Can anybody point me to the best place for electric bike insurance, in terms of cover and cost?
Thanks
Elaine
Thanks
Elaine
Electric Bike Insurance
- Thread starter thunderblue
- Start date
Cheapest insurance for pedal cycles comes with Building and Contents home insurance, and includes both theft and public liability. Some home insurance companies do not cover electrically assisted pedal cycles, but both Direct Line and eSure do, and I see that my renewal for Direct Line this year includes written assurance that EAPCs are covered (for up to £1000 per cycle) with an amendment to their "motorised vehicles" definition so that various personal electrically powered vehicles are included in the cover, and not excluded as are cars, vans etc.
AA Home insurance - free cover for ebikes up to a value of £1500.
Specialist ebike insurance - ETA offer get you home service if you break down on your bike.
Colin
Specialist ebike insurance - ETA offer get you home service if you break down on your bike.
Colin
Thanks for the advice
well, thanks everyone for the advice - I phoned Barclays Insurance who we have our house over with and they have insured the bike up to £1500 (their maximum) and we have also saved £14 per month on the premium.
Not bad eh? apparently we had an old policy with some quirks on it, and the changes we have made updating it have resulted in a reduced premium.
well, thanks everyone for the advice - I phoned Barclays Insurance who we have our house over with and they have insured the bike up to £1500 (their maximum) and we have also saved £14 per month on the premium.
Not bad eh? apparently we had an old policy with some quirks on it, and the changes we have made updating it have resulted in a reduced premium.My insurance company, too (Churchill) won't insure a bike costing more than £1500. They won't even insure such a bike AT ALL, i.e. up to that figure, as then apparently it is underinsured...
So, any ideas for me and my Wisper 905, which is costing me more than that, and with the various expensive accessories which help me to ride as a one-leggèd old git, comes to nearly two grands' worth.
I imagine (without any evidence) that specialist cycle insurers are on the expensive side, no?
Allen.
So, any ideas for me and my Wisper 905, which is costing me more than that, and with the various expensive accessories which help me to ride as a one-leggèd old git, comes to nearly two grands' worth.
I imagine (without any evidence) that specialist cycle insurers are on the expensive side, no?
Allen.
Underinsured
I ended up just insuring the basic cost of the bike on my house insurance as they had the same £1500 limit.
The accessories aren't covered - which for me isn't too bad as its just things like lights, mud guards, panniers etc.
You might be able to insure the extras separately as individually listed items covered away from the home, though experience tells me that the insurance company won't go for that idea if they are attached to a bike they are already insuring
I ended up just insuring the basic cost of the bike on my house insurance as they had the same £1500 limit.
The accessories aren't covered - which for me isn't too bad as its just things like lights, mud guards, panniers etc.
You might be able to insure the extras separately as individually listed items covered away from the home, though experience tells me that the insurance company won't go for that idea if they are attached to a bike they are already insuring
Hmm.
I've spent the last hour since I posted Googling for bike insurance, with not very good results! They all seem to be around the £200/£220 mark, per year, with only e&I coming in a bit lower (£180).
They also, of course, bang on about Sold Secure Gold (a system which I thought had taken a bashing of late), concrete bunkers, and the like.
And although my opinions of insurance companies are probably tainted by some bad experiences over the years, I do have suspicions that if my bike got knicked outside a police station, chained up to their railings with a Sold Secure Gold lock, they'd come round my gaff and seeing that I hadn't got a 5-lever deadlock fitted would then refuse to pay out.
I'll go and have a look at the Which? site, just in case they've covered it.
Allen.
I've spent the last hour since I posted Googling for bike insurance, with not very good results! They all seem to be around the £200/£220 mark, per year, with only e&I coming in a bit lower (£180).
They also, of course, bang on about Sold Secure Gold (a system which I thought had taken a bashing of late), concrete bunkers, and the like.
And although my opinions of insurance companies are probably tainted by some bad experiences over the years, I do have suspicions that if my bike got knicked outside a police station, chained up to their railings with a Sold Secure Gold lock, they'd come round my gaff and seeing that I hadn't got a 5-lever deadlock fitted would then refuse to pay out.
I'll go and have a look at the Which? site, just in case they've covered it.
Allen.
I got quotes on one or other of the insurance comparison sites, then rang each asking about the bike until I found one that could provide the insurance that best suited my needs for the least amount of hard earned.
It is bloody frustrating dealing with (most) insurance companies and it is true that you will only know if it was money well spent if the worst happens...
It is bloody frustrating dealing with (most) insurance companies and it is true that you will only know if it was money well spent if the worst happens...
Might be useful
I insure my Lafree ( £500) for £36.00 per year, fully comp. with a get you home service, the bike isn't worth much now but if bump someones car/person these days it can cost a fortune, also I have no contents cover for my flat, never have had. Insured by ETA. Green Breakdown cover, cycle insurance, green travel insurance | ETA
Derrick - Llanberis
I insure my Lafree ( £500) for £36.00 per year, fully comp. with a get you home service, the bike isn't worth much now but if bump someones car/person these days it can cost a fortune, also I have no contents cover for my flat, never have had. Insured by ETA. Green Breakdown cover, cycle insurance, green travel insurance | ETA
Derrick - Llanberis
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Datatag
I have also got one of these from SJS - DataTag Electronic Security System
If it is stolen, then there is a good chance of getting it back, but hopefully it would prevent professional thieves from taking it in the first place. For opportunistic thieves, you need a good solid D-lock, and a good length of strong chain or similar to secure both wheels and the saddle. Always make sure the D-Lock goes through the cycle frame and is attached to something solid where it can't be lifted or unbolted. A piece of cake .... but you all knew that.
