E-Bike Insurance Compared: Costs and Cover

According to the 2026 Stiftung Warentest comparison, good E-bike insurance is available from around 30 euros per year, and a 6,000-euro E-bike can be insured for around 60 euros per year. One thing to know upfront: Pedelecs up to 25 km/h are insured voluntarily, while S-Pedelecs up to 45 km/h require mandatory motor vehicle liability insurance with an insurance plate.

What an E-bike insurance costs

According to the 2026 Stiftung Warentest comparison, good tariffs are available from around 30 euros per year for a bike worth 1,500 euros, and an E-bike worth 6,000 euros can be insured for around 60 euros per year.^[1] For comparison: the German Insurance Association (GDV) reports an average theft claim of 1,270 euros per stolen bike for 2025, the highest figure in the survey.^[2] For a high-quality E-bike, the replacement value is significantly above that, while the annual premium remains in the double-digit range.

What specifically determines the premium comes down to four factors:

• Bike value, i.e. the sum insured: the more expensive the bike, the higher the premium.
• Scope of cover: pure theft protection costs less than comprehensive cover with accident, vandalism and wear and tear.
• Place of residence: with some providers the premium depends on location and rises with the theft rate where you live; others offer uniform prices nationwide.^[1]
• Deductible (the amount you bear yourself in the event of a claim): tariffs with a deductible are cheaper, but in an emergency you keep a share of the cost.

A comparison is therefore worth a double look: For its 2026 comparison, Stiftung Warentest examined 112 policies from 45 providers, and some policies cost more than three times as much as the cheapest.^[1] For the same cover, the annual premium can therefore differ considerably. The premium can only be clarified through a comparison, not on a single product page.

Pedelec or S-Pedelec: Which insurance covers your bike?

The 45 km/h question comes first, because it separates two completely different insurance worlds. A pedelec up to 25 km/h with a maximum of 250 watts of motor power is legally classified as a bicycle. Separate insurance is voluntary, but you can still cover the bike. An S-Pedelec up to 45 km/h, on the other hand, is classified as a moped of category L1e-B and requires mandatory motor vehicle liability insurance with an insurance plate, plus a category AM driving licence and a suitable helmet.^[3]

For the slower pedelec, the question remains how theft protection is achieved. Under household contents insurance, the basic tariff only covers burglary from a locked room; if the bike is taken outside, it counts as simple theft.^[3] A separate bicycle insurance policy, depending on the provider, covers not only theft outdoors but also repair costs and accidents — and that is the decisive difference for expensive e-bikes.

For the S-Pedelec, the Verbraucherzentrale additionally recommends partial comprehensive cover against theft, because the mandatory liability insurance only covers damage to third parties.^[3] We have compiled which costs are specifically involved in our guide to S-Pedelec insurance. Classic bicycle tariffs are ruled out for e-bikes that require registration.

When e-bike insurance is worth it

Yes, if the bike's value and the theft risk are high. Rather not, if the premium amounts to a multiple of the statistical loss. This conditional answer is the honest one, and it can be backed up with figures.

On the risk situation: According to the Police Crime Statistics, the number of stolen bicycles fell by around 13 percent in 2025 to roughly 214,300 registered cases.^[2] According to an estimate by the Federal Criminal Police Office, only 50 to 60 percent of cases are reported, so in 2025 more than 400,000 bikes could actually have been stolen.^[4] What gets stolen is targeted: expensive road bikes, e-bikes and mountain bikes.^[2]

Stiftung Warentest calculates the decision using the expected value (average annual loss without insurance): A bike worth 1,000 euros with a theft probability of 5 percent per year gives an expected value of 50 euros.^[1] If the policy costs less, it pays off on paper; if the premium is significantly higher, rather not. The reverse conclusion does not hold: If you depend on your bike or cannot absorb the loss, you are often better off even with a more expensive policy.

• Comprehensive cover with accident, vandalism and wear and tear is worthwhile above all for high-value bikes and intensive use, but costs more than pure theft protection: According to the 2026 Warentest comparison, some policies cost more than three times as much as the cheapest.^[1]
• Pure theft protection can pay off earlier, depending on where you live and where you store the bike.
• If you only ever park the bike in a locked garage, household contents cover is often sufficient.

Does your situation match in terms of bike value and type of use? Then the next step is a concrete tariff comparison rather than a general assessment.

How to recognize a good policy in a comparison

No provider is simply the best across the board. What matters are six criteria you can compare policy by policy:

These very criteria — type of reimbursement, lock requirements and the question of which policies actually pay for battery and electronics damage — are explained in detail in the guide to e-bike insurance with theft protection and no deductible.^[5] Read the exclusions before you sign, not only when a claim arises.

Outlook: prices and theft risk remain in motion

The market remains in motion. In 2025, insurers received around 115,000 theft reports, about 15,000 fewer than in 2024, while compensation payouts remained at 150 million euros, on par with previous years.^[2] For premiums, this means: fewer cases do not automatically lower premiums.

With over 17 million e-bikes on German roads according to industry data for 2025, the fleet — and with it the target for thieves — keeps growing.^[6] How premiums, policies and conditions will develop in concrete terms cannot be predicted. So before every purchase, check the current state of the market instead of relying on outdated comparison figures.

E-bike insurance: how to start your policy comparison

How much protection makes sense depends on three things: the value of your bike, your location and how you use it. You now know the distinction that decides your case: a pedelec up to 25 km/h can be insured voluntarily, while an S-pedelec requires mandatory motor vehicle liability insurance with a license plate. Whether your specific bike value, storage location and policy fit together is something a general article cannot determine. That only works case by case.

The e-bike insurance from nextsure protects pedelecs that are not subject to mandatory insurance worldwide against damage as well as electronics and moisture damage to battery and motor; the theft module also covers theft and robbery. nextsure acts as a marketplace and broker, not an insurer: the contract is concluded with the risk carrier, and coverage and acceptance always depend on the specific policy, the health declaration or the condition of the bike, and the insurer's decision. You will find details on policy modules, exclusions and waiting periods in the fact sheet for the policy.

If you would like to know what your bike would specifically cost: start the policy comparison now and check the premiums for your bike's value and your place of residence. Digital, transparent and uncomplicated.