Renting an E-Bike in Yangshuo as a Foreign Visitor: Licences, the 25 km/h Rule, Deposits and What to Check

Before you ride

TL;DR

Do I need a licence to ride an e-bike in Yangshuo?+

Not for an electric bicycle. Under China's national standard an electric bicycle is limited to 25 km/h and counts as a non-motor vehicle, so no driving licence is needed. Anything faster is legally a motorcycle.

Can I ride an electric scooter or moped on my home licence?+

No. A foreign licence or International Driving Permit doesn't let you drive in China on its own, and the temporary permit visitors can apply for only covers small cars when you rent a vehicle, not motorcycles.

What does renting from CycleQuest involve?+

Book your full-day or half-day rental online (we hold the bike for 24 hours), upload your passport photo page for the included insurance, pay the rental fee online via our Stripe checkout link or at the counter, then collect at our Xiatangzhai shop or have the bike delivered to your Yangshuo hotel.

How does the bike deposit work?+

The refundable bike deposit is not included in the online Stripe payment. When you pick up the bike in person, you pay the deposit separately according to the store's deposit requirement for your bike (partner-hotel guests are exempt). Once you return the bike and our staff confirm everything is in good order, your original bike deposit is refunded in full.

How far will the battery go?+

Further than any of our half-day Yangshuo loops (20–34 km). For 60 km-plus days, talk to us before you set off.

Three kinds of “e-bike” in Yangshuo

Walk down West Street and you will see “e-bike rental” signs everywhere. They don’t all mean the same vehicle, and the difference decides whether you need a licence.

The 25 km/h line is the one that matters. China’s mandatory standard for electric bicycles, GB 17761, sets a maximum design speed of 25 km/h. The current version, GB 17761-2024, took effect on 1 September 2025 and kept that limit while tightening the rules against tampering with the speed limiter. Within it, an electric bicycle is a non-motor vehicle, ridden in the bike lane without a licence. Above it, the vehicle is generally treated as a motorcycle.

Licences: why “just ride a scooter” doesn’t work for visitors

A foreign driving licence or International Driving Permit doesn’t let you drive in China on its own. Short-term visitors have to apply in person for a temporary driving permit at a vehicle management office, and when you are driving a rented Chinese vehicle that permit covers only small cars (classes C1 and C2), not motorcycles.

In practice, that means a visitor cannot legally ride anything faster than 25 km/h in Yangshuo. If you are tempted anyway, read your travel insurance first: riding a motorcycle without a valid licence is often excluded.

An electric bicycle avoids the whole question. You need a passport for the rental paperwork, not a licence.

Our e-bikes and the 25 km/h limit

Our rental e-bikes are set to the 25 km/h factory assist limit, and our rental terms are blunt about it: removing or tampering with the limiter voids both the rental agreement and your insurance cover.

On the Yulong River paths and village lanes, 25 km/h is more than you will want anyway. The paths are narrow, shared with walkers and raft passengers, and the point of the ride is to stop.

Our e-bike at the Yangshuo shop is the Fnix 27.5, a step-through city e-bike from Phoenix’s FNIX range, with a rear hub motor, a removable battery, a suspension fork and disc brakes, from $43 per day. The full fleet, including road, gravel and kids’ bikes, is on the Yangshuo rentals page.

How renting from us works

1. Send a rental request. Use the Yangshuo booking form with your dates (full-day or half-day), the bikes you want and each rider’s height. Your bike is held for 24 hours while you complete the booking.
2. Upload your passport photo page. Every rider is covered by a personal accident policy, and the insurer won’t issue it without the photo page of the document you are travelling on. A passport, or a Hong Kong, Macau or mainland ID card, is accepted.
3. We confirm the details. By WhatsApp or email: dates, bikes, sizes, pickup or delivery.
4. Pay the rental fee. Pay online in advance through our Stripe checkout link (from your booking page or confirmation email, in USD by international card, Apple Pay or Google Pay), or pay at the shop with Alipay, TenPayGo or WeChat Pay.
5. Collect the bike and pay the refundable deposit. At our shop, No. 126 Xiatangzhai Village (on the Yulong River), or have the bike delivered to your Yangshuo hotel for a flat 60 RMB each way (120 RMB round trip). When you pick up the bike in person, the refundable bike deposit is paid separately according to the store’s deposit requirement for your bike (partner-hotel guests are exempt).
6. Handover and route briefing. We fit the bike and helmet, explain the controls and help you pick a route. Ask for the GPX track of the route you choose.
7. Return, inspection and deposit refund. Bring the bike back on time. Once our staff check the bike and confirm there are no issues, your original bike deposit is refunded in full.

A guest from France who rented an e-bike for a day summed up the handover well: everything was explained before she set off, and she chose a route with maps and followed the GPS to the scenic points.

