We conducted a short research about this subject in Germany – a country with the greatest number of e-bikes and pedelecs sold per citizen in Europe. The most common option is a supplement clause to your household insurance, containing your bicycle. Still, there is a big disadvantage to this kind of policy because it is often limited to a certain percentage of the total insurance sum, for example, one per cent of €50,000. However, those €500 are obviously not sufficient for the replacement of a stolen e-bike.
This way, your bike is protected when stolen from a locked cellar or garage. But how can you protect your e-bike in public? According to experts, e-bikes can be insured relatively cheaply as an addition to the mandatory liability insurance against theft. For around €150 a year, your e-bike should be covered.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for normal pedelecs (support up to 25 km/h) in Germany. For these, you should negotiate with your household insurer to adjust the aforementioned household insurance sum. You might eventually pay a slightly higher insurance policy in total, but in a case of theft, you would also get a higher percentage of the total sum – up to four per cent. For the amount of €50,000 it would be €2,000, which is enough to cover the loss.
There is also another safety issue related to e-bikes. Unlike ordinary bikes, they have very valuable accessories. First and foremost – the battery. Always take it with you! And if that’s not possible for some reason, secure it with an additional battery lock. Remember, you can never be too careful.
