New ebike laws in California taking effect January 1, 2026

[Bicyclista]

Certification of new batteries, 750-watt absolute power limit (even for peak moments), blinking rear red light, helmets for certain ages, and other requirements.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I really dislike flashing red lights on bicycles or pedestrians (runners wear these sometimes). I think it is harder for motorists to tell how far away a flashing light is and they are way more distracting to drivers than solid red lights and can cause impaired drivers to steer towards the cyclist. However, the law says red reflector or flashing red light. Most of the new laws will be enforced through the manufacturers and not directly on the street or bike trail. I know there has already been a lot of debate about them.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I really dislike flashing red lights on bicycles or pedestrians (runners where these sometimes).

It is even forbidden in the paranoiac safe Germany...

 

[Chargeride]

flashing lights are illegal in the uk, completely ignored by everyone of course

 

[mrgold35]

I can understand using blinking rear red lights or blinking headlights for daytime use. My brain associates a blinking light to emergency vehicles, begin to up your awareness and take caution like in a construction zone, and be aware of possible danger ahead. We see solid red and white light a thousand times during the day and night we subconsciously ignore 99% of them. We do notice something like a blinking vehicle turn signal and that ups our attention to be prepare ourselves to take possible action (change lanes, slow down, stop, or do nothing and be A-OK).

I ride with a blinking rear red light day or night when sharing the road with vehicles. I use a blinking headlight if sharing the road with vehicles during the day (solid light at night). Blinking white light does come in handy when single track riding in heavy woods.

 

[Chargeride]

The issue for me is completely unregulated bicycle lights flashing retina burning ultra blue led light at night, Im close to wearing sunglasses while driving at night thesedays

 

[MrHyak]

California loves to regulate its population. They can't stop themselves....

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

California loves to regulate its population. They can't stop themselves....

I've been a Californian for 23 years total, both Northern and Southern, and it just doesn't feel that oppressive to me. How long have you lived in California?

Are you opposed to the new rear light regulation for bikes? How about state and federal tail light visibility regs for motor vehicles? Too much of an encroachment on your freedom?

 

[RunForTheHills]

While lights should be required on all bicycles at night, the blinking taillight is a bad idea for the reasons I stated above. I'm a native Californian with over 60 years in the state, both Southern and Northern, FWIW.

 

[John Bowman]

I've been a Californian for 23 years total, both Northern and Southern, and it just doesn't feel that oppressive to me. How long have you lived in California?

Are you opposed to the new rear light regulation for bikes? How about state and federal tail light visibility regs for motor vehicles? Too much of an encroachment on your freedom?

70 years. If I cannot put unloaded guns in my truck's rear window gun rack, that is too much oppression.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Can you put an unloaded bow my man?

 

[John Bowman]

Certification of new batteries, 750-watt absolute power limit (even for peak moments), blinking rear red light, helmets for certain ages, and other requirements.

What does law say about blinking light? I just saw a rear light is required. Steady or blinking?

 

[RunForTheHills]

What does law say about blinking light? I just saw a rear light is required. Steady or blinking?

"either a red reflector or a solid or flashing red light with a built-in reflector"

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I really dislike flashing red lights on bicycles or pedestrians (runners wear these sometimes). I think it is harder for motorists to tell how far away a flashing light is and they are way more distracting to drivers than solid red lights and can cause impaired drivers to steer towards the cyclist. However, the law says red reflector or flashing red light.

Some good points. Wish we knew what engineering studies have to say about all this. Bet they've been done.

As a cyclist and driver, I personally favor flashing red bike tail lights during the DAY only. I think that solid would be safer for all concerned at night. But what does the data actually say?

Unfortunately, few riders would bother to switch back and forth between solid and flashing, even if they could. So what's the lesser evil — flashing at night or solid during the day? Which option would save more lives overall — always flashing or always solid?

Did the new California law take available data into account? Quite possibly, but I just don't know.

Most of the new laws will be enforced through the manufacturers and not directly on the street or bike trail. I know there has already been a lot of debate about them.

Excellent point, and as it should've been with ebikes all along.

It's very hard to buy a new motor vehicle that bucks applicable laws. Good thing, too. But manufacturers and dealers make it way too easy to buy non-compliant ebikes — or e-motorcycles passed off as ebikes. And with ever-growing numbers of ebikes and imposters on the streets, bikeways, and trails, that's a problem.