I have also got one of these from SJS - DataTag Electronic Security System
If it is stolen, then there is a good chance of getting it back, but hopefully it would prevent professional thieves from taking it in the first place. For opportunistic thieves, you need a good solid D-lock, and a good length of strong chain or similar to secure both wheels and the saddle. Always make sure the D-Lock goes through the cycle frame and is attached to something solid where it can't be lifted or unbolted. A piece of cake .... but you all knew that.
No coverage by Which? unfortunately, as they are often useful in such matters.
But trawling through the archives here I did find several other threads, all useful, and one comment stood out, from a member called Burncycle (I think), who seems no longer to be around.
Anyway, the comment was on the lines of anyone buying a bike for £1.5-£2K and then scratching around for cheapo insurance wasn't being very consistent; and he compared it to buying a decent car and then getting it serviced by a bloke in his garden shed.
Points hit home - I had a glance at my various household policies, and it does seem that breakdown cover for cookers, washing machines, boilers, and so on, runs at about ten per cent of their new prices, so those quotes approaching £200 aren't that far off the mark.
(Yes, I know it's not for breakdown cover, but it's probably unlikely that the oiks will be breaking in and carrying off my Miele, so it is a similar proposition).
My lifelong mistrust of insurance companies is undiminished, but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pay the going rate, AND buy a big heavy chain to carry around with me.
Such is life.
Allen.
But trawling through the archives here I did find several other threads, all useful, and one comment stood out, from a member called Burncycle (I think), who seems no longer to be around.
Anyway, the comment was on the lines of anyone buying a bike for £1.5-£2K and then scratching around for cheapo insurance wasn't being very consistent; and he compared it to buying a decent car and then getting it serviced by a bloke in his garden shed.
Points hit home - I had a glance at my various household policies, and it does seem that breakdown cover for cookers, washing machines, boilers, and so on, runs at about ten per cent of their new prices, so those quotes approaching £200 aren't that far off the mark.
(Yes, I know it's not for breakdown cover, but it's probably unlikely that the oiks will be breaking in and carrying off my Miele, so it is a similar proposition).
My lifelong mistrust of insurance companies is undiminished, but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pay the going rate, AND buy a big heavy chain to carry around with me.
Such is life.
Allen.
Interesting thread, finding insurance cover for an electric bike can be a minefield as I discovered this week while getting quotes...
Cycleguard has been mentioned a few times and is often first choice for many people because they are specialised in bikes, their policy looks so extensive and the quotes cheap. However, I was surprised to discover some very damning reviews and comments about this company. It seems, they will not cover theft of any removable parts on a bike. So basically, the only cover you get is on the frame, unless the whole bike is stolen you won't get a penny!
ETA looks a much better proposition, although their quotes are nearly twice that of Cycleguard, you get 40% no-claims discount after the first year..and an initial 40% discount if your bike is a folding bike.
There are some insurance companies that will cover bikes on a household contents cover with cover for use outside the house for an extra premium...however as I discovered you need to check carefully if this includes electric bikes..several companies I tried including the AA and Liverpool Victoria would not cover electric bikes. I've heard that More Than will, but their quotes were a bit pricey for me.
Cycleguard has been mentioned a few times and is often first choice for many people because they are specialised in bikes, their policy looks so extensive and the quotes cheap. However, I was surprised to discover some very damning reviews and comments about this company. It seems, they will not cover theft of any removable parts on a bike. So basically, the only cover you get is on the frame, unless the whole bike is stolen you won't get a penny!
ETA looks a much better proposition, although their quotes are nearly twice that of Cycleguard, you get 40% no-claims discount after the first year..and an initial 40% discount if your bike is a folding bike.
There are some insurance companies that will cover bikes on a household contents cover with cover for use outside the house for an extra premium...however as I discovered you need to check carefully if this includes electric bikes..several companies I tried including the AA and Liverpool Victoria would not cover electric bikes. I've heard that More Than will, but their quotes were a bit pricey for me.
Powabyke usually recommend Cycleguard and we've had some good feedback from owners which is always nice!
Powabikes, and many other good names, would be covered for an extra ten or fifteen quid by most household policies, because Powabikes are generally under £1000. Insurance companies only start getting twitchy when the bike starts off at £1500-plus.
As I said earlier, I used to insure my heavily accessorised non-electric bike with Churchill, for £12.50 on top of my household policy. The bike's value was around £600, I think. But they, along with most of the big names, wouldn't touch my Wisper with a pole, coming in as it did at nearly £2000 (i.e. £1500 plus expensive add-ons).
Allen.
As I said earlier, I used to insure my heavily accessorised non-electric bike with Churchill, for £12.50 on top of my household policy. The bike's value was around £600, I think. But they, along with most of the big names, wouldn't touch my Wisper with a pole, coming in as it did at nearly £2000 (i.e. £1500 plus expensive add-ons).
Allen.
Great thread! I find my own search results for e-bike insurance confirmed and my suspicions. My house and content insurance will not cover the bike, as it is £1500+. Is Cycleguard the only halfway decent option in terms of pay out in case of an insurance claim? Any experiences any of you had with high value e-bikes?
Thank you for the information. Sounds good.
Ihave checked out Aviva. They seem to insure e-bikes up to £3500. The bike share of the insurance in my case would be £101 pound per year. This includes bike theft and theft of parts, unless the parts were old in which case they would assume that the owner just wanted new parts. Also the replacement value is the market value and not "new for old". So many ifs and buts, I am suspicious how much of an insurance this very basic e-bike insurance actually is.
I also checked out ETA. They are a bike charity with a number of bike projects well worth supporting. They cover everything including wheel theft, vandalism, new for old replacement, other riders on your bike personal liability,loss of earnings etc. for my the total per year is £266, but it covers so much more than the Aviva contents insurance add-on.
Any experience anybody with ETA? how are they with claims. Are they as brilliant as the claim?
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