Can You Ride a Moped on the Motorway?

In UK law a moped is defined by three things at once: an engine capacity no greater than 50cc, a maximum design speed of 28mph (45km/h), and, for machines registered from 2013 onwards, an electric or petrol motor rated at no more than 4kW. If your machine meets that definition, it is a moped, and the motorway is off limits.

This is why a typical 50cc twist-and-go scooter is banned: it is a moped by definition, and most cannot exceed 30mph anyway. A 50cc machine simply cannot maintain the 60-70mph flow of a motorway, which is the whole reason for the rule.

Motorways are designed for fast, uninterrupted, high-speed traffic. A vehicle travelling at 28mph in a lane where everything else is doing 60-70mph creates an enormous closing-speed difference, which is one of the most dangerous situations on any road. A heavy goods vehicle approaching a moped has very little time to react.

Mopeds are also more exposed to crosswinds, turbulence from large vehicles, and road debris than cars, and they have no crumple protection. Combined with their inability to keep up with the flow, that makes them unsuitable for motorway use, which is why the ban exists.

The Highway Code (Rule 253) sets out who and what must not use a motorway. The list includes mopeds and motorcycles under 50cc, but it is broader than just small bikes. The following are all prohibited from motorways:

A 125cc motorcycle is over 50cc, so on engine size alone it is allowed on the motorway. But there is a catch that surprises a lot of new riders: you must hold a full motorcycle licence to use a motorway. Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) only gives you provisional entitlement, and provisional riders are banned from motorways under the same rule that bans mopeds.

So a rider on a 125cc who has only completed their CBT cannot legally use the motorway, even though the bike itself would be allowed. To ride a 125 on the motorway you would need to have passed your full A1 (or higher) test. Once you hold a full licence and the bike is over 50cc, the motorway is open to you.

A moped is perfectly legal on almost every other type of road. You can ride a 50cc on ordinary A-roads, B-roads, and through towns and cities. You can also use most dual carriageways, a moped is allowed on a dual carriageway unless a sign specifically prohibits it, because a dual carriageway is not the same as a motorway.

The simplest rule of thumb: if you see the blue motorway sign or a "motorway regulations apply" sign, turn off. Some A-roads have short motorway-standard sections (for example A-roads that briefly become an "A(M)"), and these carry the same ban. Watch for the signs at the slip road.

Riding a prohibited vehicle on a motorway is an offence. In practice it is usually dealt with as careless driving or a breach of motorway regulations, which can mean a fixed penalty, points on your licence, or in more serious cases a court summons. If an inexperienced rider on a banned machine causes or contributes to a collision, the consequences are far more serious.

The bigger risk is not the fine, it is the danger. A moped in motorway traffic is genuinely one of the most hazardous things you can do on two wheels, so the rule is there to protect you.

If you find yourself on a slip road or at a junction and realise you have ended up somewhere a moped should not be, do not panic and do not try to cross lanes. Get to the nearest safe place, the verge, a slip road, or a service area, and stop.

If your moped or motorbike has broken down on an A-road, dual carriageway, or near a motorway junction, we can recover it. A bike is never towed, it travels upright on a dedicated carrier, secured with soft straps so nothing is marked. You can read more on our motorcycle recovery service.