Electric bike popularity in France opens way for new insurance deals

A quiet revolution over the past five years has seen the number of electric bicycles in France rocket, opening the way for new insurance products and devices to combat theft.

Most of the new policies have been created under a designation in the Code des assurances for engins de déplacement personnel motorisés (EDPM, or powered personal transporters). 

The EDPM category also includes e-scooters (trottinettes), Segways and other motorised micromobility vehicles such as electric skateboards.

There is a distinction in France between a vélo assistance électrique (VAE), where the electric motor only functions when pedals are turned, and a vélo électrique (commonly called a speed bike) which typically has a higher power output and can operate without pedalling, solely relying on the motor. 

VAEs are limited to a top speed of 25km/h, and can be used on cycle paths.

Like ordinary bicycles (vélos classiques), they can be ridden without any specific insurance.

However, as with conventional bicycles, it is advisable to have at least third-party liability cover (responsabilité civile). 

Home insurance policies generally cover both types of bicycles but coverage may be limited, and specific policies are available to provide better protection.

Their faster cousins, vélos électriques, have a top speed of 45km/h, and are treated the same way as mopeds under road rules, including the requirement to have number plates and insurance. 

Bicycles have always been the target of thieves and electric models are no exception.

Insurance costs

Limits to claims for VAEs are typically between €1,000 and €3,000, depending on the policy, and most firms allow only one claim per year.

Typical EPDM insurance policies, which often target VAE owners too, include liability cover tailored for situations which might arise through the vehicle’s use (damage or injury claims from knocking down a pedestrian, for example). 

This is not covered as part of general household insurance.

Specific legal insurance is also often included, as well as roadside assistance after a crash – usually limited to 50km from home. If the accident leaves an insured rider disabled, damage insurance can sometimes be claimed.

Prices for policies vary – a family package costs €13.12 a month from Mutuelle de Poitiers for example, with a 20% discount if the customer has household insurance from the company, or €11.82 for individuals under the age of 30 or over the age of 60.

Other insurance providers have different approaches. 

Macif, for example, offers a special bicycle policy as a €1.50 option to its household insurance, covering areas which the latter does not include (theft of a bicycle away from the home, damage etc).

Before claiming for the theft of an electric bicycle you must report the crime to the police. 

Some insurers will only pay out if it was protected with an anti-theft device approved by the Fédération française des usagers de la bicyclette (FUB) or which has a Sécurité et Réparation Automobile (SRA) standard. 

Prices on the FUB list range from €20 to €299. Marking your bicycle is also required by some insurers. 

A national database of marked bicycles was set up by the FUB in 2004, and now has two million bicycles registered on it, managed by an organisation called APIC.

Since 2021, all new and secondhand bicycles sold by retailers or dealers have had to be marked by sellers. 

This is not necessarily free – the cost can vary between €10 to €30.