carry high-speed electric two-wheelers that fall outside California's legal e-bike definitions. Whether Amazon's action signals broader enforcement across other major marketplaces remains unclear.

Amazon is pulling high-speed e-bike listings in California after a string of fatal crashes

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