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PlansAboutSupportWhat ofanayim, korkinet, galgino'a and katno'a mean.
On the label or sign
ofanayim
US English
Bicycle or bike
UK English
Bicycle, bike or pushbike
אוֹפַנַּיִם is a pedal bicycle with a saddle and no traction battery or electric motor.
Ordinary bicycles do not use the registration system for electric bicycles and electric scooters.
Do not assume every אופניים is an e-bike because the Hebrew word by itself means bicycle.
On the label or sign
ofanayim regilim
US English
Regular or conventional bicycle
UK English
Ordinary or conventional bicycle
אופניים רגילים is the everyday contrast term for a non-electric bicycle. רגילים does not name a particular bicycle style.
Helmet rules differ from the rules for powered vehicles. A minor must wear a helmet, while an adult is exempt on an urban road unless riding an auxiliary-motor bicycle or principally doing sport.
Read רגילים as regular or non-electric, not as a named bicycle style.
On the label or sign
ofanayim hashmali'im
US English
E-bike or electric bicycle
UK English
E-bike; closest legal comparison is EAPC
אופניים חשמליים is the everyday name for an e-bike. The legal and product-label name is אופניים עם מנוע עזר. A compliant vehicle has usable pedals, no more than 250 W, pedal-activated assistance that stops above 25 km/h, and only low-speed throttle control up to 6 km/h on models made after July 2014.
A US Class 2 throttle bike, a US Class 3 28 mph bike, or a 500 W or 750 W product is not automatically legal in Israel. Israeli conformity and labeling rules control.
Check the permanent Hebrew label and registration eligibility instead of relying on the seller's e-bike description.
On the label or sign
ofanei shetah hashmali'im
US English
Electric mountain bike or e-MTB
UK English
Electric mountain bike or e-MTB
אופני שטח חשמליים is an electric off-road or mountain bicycle.
An electric mountain bike is exempt from the plate only when the bicycle is intended and used only off road, transported there by car or trailer, and never ridden on a road or bicycle path. Road or bike-path use requires registration and a plate.
Do not assume the words mountain bike create a general registration exemption.
On the label or sign
korkinet
US English
Kick scooter or push scooter
UK English
Kick scooter or push scooter
קוֹרְקִינֶט is a narrow deck with a handlebar stem and two or sometimes three small wheels. The rider pushes one foot against the ground, and the vehicle has no traction motor. The Academy alternative is גַּלְגִּלַּיִם, but public-facing language usually uses קורקינט.
The English word scooter can also mean a small seated motorcycle. Hebrew calls that seated vehicle קטנוע.
Use קורקינט for the push scooter and קטנוע for the seated motor scooter.
On the label or sign
korkinet hashmali
US English
Electric kick scooter or e-scooter
UK English
Electric scooter or e-scooter
קורקינט חשמלי is the everyday name for a regulated stand-up electric scooter. The official name is גַּלְגִּנּוֹעַ. The vehicle has two or three wheels, a deck, a handlebar, an electric motor, and a hand throttle.
A compliant גלגינוע meets Israeli Standard 6230, has no more than 250 W, cuts motor power during braking, cannot exceed 25 km/h, and weighs no more than 30 kg. A 25 km/h seller claim alone does not prove compliance.
Do not call a stand-up e-scooter קטנוע חשמלי because that phrase means an electric seated motor scooter.
On the label or sign
katno'a
US English
Motor scooter or scooter motorcycle
UK English
Scooter or motor scooter
קַטְנוֹעַ is a seated, step-through motorcycle with small wheels or a floorboard. It is the type of vehicle often called a Vespa-style scooter in English.
A קטנוע has an ordinary motor-vehicle registration plate and follows the motorcycle licensing, helmet, and insurance regime. A stand-up גלגינוע follows a different light-vehicle regime.
Use motor scooter in US English when the bare word scooter could be mistaken for a stand-up vehicle.
On the label or sign
ofanno'a
US English
Motorcycle
UK English
Motorbike or motorcycle
אוֹפַנּוֹעַ is a motor vehicle with two wheels arranged one behind the other. The rider normally straddles the vehicle.
English bike can mean a bicycle or a motorcycle. Hebrew keeps them apart: אופניים means bicycle, and אופנוע means motorcycle.
