An e-bike that meets the UK's rules for an electrically assisted pedal
cycle (EAPC) is legally a bicycle: no licence, no road tax, no
registration, and no legal requirement to insure it. An e-bike that
breaks any one of those rules is legally a motor vehicle, and insuring
it becomes compulsory — not optional. The full rules are further down
this page.
Legally optional doesn't mean financially optional. Electric bikes are
valuable, heavily targeted by thieves, and expensive to repair — and
if you injure someone while riding, you're personally liable for what
follows. Pedalsure covers e-bikes worth £400 to £15,000, from £2.47 a
month.
Motor and battery cover is where most e-bike insurance pages get
vague. This page states exactly what's covered, the security
conditions that apply, and the EAPC rules that decide whether your
bike is legally a bicycle at all — sourced from the same policy
wording as every other page in this guide.
Covered, subject to the storage conditions for your home, garage, shed or communal hallway, and the lock requirement away from home
Accidental damage — including the motor and battery
Covered, as part of the bike — see the note below on wear versus damage
Malicious damage
Covered — including vandalism
Accessories, clothing and bike boxes
Covered when the bike is stolen at the same time
Replacement bike hire
Up to £500 while your claim is settled
Bike value range
£400 to £15,000 per bike, up to five bikes, £30,000 combined — higher only where we have agreed cover and reflected it in an endorsement
Claim assessment
Within 24 hours of us receiving your claim, under the Pedalsure Claims Promise
Your price during the policy year
Does not change, whether or not you claim
Your e-bike's motor and battery are part of the insured bike, not an
accessory — the policy defines a "bike" as any cycle powered by human
pedalling and/or battery, so theft, accidental damage and malicious
damage to the motor and battery are covered on the same terms as the
frame, wheels or gears of any other bike.
What that doesn't cover: like any mechanical or electrical part of a
bike, gradual wear and tear and mechanical or electrical breakdown are
excluded — that includes a battery's capacity fading with age and use.
Damage from an accident, a crash or a malicious act is a different
thing, and is covered.
Cover is settled by repair or replacement through a specialist dealer,
or a supplier you nominate. If we don't repair or replace, we pay in
cash — less the policy excess and subject to your sum insured.
UK law treats an electric bike as an ordinary bicycle only if it
qualifies as an Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC). To qualify,
your e-bike must:
Have a motor with a maximum continuous rated power of 250W or less
Only provide assistance while you're pedalling
Cut out its assistance at 15.5mph (25km/h) — you can pedal faster, the motor just stops helping
Have working pedals
Display the power output or manufacturer, plus either battery voltage or maximum speed
Be ridden by someone aged 14 or over
A throttle is only permitted up to 3.7mph (6km/h) as walk-assist. A
twist-and-go throttle that drives the bike faster than that without
pedalling takes it outside the EAPC rules.
If your bike breaks any one of these rules, it isn't a bicycle in
law — it's a motor vehicle.
That means registration, road tax, a driving licence, a motorcycle
helmet and compulsory insurance apply, the same as for a moped.
De-restricting an e-bike to lift the 15.5mph cut-off is the most
common way riders cross this line, usually without realising it — and
it also takes the bike outside what a cycle insurance policy covers,
because the policy only insures a "bike" that meets the EAPC
definition.
Source: Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 (as
amended) and gov.uk EAPC guidance, cross-checked against Cycling UK,
verified 20 August 2026. The government consulted on raising the power
limit from 250W to 500W in 2024 and formally decided not to proceed in
January 2025 — the 250W framework remains in force. This is a summary
of UK law, not legal advice; check gov.uk for the current position.
Why insure a bike the law doesn't require you to insure? Because the
risks aren't legal ones — they're financial. Electric bikes are
expensive, heavily targeted by thieves, and costly to repair, and if
you injure someone while riding, the liability is yours personally,
not the law's.
The lock you need
The same rule applies whatever you ride, e-bike included — but the
wrong lock is the single most common reason a theft claim is declined,
so here it is in full.
Bike value
Lock required
£1,000 or under
Sold Secure Silver or Gold, or a Thatcham-approved motorcycle lock
Over £1,000
Sold Secure Gold, or a Thatcham-approved motorcycle lock
Lock the bike through the frame to an immovable object — not just the
wheel. Wheels and tyres are only covered if they're secured to the
frame or an immovable object with an approved lock.
Need a lock that qualifies? Pedalsure customers get up to 40% off
Hiplok — the Hiplok DX at £30 (Sold Secure Diamond), Gold at £40, E-DX
at £50.
Report it to the police straight away and get a crime reference
number.
You cannot claim without one. Report online via your force's website
or call 101.
List it as stolen.
Register the theft with BikeRegister and, if you're in London,
StolenRide. Keep a record of your battery's serial number as well as
your frame number — batteries are commonly stripped and sold
separately from the bike they came from.
Check the resale sites in the first 48 hours.
Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, eBay and local selling groups,
searching by model and by distinctive components. If you find yours,
do not go and collect it — give the listing to the police.
Gather your evidence.