If manufacturers and dealers don't start acting responsibly, I think over-regulation (especially on bikeway and trail access) is inevitable.

 

[RunForTheHills]

70 years. If I cannot put unloaded guns in my truck's rear window gun rack, that is too much oppression.

20 years ago, I had a boss that had just moved to San Jose, CA from Texas. He left his shotgun on his back seat. It didn't go over well with local law enforcement. That said, he is lucky someone didn't break his window and steal the gun before the police asked him not to leave it there.

 

[Chargeride]

I thought California was full of hippies smoking weed and giving the finger to the man.
Youre all turning into Squares, spoilin the vibe dude.

 

[John Bowman]

"either a red reflector or a solid or flashing red light with a built-in reflector"

Thanks a bunch.

 

[mschwett]

Some good points. Wish we knew what engineering studies have to say about all this. Bet they've been done.

As a cyclist and driver, I personally favor flashing red bike tail lights during the DAY only. I think that solid would be safer for all concerned at night. But what does the data actually say?

Unfortunately, few riders would bother to switch back and forth between solid and flashing, even if they could. So what's the lesser evil — flashing at night or solid during the day? Which option would save more lives overall — always flashing or always solid?

Did the new California law take available data into account? Quite possibly, but I just don't know.


Excellent point, and as it should've been with ebikes all along.

It's very hard to buy a new motor vehicle that bucks applicable laws. Good thing, too. But manufacturers and dealers make it way too easy to buy non-compliant ebikes — or e-motorcycles passed off as ebikes. And with ever-growing numbers of ebikes and imposters on the streets, bikeways, and trails, that's a problem.

If manufacturers and dealers don't start acting responsibly, I think over-regulation (especially on bikeway and trail access) is inevitable.

AB544 doesn't seem particularly useful to me, the main purpose of it is to get kids to take an e-bike safety class. not sure why they attached the light thing which is already covered by other laws. that said there is some OK data on lights and flashing lights on bikes, i'm sure it's not entirely consistent but here's a good one with some metrics :

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457523004657

Experiment 2 showed that drivers were more accurate in estimating the cyclist’s proximity in the steady flashing and reactive flashing conditions, compared to static and no light conditions. Drivers were also more confident in their judgements in all rear light conditions compared to the no light condition. In conclusion, flashing rear cycle lights, regardless of reactive technology, enhanced drivers’ perception of a cyclist ahead, notably in terms of their judgements of distance to that cyclist.

a less recent / directly relevant one

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000145751931752X?via%3Dihub

all additional visibility configurations resulting in significantly wider passing distances when compared to the Control condition (single red rear-facing light)

i have ridden a lot of miles at dusk and in the dark on urban roads and i would not do so without a flashing light. i personally find the varia configuration which goes from solid to flashing when a vehicle is closing in on you to be very effective at reducing close passes, but i don't have empirical data of my own. as an aside, this would now be pretty easy to gather by repeatedly riding the same route on the same days and times for a few weeks, alternating between the flashing configuration and not, and comparing the radar's recorded passing data from the two batches of rides, particularly the "slowdown" data, which is the speed of the vehicle when it first entered the radar visibility and the speed when it passed.

 

[Catalyzt]

It is even forbidden in the paranoiac safe Germany...

Yes! And the geniuses in Stuttgart make their bikes so safe they will kill us all! (Stefan and I love poking fun at German engineering, though I think we both genuinely admire and respect their work.)

Bosch's "Flow" app has a huge warning that explodes across your phone screen after you boot it up that says something like, "Don't Drive While Looking at this Screen!"

Just having that pop up will take your eyes off the road. Then, you have to take one hand off the bars to get rid of the screen.

Then, when your battery is under 30%, instead of a discreet little yellow warning somewhere, another full-screen warning that you have a low battery. At 30%! Again, you have to take your hands off the bars to get rid of the warning.

How about these for new regulations in 2026:

-- No vehicle of any kind should force you to physically interact with a touchscreen of any kind in any situation.

Touch screen, voice recognition = total fails. I'd prefer banning them entirely in Catalystworld, as well as mandating that every phone must contain a physical keyboard, but in the interest of avoiding further geopolitical conflict, I'd settle for regulations that made these devolved and gratuitous implementations of technology 'options' - e.g., you must offer a version of every phone with a physical keyboard.

Now, plastic valve covers and plastic gas caps would absolutely be subjected to an absolute ban.