Do not use אופניים for a motorcycle just because English speakers sometimes say bike.
On the label or sign
kalno'it
US English
Mobility scooter
UK English
Mobility scooter
קַלְנוֹעִית is a low-speed electric mobility vehicle, usually with three or four wheels and a seat. The vehicle is intended especially for people with limited walking ability and generally carries one or two people.
A קלנועית has a separate road-safety regime and a 12 km/h maximum. The Hebrew word does not mean a stand-up electric scooter.
Translate קלנועית as mobility scooter, not electric scooter.
On the label or sign
rakkino'a
US English
Self-balancing scooter or hoverboard
UK English
Self-balancing transporter or hoverboard
רַכִּינּוֹעַ is a self-balancing personal transporter. הוֹבֶרְבּוֹרְד is the common product word for a hoverboard.
Government transport material lists רכינוע, גלגינוע, קלנועית, and electric bicycle as separate vehicle categories.
Check the rules for the actual device instead of automatically applying e-scooter plate rules to a רכינוע.
On the label or sign
dushot
US English
Pedals
UK English
Pedals
דוּשׁוֹת are pedals. The pedals on a legal e-bike must propel the bicycle and activate ordinary motor assistance.
Decorative or unusable pedals do not turn a motorbike into a legal e-bike.
Make sure the pedals work instead of treating any attached pedals as proof of compliance.
On the label or sign
mat'eret
US English
Throttle
UK English
Throttle
מַצְעֶרֶת is a throttle. A גלגינוע uses a hand throttle.
On an e-bike made after July 2014, the throttle may continuously control motor power only up to 6 km/h.
Do not assume a US-style full-speed throttle is permitted on an Israeli e-bike.
On the label or sign
kidon
US English
Handlebars
UK English
Handlebars
כִּידוֹן means handlebars or steering bar.
An electric light-vehicle plate normally goes at the rear. Front mounting on the handlebar is allowed only when rear mounting is impossible, and the plate must remain unobscured.
Translate כידון as handlebars, not as one handle.
On the label or sign
mishtah drikha
US English
Deck or standing deck
UK English
Deck or footplate
מִשְׁטַח דְּרִיכָה is the platform where a rider stands on a kick scooter or e-scooter.
The standing deck helps distinguish a קורקינט from a seated קטנוע.
Do not assume every vehicle with a floorboard or footplate is a motor scooter.
On the label or sign
mispar shilda / mispar siduri
US English
Frame number or serial number
UK English
Frame number or serial number
מִסְפַּר שִׁלְדָּה or מִסְפָּר סִדּוּרִי is the manufacturer-allocated number on the frame or device. The number is used to register a light electric vehicle in Mobility.
The frame or device number is different from the battery serial number and the new registration number.
Enter the manufacturer-allocated frame or device number when Mobility asks for the vehicle number.
On the label or sign
mispar rishum
US English
Registration number
UK English
Registration number
מִסְפַּר רִישּׁוּם is the personal alphanumeric number assigned through Mobility. The number is not transferable to another person.
The owner must cancel the old vehicle's association before reusing the number for another vehicle. Each vehicle is registered in Mobility.
Do not move one physical plate among several active vehicle registrations without updating Mobility.
On the label or sign
luhit zihui
US English
Identification plate
UK English
Identification or registration plate
לוּחִית זִהוּי is the small plate that bears the Mobility registration number. Registration has no state fee, while an authorized plate maker charges for making and installing the plate.
The plate must be visible and normally goes at the rear. The light-vehicle scheme states registration and a plate, not an annual vehicle test or licence.
Do not treat the identification plate as a full motor-vehicle licence.
On the label or sign
kasdat magen
US English
Safety helmet
UK English
Cycle helmet
קַסְדַּת מָגֵן is a safety helmet. Electric bicycle and e-scooter riders must wear a standard-marked, strapped helmet on every ride, with a מַחְזִיר אוֹר visible to other road users.
The adult urban helmet exemption for an ordinary bicycle does not apply to an auxiliary-motor bicycle.
Wear the strapped helmet and visible reflector on every powered light-vehicle ride.
