Compare e-bike insurance plans: Which one is right for you?

An electric bicycle with pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour is not subject to mandatory insurance in the Netherlands. For a “ speed pedelec,” however, this requirement does apply, as it is legally classified as a moped. For the vast majority of e-bike riders, therefore, getting insurance is less a legal requirement than a financial decision: how much of the replacement value are you willing to cover yourself if your bike were to go missing tomorrow?

In practice, this is a question we rarely ask ourselves. Comparison sites line up policies side by side based on the monthly premium, even though it’s actually the amounts paid out after a theft that vary much more than the premiums themselves. The deductible, the sliding scale, the insured value, and the security requirements all work together to determine what you’re actually purchasing. And for an electric bike refurbished, an additional factor comes into play that doesn’t apply to new bikes: the insurer isn’t required to use the same value as the one listed on your invoice.

Jos Mans

Written by: Jos Mans | Published on: September 3, 2026 | 5-minute read

Insurance Overview

What Bike Insurance Covers (and Doesn't Cover)

There are essentially three types of coverage. Theft insurance covers the bicycle if it was properly locked in accordance with the terms of the policy. Property damage coverage, or comprehensive coverage, adds sudden damage: a fall, a collision, and, in many policies, vandalism as well. Roadside assistance is not a type of coverage but a service designed to help you in case of a breakdown on the road. Those who confuse these three elements almost always end up buying either too much or too little coverage.

If you're still unsure about which type of e-bike is right for you—even before you start thinking about insurance—our buying guide details the key factors to consider when making that choice.

What none of the three solutions addresses is wear and tear. A lithium-ion battery that loses a significant amount of capacity after three years is not a claim but a process of chemical aging. This is covered by the warranty—or not at all. The same applies to a motor that breaks down for no apparent reason: it is a matter of compliance with the seller’s warranty, not a comprehensive insurance claim.

"What strikes me as the most persistent misunderstanding in this industry is that buyers purchase insurance against a technical failure and only discover, when they file a claim, that they're actually dealing with something entirely different."

Comprehensive coverage becomes worthwhile as soon as repairs get expensive. On a modern e-bike with built-in electronics, hydraulic brakes, and an electronic shifting system, a single unfortunate fall can result in a repair bill close to the bike’s value. For those who use such a bike daily, comprehensive coverage primarily buys peace of mind. Those who store a simpler bike in a locked room and can easily handle minor damage can reasonably limit themselves to theft coverage.

Where Insurers Really Stand Out

ANWB is appealing to this audience because the applicable terms and conditions are explicitly detailed there. According to the supporting documents provided, the coverage can be based on either the purchase price or an appraised current value, and a used battery is not automatically excluded. On the other hand, the theft deductible is calculated as a percentage, and the coverage amount decreases once the selected purchase-price guarantee period has expired.

ENRA operates primarily through a network of bicycle specialists and allows you to insure a used electric bike through a specialist, without the standard theft deductible found in current e-bike insurance policies. Kingpolis focuses more on long-term protection of the purchase value but has strict wording regarding fixed and portable locks, which you’ll want to read carefully before signing up. Laka takes a conceptually different approach: the monthly premium varies—within a pre-set maximum limit—based on the overall claims history of policyholders.

“Naming a winner here seems misleading to me, because the criteria contradict each other. A policy without a deductible can end up costing more than a policy with a cash-value guarantee, which actually pays out more after five years. The only meaningful benchmark is the expected payout for the risk you really want to protect yourself against, minus the premium, the deductible, and the declining benefit.”

Do this calculation once for your bike and your ZIP code, and the ranking will be unlike any standard comparison chart.

Anti-theft devices, trackers, and clauses that prevent compensation

Security requirements have become significantly stricter in recent years. Whereas a single ART-certified lock was sufficient for a long time, many electric bike insurance policies now require two independent locks, at least one of which must secure the bike to a fixed object. In some areas, stricter versions of this same rule apply. It takes just two minutes to check which locks actually meet these requirements, and that check could be worth thousands of euros when you need it most.

For more expensive e-bikes, a requirement for a tracking system (track and trace) is added to this. This is precisely where most owners of connected bikes go wrong. A built-in GPS, a Bluetooth anti-theft device, or a feature linked to your phone does not automatically constitute a system recognized by the insurer. Insurers work with their own lists of certified systems, and a smart bike capable of tracking its own location is not necessarily on that list. This is particularly true for the fastest e-bikes on the market, which are often more expensive and therefore more likely to be subject to this requirement.

The practical test is simple: Does the requirement fit into your daily routine? Carrying two heavy locks to the train station seems reasonable on paper, but anyone who leaves them at home after two weeks is, in reality, riding without valid insurance. The same logic applies to the requirement to lock your bike to a fixed point where no bike rack is available. So first, choose coverage whose conditions you know you can meet every day, and only then consider the premium. For most policies, those who already follow basic theft prevention rules will have to make only a minimal additional effort.

Insuring a refurbished e-bike: What value matters?

For an electric bike refurbished, three amounts come into play: the original list price, the amount you actually paid, and the current value as estimated by an expert. Whichever of these three amounts the insurer uses as the “value of the bike” determines the entire policy. Insuring based on a theoretical price new when the compensation is based on the actual purchase price is a waste of money. Conversely, you don’t want to find out that a bargain purchase, under an unfavorable sliding scale, is now worth only a fraction of its value.

Before signing up, be sure to gather the following: the invoice showing the exact amount paid, the make, model, and frame number, the model year, the battery’s measured condition, and the warranty in effect at the time of purchase. Then, specifically ask what factors the insurer considers when determining coverage, and what the payout would be after two, four, and six years. For the battery, a separate check is also necessary: theft and sudden damage may be covered, but capacity loss due to normal wear and tear almost never is.

I’ve noticed that buyers tend to underestimate the value of refurbished. A professionally serviced bike comes with exactly the documentation an insurer requires: an invoice with a specific amount, a certified copy, and a valid warranty. This simplifies the valuation process, unlike a used bike sold between private individuals without documentation. And since you spend less on the bike while staying within the same overall budget, you’ll have some leeway to cover the cost of the coverage required by your insurance policy. At Upway, you’ll also find all our electric bike brands—well-known models that make this valuation process with your insurer much easier.

Our Opinion

At Upway, we recommend that you always keep the purchase invoice and the inspection report you received when the bike was repaired. These documents make it much easier to deal with an insurer, whether to determine the insured value or to verify the battery’s condition. If you’re also planning to sell your old e-bike to finance a new model, keep these same documents on hand: they’ll make both the sale and the new insurance policy easier to process.

In conclusion

The monthly premium is never the right starting point for comparing e-bike insurance policies. Instead, start by identifying the risk you actually want to protect yourself against, make sure you can meet the anti-theft requirements on a daily basis, and—for a refurbished bike—agree with the insurer on the insured value before signing the policy. It’s this triangle—risk, security, and value—that determines what you’ll actually get when you need it.

FAQ

About the Author: Jos Mans

Jos is both a writer and a cyclist—and most of the time, he does both at the same time. With thousands of kilometers under his belt and just as many words on paper, he combines his two great passions: being on the road and telling stories.