E-Bike and E-Scooter Battery Courier

An e-bike battery is a few hundred watt-hours of stored energy in a case designed to be carried by hand, which is exactly why it is both convenient to send and genuinely regulated. Typical packs run around 300 to 750 Wh, and the transport entry depends only on whether the pack travels by itself or with the bike: UN3480 for a battery shipped alone, UN3481 for one packed with or contained in equipment, both in ADR Class 9. The part that catches senders out is not the paperwork but the condition. A pack that is swollen, dented, punctured, water-damaged or has been involved in a fire is a damaged or defective cell under special provision 376, the failure mode is thermal runaway rather than a leak, and we do not carry it. Saying so at the enquiry rather than at the kerb is the point of this page.

Which entry does an e-bike battery travel under?

UN3480 if the battery goes on its own, UN3481 if it is packed alongside the bike or fitted into it. Both are Class 9, and the difference is simply whether equipment is in the package — it is not about size or chemistry.

That distinction decides the labelling and the documentation, so get it right at booking. A retailer sending a replacement pack is UN3480; a workshop returning a complete e-bike with its battery in the frame is UN3481. A bike sent with the battery removed and in the same carton is still UN3481, because the equipment is packed with it.

Why will you not carry a swollen or damaged pack?

Because a damaged or defective lithium cell is a different consignment under special provision 376, and the packaging that provision requires is not something a sender improvises. The failure mode is thermal runaway: once started it is self-sustaining and water on it does little.

So the refusal is firm and it happens at the enquiry rather than when a driver is standing in a shop. The practical test is whether the manufacturer would still warrant the pack: if the answer is no, assume SP376 applies and tell us. A pack that has been dropped hard, has a cracked case, has got wet, has been charged by a non-original charger and got hot, or came out of a bike involved in a fire is in that category even if it still powers the bike. If you have a batch of suspect packs needing disposal, that is a conversation to have with a specialist rather than a courier booking.

Does the state of charge matter?

For air freight yes, for road carriage not as a general rule — and the two are frequently confused. Air transport limits lithium ion cells and batteries shipped alone to 30 per cent state of charge; ADR road carriage imposes no equivalent general ceiling.

That said, a consignor's own procedure may set one, and some manufacturers require it for returns. So if your process specifies a charge level, tell us and we will carry to it — we simply do not impose a road limit that the regulations do not. The related point worth knowing: because we move these by road rather than air, a pack that an air carrier would refuse on state of charge alone is usually carryable here, which is often why people end up looking for a road option.

How does the pack need preparing?

Terminals protected against short circuit, the pack in packaging that resists crushing, and everything secured so nothing can move or press on a cell. Short circuit and crushing are the realistic transit hazards.

We supply no packaging: the carton, the inner protection and the terminal covers are yours to provide to the packing instruction for the entry. Two specifics people miss — nothing metallic loose in the same package, including a spare key or a mounting bolt, and the original carton is usually the right answer because it was designed around the pack. A pack rattling in an oversized box with a loose charger beside it is a load we will decline.

Who sends e-bike batteries?

Retailers and workshops sending warranty replacements, manufacturers moving stock, fleet operators of rental or delivery bikes, insurers moving packs for assessment, and individuals who have bought a replacement pack and cannot get it delivered.

That last group is larger than it looks, because parcel networks decline Class 9 lithium consignments as a class and a pack accepted by mistake tends to be intercepted mid-network. A dedicated vehicle avoids the question entirely: the pack is collected, carried by one driver with an ADR certificate where the quantity requires it, and delivered to a named person with a signed, timestamped record.

Can you move end-of-life packs for recycling?

Yes, within the condition limit above — a sound end-of-life pack, not a damaged one. A spent battery is waste as well as dangerous goods, so the movement needs a registered carrier and duty-of-care paperwork alongside the transport document.

T&C Logistics Ltd is registered with the Environment Agency as an upper tier waste carrier, broker and dealer under registration number CBDU654368, registered 20 August 2026 and valid to 20 August 2029, searchable on the Waste Carriers and Brokers Public Register for England. The broker and dealer roles are the commercially relevant ones, because arranging for a permitted facility to treat the packs is what a managed collection actually is. We carry and arrange; we do not treat or recycle, and any recovery documentation is issued by the facility that did the work.

Can you carry a complete e-bike as well as the pack?

Yes, and it is a volume job with a dangerous goods element rather than the other way round. A complete e-bike with its battery fitted is UN3481, and the handling question becomes the bike: whether it is boxed, whether the bars are turned and the pedals off, and whether it needs two people.

Two practical points. A boxed bike from a manufacturer is straightforward and stacks; an unboxed bike needs blanket protection and nothing loaded against it, which is a different vehicle decision. And where a bike is going back to a workshop for warranty work, tell us whether the battery travels fitted or separately — because if it comes out and goes in its own carton, you have two packages and still one UN3481 consignment, which needs to read correctly on the paperwork rather than being worked out at the kerb.

What record comes with the delivery?

A signature and a timestamp against a named recipient, which on a warranty or insurance movement is frequently the point of the booking rather than a formality.

A pack being returned for assessment, replaced under warranty or moved for an insurance claim needs a demonstrable chain: who released it, when, who received it, when. We deliver to a person rather than to an address, and where nobody authorised is available the consignment holds or returns and you are told which — a Class 9 lithium consignment is not left in a safe place or handed to a passer-by. If you need the serial number recorded on the handover, send it with the booking and it goes on the record rather than being read off a pack in a doorway.

What vehicle does a battery consignment need?

Usually a small one. A single pack is a few kilograms, so this is a consignment where neither weight nor volume binds and the vehicle is chosen for availability and access.

See lithium battery courier and the parent hazardous goods service.

What does it cost to send an e-bike battery?

From £50 (ex VAT) for the smallest dedicated job, quoted as one fixed price before you book. Final price depends on distance, vehicle, urgency and time - quoted in full upfront before you book, with fuel and goods-in-transit cover inside the figure.

What insurance and credentials apply, and how do I book?

Goods-in-transit cover of £50,000 per consignment, extending to £1,000,000 through partner carriers where the value requires it, plus public liability of £1,000,000. Limits and exclusions are in our terms.

Held: ADR vocational training certificates at driver level, Driver CPC, an Operator's Licence, Environment Agency registration CBDU654368, GDPR compliance and a ULEZ-compliant fleet. Not held: we have no Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser appointment of our own, and work with partners who hold one where a consignment needs it. T&C Logistics Ltd is Companies House number 16838210; the list is on our licences page.

1. Call 0121 720 3841 for the office or +44 7963 400173 for dispatch. Enquiries are taken around the clock and answered between 06:00 and 22:00, seven days a week.
2. Say whether the pack travels alone (UN3480) or with the bike (UN3481), and give the watt-hour rating.
3. Declare the condition honestly — any swelling, dent, puncture, water ingress or fire involvement means we decline.
4. Confirm terminals are covered, the carton resists crushing and nothing metallic is loose inside.
5. Say whether the movement is waste, which adds duty-of-care paperwork and a nominated facility.
6. Accept the fixed price and an ADR-certificated driver from our 3,000-plus network is assigned.

Related: lithium batteries, car batteries, vapes and e-cigarettes, bicycle distribution and the ADR regulations. Or request a quote online. Google Reviews rating 5.0★.