On the label or sign
shvil ofanayim
US English
Bike path or cycle track
UK English
Cycle path or cycle track
שְׁבִיל אוֹפַנַּיִם is a specially allocated and signed facility for bicycles. Powered light vehicles must use the facility when one is present.
A wide sidewalk or painted pedestrian area is not automatically a bike path. Look for bicycle signs or markings.
Use the signed bicycle facility instead of treating any broad pedestrian area as a שביל אופניים.
On the label or sign
netiv ofanayim
US English
Bike lane
UK English
Cycle lane
נְתִיב אוֹפַנַּיִם is a bicycle lane on the carriageway. A broken white line and bicycle symbols commonly separate the lane from motor traffic.
נתיב means a lane, while שביל is the broader path or track term.
Do not translate both נתיב and שביל as path when the road layout matters.
On the label or sign
midrakha
US English
Sidewalk
UK English
Pavement
מִדְרָכָה is the pedestrian part beside the roadway.
Riding a compliant e-bike or e-scooter on the sidewalk is prohibited. A person may walk the device there when doing so does not obstruct pedestrians.
Do not ride on the sidewalk just because the road feels unsafe.
On the label or sign
kvish
US English
Roadway or road
UK English
Carriageway or road
כְּבִישׁ is the roadway or road. When no bicycle facility exists, a powered light-vehicle rider uses the road, keeps right, and obeys traffic rules.
The lack of a bicycle facility does not make sidewalk riding legal.
Keep right on the road when no bicycle facility exists instead of moving onto the sidewalk.
On the label or sign
ma'avar hatziya
US English
Pedestrian crosswalk
UK English
Pedestrian or zebra crossing
מַעֲבַר חֲצִיָּה is a pedestrian crossing. A rider must dismount and walk at a pedestrian crossing.
Riding across is permitted only on a crossing specifically marked for bicycles.
Dismount at zebra stripes even when the approach began on a bike path.
On the label or sign
mivhan te'orya / behina ye'udit lirkhiva
US English
Driving theory or dedicated riding test
UK English
Theory or dedicated riding test
A rider aged 16 or older must hold an eligible driving licence, have passed an eligible theory test, or hold approval after the dedicated theoretical riding examination. An expired eligible licence can qualify.
A driving licence is one way to qualify, not the only way.
Do not tell a rider that a current driving licence is the only accepted qualification.
| English term | Hebrew to look for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle | אוֹפַנַּיִםofanayim | The plain word means bicycle, not e-bike. |
| Legal e-bike | אופניים עם מנוע עזרofanayim im mano'a ezer | Look for the legal and product-label wording. |
| Kick scooter | קוֹרְקִינֶטkorkinet | The plain word normally means the unpowered vehicle. |
| Electric kick scooter | קורקינט חשמלי / גַּלְגִּנּוֹעַkorkinet hashmali / galgino'a | The first is everyday wording. The second is official. |
| Motor scooter | קַטְנוֹעַkatno'a | The seated motorcycle follows a different regime. |
| Motorcycle | אוֹפַנּוֹעַofanno'a | English bike can be ambiguous. Hebrew is specific. |
| Mobility scooter | קַלְנוֹעִיתkalno'it | The seated mobility vehicle has a separate regime. |
| Bike lane | נְתִיב אוֹפַנַּיִםnetiv ofanayim | נתיב is a lane on the carriageway. |
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By the baba team. Checked on against 45 sources, mostly Israeli retailers, manufacturers and government pages, and updated . Products, labels and rules change, so check the pack or the office before you rely on a detail. Our methodology.
קורקינט is a stand-up kick scooter, normally the unpowered kind unless חשמלי is added. קטנוע is a seated motor scooter that follows the motorcycle regime.
Yes. Registration and an identification plate have been compulsory for compliant electric bicycles and electric scooters since 1 August 2024. The no-registration fine is ₪750 from 1 September 2026.
No. Use a designated bike path or lane. When no bicycle facility exists, ride on the road and keep right.
A driving licence is one route, not the only route. A rider aged 16 or older can also qualify through an eligible theory test or the dedicated theoretical riding examination.
No. A compliant e-bike also needs usable pedals, pedal-activated assistance that stops above 25 km/h, the required throttle limit for post-July-2014 models, Israeli conformity labeling, registration, and a plate.
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