Should you insure your e-bikes? It’s summer time and the weather seems to be hotting up now and quite rightly this means more bicycles are on the road enjoying the freedom that it brings but you can if you so wish, make this experience even easier. E-bikes (‘e’ stands for electric) are certainly a quicker and simpler way to get from A to B and are becoming more popular in all age groups not just those who are older and need a little help! They’re also a great choice for anyone that lives in a city as cycling through congested roads can certainly be faster than driving and the extra boost from the battery motor makes the longer commutes easily achievable.
Firstly, what is classed as an ‘electric bike’?
An e-bike is a bicycle with an electric motor attached to a battery to propel it. The law states what is and isn’t classed as an ‘Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle’ (also known as EAPC). An EAPC is defined as:
- The electric motor shouldn’t be able to propel the bicycle when travelling more than 15.5mph
- The motor shouldn’t have a maximum power output of more than 250 watts
- An electric bike’s top speed is limited to a maximum of 3.7mph
Also, you can ride an EAPC without a licence as long as you are 14 years and above and of course, the bike meets the requirement mentioned above and can be ridden in the same places as a normal pedal cycle.
Are there different sorts of electric bike?
Yes, there are, the main varying types of e-bike designs to suit different outcomes are:-
- Foldable commuting e-bikes are made for ease whereby they can be folded and taken on a train or bus etc
- Hybrid e-bikes – as you become fitter you can pedal instead and cut down on the assistance of the motor
- Off-road e-bikes – a huge hit with thrill seekers
- E-cargo e-bikes with a platform or box to carry large packages and boxes for deliveries
Are E-bikes expensive?
Depends on how rich you are, but yes, in general they are. Prices start around £500 and rise to well over £5,000, so this alone is a reason why you should take out insurance to protect yourself for a financial loss should you be involved in an incident.
Well now, does that make e-bike expensive to insure?
That will depend on the premium you’re being quoted for your electric bike insurance policy as that premium will take a range of factors into account such as:-
- where you live
- how high the crime rate is in your area
- the cost of your e-bike
- the security of your bike when you’re not riding
But, should you insure your e-bikes? It is not law in England, Scotland and Wales to have e-bike insurance (unlike Northern Ireland where it is) but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider e-bike insurance. As you can imagine, the expensive of an electric bike can far out-way the cost of your average pedicycle; and with any motorised mechanism, there can be more chance of things going wrong. Also, should you be involved in an accident, the repair costs could be high.
If you own an e-bike you do not have the expense of registration, fuel or tax, so why not protect your prized possession with electrical bike insurance. Should you insure your e-bikes – we’d suggest it’s the right option for all the above reasoning.
Whether you have an electric bike or any bike for that matter, Bestpricefs can provide cover to suit your needs so visit our webpage for more information https://bestpricefs.co.uk/app/bike-insurance/
You could pay less than £53.30 for bicycles valued up to £1500*
*51% of customers with a bicycle valued up to £1500 who obtained a quote for Bicycle Insurance through this service provided by Seopa Ltd between October and December 2020 were quoted less than £53.30. Using the same calculation for bicycles valued between £1501 and £3000 gave a figure of £116.00 and for bicycles valued over £3000 gave a figure of £212.62. The quote price you could achieve is dependent on your individual circumstances.
