The right electric bike for Canada has a motor rated at 500 W or less, assistance that cuts out at 32 km/h, and a battery sized in watt-hours for your real commute. Those two legal limits come from your province, not from the Class 1, 2 or 3 sticker on the frame.
Everything below comes from manufacturer spec sheets and provincial regulators. None of it is from a test ride.
Motor wattage: why every Canadian spec sheet says 500 W
Ontario caps e-bike motors at 500 watts and makes it illegal to modify one for more power or speed, according to the Ontario government’s e-bike rules. B.C. sets the same 500 W ceiling for a standard e-bike and defines it as maximum continuous power, the output a motor can sustain without overheating.
So wattage alone will not separate two legal bikes. Torque will. Rad Power Bikes lists a 500 W rear hub on both the RadKick and the Radster Road, yet rates the first at 40 Nm and the second at 100 Nm.
Expect the higher-torque bike to pull harder from a stop and up hills. Rad also notes that actual power at the wheel stays under 500 W for regulatory compliance.
Video: Maximum Charge
Battery range claims: compare watt-hours, not kilometres
Rad’s RadKick page estimates 24 to 56 km per charge from a 360 Wh pack. The Radster Road page estimates 40 to 104 km from 720 Wh.
Doubling the watt-hours roughly doubles the estimate. The spread inside each range is the warning: the low end is less than half the high end, and neither page says which riding conditions produce which number.
The same gap shows up in range claims on adult electric scooters. Once you own the bike, a load test rather than a resting voltage reading tells you how much capacity the pack really has left.
| Spec | Rad RadKick 7-Speed | Rad Radster Road |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | Rear hub 500 W, 40 Nm | Rear hub 500 W, 100 Nm |
| Battery | 36 V, 10 Ah, 360 Wh | 48 V, 15 Ah, 720 Wh |
| Claimed range | 24 to 56 km | 40 to 104 km |
| Bike weight | 25.2 kg (22.4 kg without battery) | 33.8 kg (29.3 kg without battery), regular size |
| Max rider weight | 125 kg | 131 kg |
| Throttle | Yes, half twist | Yes, half twist; ships in Class 2 |
The drawbacks sit on the same sheets. The RadKick gives you half the battery and 40% of the torque. The Radster Road weighs 33.8 kg, a heavy lift up apartment stairs or onto a car rack.
Class 1, 2 and 3 are U.S. labels, and Ottawa dropped its own definition
Rad’s Canadian store still describes Class 1 as “up to 20 mph, throttle only works while pedaling” and Class 2 as throttle-capable at the same speed. Those labels come from U.S. state law.
Canada no longer has a federal e-bike definition at all. Transport Canada states that the power-assisted bicycle definition in the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations stopped being in force on February 4, 2021.
Off-road e-bicycles that can exceed 32 km/h are now imported as restricted-use vehicles, the same territory covered in our look at off-road electric scooters.
Ontario and B.C. draw different lines
Ontario requires riders to be 16 or older and to wear a bicycle or motorcycle helmet. The bike must weigh no more than 120 kg with its battery, have working pedals, and stop from 30 km/h within 9 metres.
B.C. has split e-bikes into two classes since April 5, 2024. A standard e-bike allows riders from 16, 32 km/h, 500 W and a throttle. A light e-bike allows riders from 14 but caps assistance at 25 km/h and 250 W, with no throttle.
Both Rad bikes above have throttles, so neither counts as a light e-bike in B.C. Check your own province before you buy, because municipalities can also ban e-bikes from specific paths.
Battery certification before you pay
Health Canada and Transport Canada recommend e-bikes that comply with ANSI/CAN/UL 2849, the standard for the bike’s full electrical system, in a public advisory dated May 11, 2023. The same advisory warns against DIY packs and bolt-on batteries that raise voltage or capacity.
Rad lists both packs above as compliant with UL 2271, a battery-level standard. Ask any seller for the UL 2849 status in writing.
Electric bike questions Canadian buyers ask
Do I need a licence or insurance for an electric bike in Canada?
B.C. says you need neither a driver’s licence nor insurance for a compliant e-bike. Ontario notes that removing the pedals turns an e-bike into a motor vehicle that needs a licence, insurance and registration.
Can a 14-year-old ride an electric bike?
In B.C., yes, but only a light e-bike: 250 W, 25 km/h, no throttle. In Ontario the minimum age is 16 for any e-bike.
Is a 750 W e-bike legal in Canada?
Not as an e-bike in Ontario or B.C., where the ceiling is 500 W. Ontario also makes it illegal to modify a motor to push past that output.
Joyce Lewis covers consumer technology, gaming, and online privacy for 3Zebras. She focuses on the practical side of modern tech, from smartphone tips and app guides to smart device security and the questions readers actually search for.