I have an electric bike which cost me £900. I use it to commute to work, as I find it easier to get over hills than my traditional bike.
The bike is a Carrera, and is one of the more common, slower electric types that only helps with pedalling up to around 15mph.
I understand that some electric bikes require insurance, but I have read conflicting reports on what that means. Is it covered by my home insurance, for example, or do I require special bike cover?
Can someone please advise what I’m meant to do with insuring this bike? I want to keep within the law but I’m not entirely sure what that is, and I don’t want to spend money on more insurance if I don’t have to. Via email
Powered up: Electric bikes are becoming a common sight on UK roads, but the insurance question around them is leaving some cyclists in the dark
Sam Barker of This is Money replies: Electric bikes are rapidly growing in number, with around 160,000 sold every year.
That is still tiny compared to the 3million pedal cycles sold a year, and as electric bikes are so new it is understandable that all the insurance dos and don’ts have not entered public awareness in the same way that car insurance has, for example.
You are right that some electric bikes require insurance by law, while others do not.
It all rests on what sort of electric bike you have. There are two types.
The most common are what the Government calls ‘electrically assisted pedal cycles’ (EAPCs) – and this is what you own.
These do not need insurance, registration or tax, and are legally exactly the same as a traditional bicycle without an electric motor.
To be an EAPC, a bike has to have pedals that can be used to move it around, as well as a motor that cuts out at 15.5mph.
It must also have a maximum output of 250 watts, and display either the power output or the manufacturer of the motor, and the battery voltage or maximum speed.
This bike can be insured under your home insurance or with specialist bike insurance – but you don’t need to have insurance unless you want to.
That cover would pay for theft or damage, and may also include third-party liability cover in case you cause an accident, for example.
If you want to put your bike on your home insurance, you are likely to need to list it separately. Many insurers have caps on how much they will pay for a bike unless it is listed in this way – which will normally mean paying a higher premium, too.
This is a particular issue for owners of electric bikes, as they tend to be more expensive on the whole than traditional pedal cycles.
The second sort of electric bike is simply anything that is not an EAPC. More laws apply, and there is a legal demand for insurance.
If an electric bike does not meet EAPC rules, it is not legally a bike at all, but a moped or motorcycle
Anyone that has observed bike lanes or roads lately cannot have failed to notice that a lot of electric bikes zoom along at far greater speeds than 15.5mph, often without the rider pedalling at all. Many are effectively an electric moped.
If an electric bike does not meet EAPC rules, it is not legally a bike at all, but a moped or motorcycle.
That means if you want to ride it on the roads you need to get it registered, taxed, have a driving licence and wear a crash helmet, as well as buying motorbike insurance.
A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers trade body said: ‘If you do not meet the EAPC requirements then it is classed as a moped and will need to be covered by insurance.
‘While you need not insurance for an EAPC, it may be advisable to have it to cover risks such as theft and public liability.’
