If you've been shopping for a new lid recently, you've probably noticed that some helmets say ECE 22.05 on the back and others say ECE 22.06. A few retailers are making a big deal out of it. Others aren't mentioning it at all. So what's actually going on, and does it change what you should be buying?
Here's the honest answer.
What is ECE, and why does it matter?
ECE stands for the UN Economic Commission for Europe, despite the name, it's a global standard, not just a European one, and it's the legal requirement for motorcycle helmets sold and worn on UK roads.
When you see ECE followed by a number on the back of a helmet, that's its homologation mark: proof that the helmet has been independently tested and approved to a specific safety standard. You can't legally ride on UK public roads in a helmet that doesn't carry this mark.
ECE 22.05 has been the standard since 2000. That's over two decades of motorcycle helmets, including some of the best lids ever made, all tested and approved to the same benchmark.
ECE 22.06 is the updated version. It came into force in January 2022 and from January 2024 onwards, manufacturers can only get new designs approved under the new standard. That's why you're now seeing both marks in the market at the same time.
What actually changed between 22.05 and 22.06?
The core principle is the same: the helmet must protect your head in a crash. What changed is how that protection is tested.
ECE 22.05 testing used straight-down impacts, the helmet was dropped vertically onto a flat surface. It was a solid baseline, but it didn't fully reflect what happens in a real crash, where impacts tend to come in at angles.
ECE 22.06 introduced angled impact testing at 45 degrees. This is significant because angled impacts create rotational forces, the kind that twist the brain inside the skull and are associated with concussion and serious brain injury. The new standard also tests the visor, the retention system and any accessories more rigorously than before.
The result is that every helmet approved to ECE 22.06 has been tested against a harder set of criteria than its ECE 22.05 equivalent. That's a genuine improvement, and worth knowing about.
SHARP, the UK government's independent helmet safety testing scheme, has been using angled impact tests since it launched in 2007, which is one of the reasons a SHARP star rating has always been a useful guide beyond the minimum legal requirement.
Is an ECE 22.05 helmet still legal in the UK?
Yes. Completely and indefinitely.
There is no date at which your ECE 22.05 helmet becomes illegal to ride in. If it's marked ECE 22.05, it met a rigorous independent safety standard when it was tested, and it remains road-legal on UK public roads.
This is important to understand clearly, because some of the coverage of ECE 22.06 has created the impression that 22.05 helmets are somehow substandard or due to be banned. They're not. All ECE 22.05 helmets worn in the UK remain compliant and offer excellent protection SHARP, that's directly from SHARP, the UK government's own testing programme.
What ECE 22.06 represents is a raised bar for new designs going forward. It doesn't retroactively make older standards unsafe.
Should you care about helmet age more than standard?
Honestly, for most riders buying a helmet today, age matters more than which standard is printed on the back.
Helmets are made from materials, primarily various types of plastic and expanded polystyrene, that degrade over time whether you ride in them or not. Heat, cold, UV light, even the oils from your skin all affect the liner and shell gradually. The industry consensus, and SHARP's own recommendation, is to replace a helmet every five years from its date of manufacture, not from when you first wore it.
If an ECE 22.05 helmet was made in 2020 and is being offered at a bargain price, just remember that it is now four years old. SHARP You can check the date of manufacture by removing the lining to find a sticker inside the shell.
At Big Bike Book, all helmets we sell are previous-season models from current production runs, meaning they carry genuine manufacture dates from recent years, not old stock that's been sitting in a warehouse since 2019. Every helmet is inspected before dispatch, and the standard (22.05 or 22.06) is clearly marked on the product listing.
How to tell which standard a helmet meets
It's straightforward. On the outside of the helmet, at the back near the neck area, the approval mark will say either ECE R22-05 or ECE R22-06. Inside the helmet there's also a fabric label with the full certification details.
If you're buying online, the product listing should state which standard the helmet is approved to. If it doesn't, that's worth asking about before you buy.
ECE 22.06 is a better standard than ECE 22.05. The angled impact testing is more representative of real-world crashes and gives manufacturers meaningful new targets to design towards.
But ECE 22.05 helmets are not unsafe, not illegal, and not something to avoid. A well-made, recently manufactured ECE 22.05 helmet from a brand like Shoei, Caberg or Airoh offers serious protection. The standard has kept riders safe for over two decades.
If you're replacing a helmet that's approaching five years old, it's worth considering a 22.06-approved model simply because you're buying new anyway. If you're looking at a previous-season 22.05 helmet from a reputable brand at a significantly better price, and it's recently manufactured, it remains a very sound choice.
The helmet that actually protects you is the one that fits properly, that you wear on every ride, and that hasn't spent five years deteriorating in a garage. Standard number is one factor. It's not the only one.
All helmets sold at Big Bike Book are genuine manufacturer stock supplied through Feridax (1957) Ltd, the UK's largest independent motorcycle gear wholesaler. Approval standard and key specifications are listed on every product page.