Electric Bike Insurance - How Much Bicycle Insurance Costs, How it Works and What it Covers

Electric bikes are expensive, fast moving and tend to go further than regular bikes. Unlike regular bikes however, they are often not adequately covered by homeowners insurance or renters insurance. The notion of insuring a bike was new to me and I decided to chat with Dave from Velosurance to learn more. He and another cycling enthusiast friend founded the company in September 2012 and now they offer policies to people living in all 50 states across the United States.

This interview was unpaid, and is not meant to be promotional. I decided to do it just for fun to build awareness and understanding of ebike insurance. It was edited down from 30 minutes to be easier to watch. Check out their websites for more info or stop back at the site to read the full article linked above and chat in the forums.

[DaveLprintz]

Thank you! One of the best and most informative videos we've seen.

[gbird]

I'm thankful for this video. I only wish he'd gone into details about the process for a claim involving theft. Theft is 99 percent of the reason I'd buy bicycle insurance.

[ProfTotoro]

My homeowners will not cover e-bikes no matter the wattage. They specifically exclude e-bikes. Went with these guys for my 750W ebike. Have not had any customer service interactions with them but policy was not too bad. $139-$160 a year.

[xeric]

When I insure my ebike, will I get some sort of number plate or something? I need something to put into my buildings permission form to register it to my parking space.. without a form of identification on my bike, they can’t tell who’s it is.

[towmaider]

I have a mongoose mountain bike with a 1000 watt e bike conversion in ny state how can I get coverage based on the cure the laws. I want to be as legal as I can and a 750 watt system based on my waight is not enough for me with my heart desease and arthritis to allow me to ride. What would I need to do to get insurance?

[kevinjones]

Which insurance company is this what's the name can they insure gas powered motorized bicycles

[jetli]

I'm trying to sign up before I start my commute to work

[LarryRichelli]

my minum quote from velosurance was $37 per month....too high!

[Platochidi]

Omg. I am trying to do this in Michigan...

[Mike_Malloy]

Thanks for this interview. I'm just getting familiar with ebikes and like a lot of people, had sticker shock on what they cost. I think the price will go down once the market catches on, and it will. Now that I've tried an ebike, I don't want to ride a regular bike anymore. The next thing I did since they cost so much was ask about insurance. I spoke to my Home and Auto insurance agent (Nationwide, USAA) and neither knew what an ebike was. The lady at both checked with underwriting and said they don't cover ebikes. USAA suggested I search the web for ebike insurance and I came across Merkel Insurance and your Youtube interview. I feel better now knowing if I buy an ebike in the $2K range, I can get some coverage for it.

[kentcyclist]

cycles don't pay road tax or insurance