European Cycling Industries (ECI) is calling on the European Union to introduce an EU-wide ban on e-bike tampering and tuning kits as part of stronger measures against illegal and non-compliant electric bicycles.

In its latest Manifesto for a Safe and Compliant EU Market, ECI urged regulators to tighten market surveillance, strengthen enforcement against non-compliant products sold through online platforms, and improve the technical capabilities of local authorities.

The industry body also released updated anti-tampering recommendations covering firmware security, anti-rollback protection, authentication between motors, controllers and batteries, sensor plausibility checks, protected diagnostic interfaces and records of critical parameter changes.

ECI stressed that simple protections, such as app settings, service menus, button combinations or default PIN codes, should not be considered sufficient safeguards against speed-limit manipulation.

ECI CEO Paul Walsh.

For bicycle manufacturers and suppliers, the issue is becoming increasingly important as European e-bike compliance moves beyond mechanical and electrical safety toward software security and system-level anti-tampering protection.

The development could have direct implications for motor, controller, battery and complete e-bike suppliers serving the European market, particularly as EN 15194 continues to evolve alongside new EU machinery and cybersecurity requirements.