Electric motorbikes and scooters for kids

Electric motorbikes, motocross bikes and scooters for children: thirteen models with a 6V or 12V battery, from a first mini-bike on training wheels to a scrambler that copes with gravel. Including the Honda SH350 scooter and the Vespa Sprint under Piaggio licence.

Motorbike, motocross or scooter

Not a question of looks, but of how the child sits and where they will ride.

• Motorbikes and mini-bikes — narrow saddle, legs either side, twist throttle on the models for older children. It is the posture that teaches balance, and the one children associate with a real bike.
• Motocross and scramblers — real suspension, knobbly tyres, more ground clearance. An electric scrambler crosses grass and gravel where a road bike bogs down.
• Scooters — flat footboard, comfortable seat, pedal throttle. The easiest to ride, which is why they work from two or three years old.

From what age

Less a matter of birthdays than of whether the child can stay balanced and brake without thinking about it.

• 1 to 3 years — 6V with fixed training wheels, 2 to 3 km/h. The bike here is almost a ride-on that moves by itself.
• 3 to 6 years — 12V, training wheels still there but removable once balance arrives. The best-stocked band.
• From 6 years — 12V and above, wheels off, twist throttle instead of pedal.

Removable training wheels are the detail that matters most: they come off when the child is ready, and the same bike lasts two or three years instead of one.

Pedal or twist throttle

On the smaller models you accelerate with a pedal, as in a car: intuitive and forgiving. From about five there is a twist throttle on the bars — more realistic, but it asks for a steadier hand. For a first bike, the pedal is almost always right.

Vespa, Honda, KTM: what the licence means

The Vespa scooters are made under Piaggio licence, the SH350 under Honda licence, the Superduke under KTM licence. Lines, logos and proportions are signed off by the manufacturer: the Vespa has the shape of a Vespa, not that of a generic scooter with a sticker.

Safety and where to ride

The 2.4GHz parental remote lets an adult ride in the child's place or stop the bike at any moment; on the smallest models it is what makes the thing usable at all. A helmet is advisable always, even in the garden.

Children's electric bikes are for private areas — gardens, yards, parks where permitted — not the road. In detail in the safety and approval guide.

Frequently asked

How fast do they go? From 2-3 km/h on the 6V models to 6-8 km/h on the 12V for older children. Speed can be capped from the remote.

Do the training wheels come off? On almost every model, with a spanner and five minutes.

Will it carry a 30 kg child? Depends on the model: the maximum weight is on each spec sheet, and it matters more than the age range.

For four wheels, see electric ride-on cars. On batteries, the 12V or 24V guide.