ECE 22.06 Explained: What Helmet Certification Actually Means

To see the certification behind our own range, visit HedonHelmets.

Full face and open face helmets suit different kinds of riding, and the right choice usually comes down to where and how you ride rather than looks alone. A full face helmet covers the chin and jaw, giving more protection in a wider range of impacts, and tends to suit faster roads and longer distances.

None of this needs to be bought at once. Building a complete kit over time, prioritising the areas most exposed in a typical fall, is a realistic way to get there.

To compare our full face and open face ranges side by side, see HedonHelmets.

ECE 22.06 is the current European standard that motorcycle helmets are tested against, and it replaced the older ECE 22.05 standard with a wider and more demanding set of tests. Helmets are checked for impact absorption at multiple points on the shell, not just the crown, and the standard also tests rotational forces, which earlier standards largely ignored.

A certified helmet carries a label inside the shell showing the standard it meets, along with a homologation number that identifies the specific model tested. This label is worth checking on any helmet, since it confirms the exact helmet in your hands passed the test, not just the range it belongs to.