Your crime reference number, proof of ownership, the lock key and
lock receipt or the lock's remains, the frame number, and
photographs of the bike.
Start the claim.
Log in to your dashboard, or email
claims@pedalsure.com
, or call
0800 888 6745
(Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm). We assess your claim within 24 hours.
E-bike cover on home insurance vs a specialist policy
AXA figures published at axa.co.uk, verified 19 August 2026. All
home policies differ — check your own single-article limit.
Feature
Pedalsure
Typical home contents insurance
Single-bike limit
£400 to £15,000
AXA publishes £350 per bicycle, £1,500 per claim for several bikes
Theft away from home
Standard
Usually an optional extension
Attempted-theft damage and vandalism
Covered
Varies
Effect on your other cover
None
Affects your home no-claims discount and renewal
Replacement bike hire
Up to £500
Not offered
Bikes covered
Up to 5, £30,000 combined
Counts against your total contents sum insured
Electric bikes make this gap wider than it is for an analogue bike: a
typical published single-bicycle limit of £350 covers a fraction of
what most e-bikes are actually worth, and few home policies were
written with a bike battery or motor in mind.
Take the battery with you where you can.
It's often the single most valuable component and the easiest to remove — especially worth doing overnight or when the bike is left for a while.
Use a Sold Secure Gold rated lock (or higher), through the frame to an immovable object.
Most e-bikes are worth more than £1,000, which is where the Gold requirement applies.
Register the bike's frame number and the battery's serial number with BikeRegister.
Photograph both, along with any distinguishing marks.
Store it indoors or in a shed or garage that meets the published lock and security requirements.
A shed needs to be a metal, Secured by Design accredited unit, or the bike locked to an immovable object inside it — see /what-we-cover for the full storage table.
Vary where you park.
A bike in the same rack at the same time every day is a scheduled appointment.
Do I need insurance for an electric bike in the UK?
No — provided your e-bike meets the UK's EAPC rules: a maximum continuous rated power of 250W, assistance that cuts out at 15.5mph, working pedals, and a rider aged 14 or over. If your bike exceeds those limits it's legally a motor vehicle, and insurance becomes compulsory.
What counts as a road-legal e-bike (EAPC) in the UK?
A motor with a maximum continuous rated power of 250W or less, assistance only while you're pedalling and cutting out at 15.5mph (25km/h), working pedals, the power output or manufacturer and either battery voltage or maximum speed displayed, and a rider aged 14 or over. A throttle is only permitted up to 3.7mph as walk-assist.
Does insurance cover a de-restricted or modified e-bike?
No. Modifying an e-bike so the motor assists beyond 15.5mph takes it outside the UK's EAPC rules and makes it a motor vehicle rather than a bicycle in law, which is outside what a cycle insurance policy covers.
Are the motor and battery covered?
Yes, on the same terms as the rest of the bike — the policy defines a "bike" as any cycle powered by human pedalling and/or battery, so theft, accidental damage and malicious damage to the motor and battery are covered. Gradual wear and tear, and mechanical or electrical breakdown, are excluded — that includes a battery losing capacity with age and use.
What lock do I need for my e-bike insurance to be valid?
A Sold Secure Silver or Gold rated lock, or a Thatcham-approved motorcycle lock, for a bike worth £1,000 or less. A Sold Secure Gold rated lock or Thatcham-approved motorcycle lock for a bike worth more than £1,000. Lock the bike through the frame to an immovable object in both cases.
How long can I leave my e-bike locked up away from home?
Up to 12 hours away from your insured location, or up to 24 hours at your place of employment or in a cycle rack inside a railway station.
Can I put my e-bike on my home insurance instead?
You can, but check the detail first. Home contents policies often exclude e-bikes, cap bicycle cover at a single-item limit — AXA publishes £350 per bicycle — well below what most e-bikes are worth, or only cover the bike inside the home. A specialist e-bike policy covers the bike wherever it is, without affecting your home cover.
How much does electric bike insurance cost?
Pedalsure cover starts from £2.47 a month for a £400 bike (rider aged 30, postcode SW1A 1AA, quoted 17 August 2026, inclusive of IPT). Your price depends mainly on bike value, postcode, age and the cover you choose.
Am I covered riding my e-bike abroad?
The United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man are standard. Worldwide cover for up to 30 or 60 days per policy year is available for an additional premium and must be shown on your schedule.
Will my premium go up if I claim?
Your price is fixed for the whole policy year, so a claim during the year doesn't change what you pay that year.
How is a claim settled?
By repair or replacement through a specialist dealer who invoices us directly, or a reputable supplier you nominate. If we don't repair or replace, we pay in cash, less the policy excess and subject to your sums insured.
Do you cover e-bikes used for food delivery or courier work?
No. The policy excludes use of the bike for "hire, reward, courier services or carriage of paying passengers", and excludes business, trade, profession or employment other than commuting. We treat food delivery riding as falling within that exclusion.
Get your price in about two minutes. Hold it for 30 days while you
decide. Your price won't change during the policy year.