The government is examining the possibility of utilising those provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act under which State governments can amend traffic rules so that electric vehicles which are currently categorised as “non-motorised vehicles” are not exempted from the regular traffic rules in the State, Transport Minister C.P. John said in the Assembly on Monday.He was replying to a calling attention motion moved by Thomas Unniyadan on the need to enforce traffic rules and regulations for electric two-wheelers which are classified as “non-motorised vehicles” but which have been causing many accidents on the roads in recent times, leading to the loss of life of youngsters.Under the Motor Vehicles Act, electric vehicles (EVs) with a motor output of less than 250 watts and a top speed of 25 km/h or less are classified as “non-motorised vehicles”. These low-speed EVs are largely exempt from strict RTO regulations. Mr. John said that several of these vehicles were on the roads now and these have been getting involved in road accidents.Because these are not considered to be standard motor vehicles, these sub-250W e-bikes and e-scooters do not require a Learner’s or permanent driving licence, registration certificate, or pollution-under-control certificate.However, the riders of these EVs are still subject to civic rules and must wear helmets as required by local traffic authorities for safety, Mr. John said. The riders are also required to obey all traffic rules and the vehicle is to be speed-locked at no more than 25 km/h.No insuranceHe pointed out that these sub-250W EVs are exempted from road tax and do not legally require accident or third party insurance, which means that if involved in road accidents, the vehicle rider as well accident victims do not get any insurance cover.The government is seriously examining whether by using the provisions in the MV Act Section 138 1, which delegates the power to State governments to create State-specific traffic and road safety rules, 250W electric two-wheelers can also be made to mandatorily observe traffic rules and regulations, Mr. John said. Published - June 29, 2026 06:54 pm IST