LTO: E-bikes will be impounded if operated on National Highways starting Dec. 1
LTO clarifies only e-bikes operated on National Highway will be impounded, for now
If you own an e-bike—which is the local term to describe all Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs), you’ve probably heard about the upcoming government crackdown on these vehicles starting December 1, 2025. For the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the law, which is RA 4136, is straightforward: all motorized vehicles being operated on public roads must be registered. No exceptions.
LTO Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao
No e-bikes allowed on National Highways
During yesterday’s deliberation on the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) 2026 budget, Senators JV Ejercito and Raffy Tulfo acknowledged that the growing number of e-bikes has become a serious road safety concern. Many of these vehicles are purchased without proper registration or a driver’s license, and their operators often lack basic knowledge of traffic rules, making them a high risk for road accidents.
Responding to the Senate’s call for stricter enforcement, LTO Chief Markus Lacanilao confirmed that the crackdown on e-bikes (LEVs) will begin on December 1, 2025, with the agency set to automatically impound any e-bikes found operating on National Highways.
“Linawin ko lang po ha, para po sa publiko: yung pong ating December 1 na hulihan ay sa National Highway,” said Asec. Lacanilao. “National Highway means yung mga MacArthur Highway, Maharlika Highway, EDSA, A. Bonifacio, yung mga main highway.”
(Let me clarify to the public: our December 1 operations will be on the National Highway. National Highway means MacArthur Highway, Maharlika Highway, EDSA, A. Bonifacio, those main highways.)
Lacanilao added that drivers operating e-bikes on Secondary Roads will be notified of the renewed policy as part of the LTO’s information campaign, to eventually extend the ban on e-bike operation to all public roads as well.
The LTO also maintains that the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 11697, or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), explicitly prohibit the operation of LEVs weighing less than 50 kilograms on public roads.
National Highways
National Highways, also referred to as National Roads, are generally at least 20 meters wide. These include major thoroughfares such as the Maharlika Highway (AH26), which runs from Laoag, Ilocos Norte all the way down to Zamboanga City; MacArthur Highway or the Manila North Road; Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Nueva Ecija; Jose P. Laurel Highway in Batangas; the Iloilo–Capiz Road in Panay Island; the Cebu North Road; and in Mindanao, key routes like the Butuan–CDO–Iligan Road and the Bukidnon–Davao Road.