Deposit, insurance and what you’re liable for

• Deposit (paid separately at pickup, refundable): The online Stripe payment covers only the rental fee, not the vehicle deposit. When you collect your bike in person, a refundable deposit is paid separately according to the store’s deposit requirement for that bike (up to 50% of the bike’s commercial value, taken at the store because our terminals can’t pre-authorise international cards). Once you return the bike and our staff confirm everything is in order after the return inspection, the original bike deposit is refunded in full.
• Deposit exemption: guests staying at one of our partner hotels don’t pay a deposit.
• Insurance: a personal accident policy is included for every rider. That is why we ask for your passport photo page before you ride.
• Damage: damage from misuse is billed on an itemised invoice, at the manufacturer’s list price for parts plus 200 RMB per hour of labour, with no mark-up.
• Cancellation: full refund more than 3 days before the start; 30% fee 1 to 3 days before; 50% within 24 hours; no refund for a no-show.
• Helmets: mandatory on every ride, and included free.

Battery range: plan by the route, not the spec sheet

Range figures on spec sheets assume flat roads, a light rider and low assist, and real range drops quickly on hills and in high assist. What matters is how the battery matches the route you want to ride:

The battery is removable, so if you are renting for more than a day, ask for the charger at pickup and charge it indoors overnight at your hotel. Don’t plan on cafés along the route having a socket you can use.

Before you ride off: a five-minute check

Whoever you rent from, check these before you leave the shop:

1. Brakes. Squeeze both levers hard. The bike should not roll when you push it.
2. Tyres. Firm, with no cuts or bulges.
3. Battery. Switch on and check the charge indicator shows full.
4. Assist. Ride a few metres on each assist level; the motor should engage smoothly and cut out when you stop pedalling.
5. Helmet. Snug, with the strap done up.
6. Contacts. Save the shop’s WhatsApp number and take a photo of the bike, including any existing scratches.

Our bikes carry a GPS tracker, which we use to find riders who are lost or need help. If something goes wrong, stop somewhere safe and message us with your location.

On the road

• Ride in the non-motor lane where there is one, and keep right.
• Ten-Mile Gallery and the main roads carry tour shuttles, scooters and cars. The river paths and village lanes on our routes avoid most of that traffic.
• Raft landings and bridges are crowded. Walk the bike where the path is full of people, and over the steps at Yulong Bridge.
• Dusk: the countryside lanes have few or no streetlights. Plan to be back before dark, or ask us for a light set.
• Phones and navigation: Google Maps works poorly in mainland China. Load the GPX track on your phone or bike computer, or use AMap.

Riding with children

Young children can ride in a rear child seat ($10 per day), which we fit to our e-bikes. Older children can ride a 20-inch or 24-inch kids’ bike from our fleet. Send ages and heights with your rental request so the right bikes are ready.

FAQ

Do I need a driving licence to rent an e-bike in Yangshuo?

No, for an electric bicycle limited to 25 km/h. It is a non-motor vehicle under Chinese law. You do need your passport photo page for the rental insurance.

Can I use an International Driving Permit to ride a scooter?

No. An International Driving Permit doesn’t let you drive in China on its own, and the temporary permit available to visitors covers only small cars when you rent a vehicle.

How fast do your e-bikes go?

The motor assists up to 25 km/h, the legal limit for electric bicycles in China. Tampering with the limiter voids the rental agreement and the insurance.

Is there a deposit, and is it included in the online Stripe payment?

Yes, there is a refundable deposit (unless you stay at one of our partner hotels), and it is not included in the online Stripe payment. The Stripe checkout covers your rental fee in advance; when you pick up the bike in person, you pay the deposit separately according to the store’s deposit requirement for your bike. Once you return the bike and our staff confirm there are no issues after the return check, your original bike deposit is refunded in full.

Can you deliver the bike to my hotel?

Yes, within Yangshuo, for a flat 60 RMB each way or 120 RMB round trip.

What happens if I damage the bike?

Damage from misuse is billed at the manufacturer’s list price for parts plus 200 RMB per hour of labour, itemised, with no mark-up.

Can I cancel?

Free more than 3 days before the start. A 30% fee applies 1 to 3 days before, and 50% within 24 hours.

Would a guided cycling ride be easier?

If you would rather not navigate or handle the paperwork for a single day, yes. Our Yangshuo guided full-day and half-day cycling rides include the bike, helmet, bilingual cycling guide, insurance and hotel transfers, and can also be paid online in advance via our Stripe checkout link once confirmed.

Sources and last verified

• Science and Technology Daily, mandatory national standard for electric bicycles published ↗ (opens external site) (GB 17761-2024, anti-tampering requirements, 1 September 2025 effective date)
• Xinhua, new electric bicycle standard takes effect ↗ (opens external site) (25 km/h limit)
• Shanghai Municipal Government, how foreign visitors apply for a temporary driving permit ↗ (opens external site) (rented vehicles limited to classes C1 and C2)
• CycleQuest China, Rental Terms (deposit, insurance, damage, cancellation, 25 km/h limiter)

Last verified: 19 October 2026