It is located right at the entrance to the hypermarket as a cheap travel and mobility solution: it costs from R$5,000. The seller tries to convince you that this is an electric bike without pedals. But that’s not the case. Not a toy.
From January 1, a resolution of the Contran (National Traffic Council) comes into force, dated June 2023, with a series of rules for electric mopeds, like those sold even in supermarkets. Among other things, they will have to be registered and drivers will need a driving license.
Anyone traveling with scooters or Chinese scooters, as they are also called, without an identification plate, commits a very serious traffic offense, with a fine of R$293.47, with 7 points on the CNH (National Driving License). The vehicle is still seized.
The same goes for those who do not wear a helmet, another mandatory item, as well as a rear-view mirror, headlight and flashlight, among others.
The resolution differentiates mopeds from electric bicycles and self-propelled electric scooters – these do not require registration or permits.
The law which comes into force at the beginning of the year defines a moped as a vehicle with two or three wheels whose engine capacity cannot exceed 50 cm³, in the case of those equipped with a combustion engine, or electric vehicles with a maximum power of 4 kW and whose maximum manufacturing speed does not exceed 50 km/h.
To drive these “50”, now electric, it is mandatory to have the ACC (Moped Driving Authorization) or CNH (National Driving License) category A — it is therefore prohibited for anyone under 18 years of age.
In the case of an electric bicycle, it needs human propulsion, that is, unlike mopeds, it must have a pedal and cannot rely on an accelerator.
The auxiliary electric motor has a power limited to 1,000 W and its maximum speed cannot exceed 32 km/h.
These bikes can be equipped with a foot assist mode, a function that allows the rider to activate the electric motor without pedaling, with a speed limit of up to 6 km/h.
Unlike mopeds, e-bike users are allowed to ride on cycle paths and cycle paths. This is actually prohibited.
Municipalities regulated their use. In the case of the city of São Paulo, according to the city hall, on bicycle paths and cycle paths, an auxiliary electric motor can only be activated when the driver pedals the bicycle.
Also in the capital São Paulo, scooters must reach a maximum speed of 20 km/h and travel only on cycle paths, cycle paths and roads with a limit of up to 40 km/h, with use by children under 18 or with passengers prohibited.
ADAPTATION TIME
The resolution gave moped drivers more than two years to prepare for the changes.
He also set a deadline for those already on the streets to be subject to the new Detrans (Traffic Department) legislation.
“This is a deadline set by the resolution for the regularization of certain types of equipment that entered the country without authorization,” said Adrualdo de Lima Catão, national traffic secretary.
The approval of the resolution, however, had little influence on the legalization of mopeds. According to the Senatran (National Traffic Secretariat) itself, the number of registrations of these vehicles only increased by 2% between 2023 and 2024, going from 2,667 to 2,725 units. In the first half of this year, there were 1,577.
In the case of São Paulo, the quantity has even decreased. According to Detran-SP, there were 1,299 registrations in 2023 compared to 1,068 last year.
There are no statistics on the number of electric scooters on the country’s streets. In 2023, the ABVE (Brazilian Association of Electric Vehicles) estimated that there were around 30,000 “citycocos” in the country, another nickname given to these vehicles with wide wheels. The institution, however, stopped carrying out the survey, which should return with the license plates.
The number of electric bikes is much greater. A survey by Aliança Bike (Brazilian Association of the Bicycle Sector) showed, last August, that 212 thousand new units, including self-propelled, arrived on the market, produced by the national industry or imported.
Through the Access to Information Law, the military police claim that a directive from Detran suspended the inspection of mopeds in the state of São Paulo.
In a note, the Department of Traffic indicates that the technical guidance sent to security forces aimed to standardize inspection throughout the state during the adaptation period established by federal regulations, in force until December 31.
“Detran-SP is continuing its orientation actions with the population, preparing them for the start of the full inspection from January 2026,” he specifies.
But, while it was in force, 40 of these mopeds ended up being seized last year, for traveling on cycle paths for example, compared to only 1 in 2023. In the first half of 2025, there were 26 seizures.
STAY ATTENTION
- According to article 57 of the CTB (Brazilian Highway Code), mopeds cannot travel on express transport routes or highways.
- They must always travel on the right of the roadway, preferably in the center of the rightmost lane or at the right edge of the lane, when there is no shoulder or dedicated lane.
Source: Détran-SP
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