Why are e-bike sales booming in Germany but floundering in the UK?

E-bikes are flying off the shelves across Europe. Here in the UK, not so much. In Germany, over 2 million e-bikes sold last year – that’s over half of all bikes sold there and four times the number of electric cars sold. Meanwhile, our own e-bike sales hover at a modest 150,000 units a year. So, what’s Germany doing right that Britain is getting so wrong?

Proper cycling infrastructure for a start: Safe, well-planned cycle networks make e-bikes an obvious choice for everyday transport. The growth in e-bike sales in Germany be driven as much by leisure cycling on its excellent network of trails as on-road utility transport;  e-MTBs (electric mountain bikes) now make up 40% of sales, while cargo bikes - the go-to for school runs, shopping and small businesses - account for 9%.

Here in Britain, the story isn’t so rosy. While the value of e-bike sales has jumped since 2019, numbers are flat.

Notably, the UK provides no financial incentives to boost the market. By contrast, France has an e-bike subsidy scheme that’s helped push annual sales to 750,000 – scheme that’s been expanded to include second-hand e-bikes.

Sensationalist headlines about e-bike battery fires (mainly due to dodgy conversion kits) are not helping. They have made house insurers and landlords wary, leaving some commuters unable to store or charge their bikes.

And unlike Germany, we still design our streets around cars, making cycling feel like an extreme sport on many roads.

The demand is there, but unless the UK government steps in with proper funding, better infrastructure, and sensible policies (like tackling unsafe conversion kits rather than scaremongering about e-bikes), we’ll keep lagging behind.

Insurance for an e-bike

We cover all road-legal electric bicycles as standard. If the output of your electric bicycle does not exceed 250 W/15.5 mph, we’ll cover it under our cycle insurance at no additional cost.

We also include Cycle Rescue as standard. If your e-bike develops a mechanical fault, you can call on our breakdown team 24/7.

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Every cycle insurance policy of ours includes the following as standard:

• Theft, accidental damage & vandalism
• E-bike battery theft cover
• Cycle Rescue (breakdown cover for your electric bicycle and you)
• No devaluation of your bike over time
• £2m third party PLUS £20,000 personal accident cover
• Shed and garage storage
• Low standard excess of 5% (£50 minimum)

Read a full list of everything we include as standard.

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The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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