Unsafe e-bikes? Years of political neglect are the big unseen hazard

Headlines fixate on the horror-movie spectacle of e-bike batteries erupting in hallways - and yes, those fires can be deadly and demand regulatory intervention - but the hidden hazard is the policy void that has smouldered for years while ministers posed next to Teslas. Successive governments have left e-bikes in limbo. The combination of no purchase subsidies, muddled regulations and little control of gig-economy rider employers has nurtured a grey market of “Franken-bikes” and public unease. If battery blazes are the sparks; sustained political neglect is the slow-burn crisis undermining one of our cleanest, healthiest ways to travel.

It's frustrating to say the least. Electric bikes should be the easiest win in Britain’s transport playbook: a nudge that gets more people pedalling and fewer cars clogging the streets. But, warns the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking (APPGCW), that promise is being stifled by a shadow market of “fake e-bikes” .

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What’s going wrong?

The Fire Brigade logged 142 fires linked specifically to e-bikes in London during 2024. Nearly all involved cheap, uncertified battery packs or bodged conversion kits, not the regulated e-bikes you’ll find in a reputable bike shop.

Online marketplaces are awash with machines advertised as “off-road” e-bikes that speed well beyond the legal 15.5 mph and 250 W limit. On the street they’re effectively motorcycles - and uninsured ones at that.

Paid per drop and penalised for delays, many delivery riders pick these illegal speedsters because a type-approved moped is too dear. Platforms, the report says, shrug off responsibility for what their couriers ride.
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Police complain their powers to seize illegal kit are woolly; trading-standards teams are under-resourced; and there is no formal safety standard for e-bike conversion kits or a clear kitemark consumers can trust. Result: Twitchy home insurers, and even rail operators, ban all e-bikes “just in case”, clobbering disabled and everyday cyclists alike.

The report sketches a clear five-point plan to improve e-bike satey:

Product safety first – Mandatory third-party certification for complete e-bikes and conversion kits; a UK safety kitemark riders can spot at a glance.

Platform accountability – Delivery apps to check, record and insure the vehicles they rely on, and ditch piece-rate pay that incentivises risk.

Marketplace clean-up – Ban “off-road” labelling that’s clearly a wink-and-nudge to dodging the rules; give regulators fast-track takedown powers.

Seize and scrap – Clear police authority (and the budget) to confiscate illegal machines; a scrappage scheme to help riders switch to compliant bikes.

Protect the vulnerable – Fire-safe charging guidance for tenants, grants for safer batteries, and accessible storage so legitimate e-cycle users aren’t frozen out.

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Fail to act and we risk headline-driven bans that lump legal e-bikes in with the cowboys, scaring the public off a mode that could cut congestion and carbon in one fell swoop. Get it right and we unleash e-bikes’ full, climate-friendly potential.

As Fabian Hamilton MP puts it in the foreword, “When bad-faith actors exploit loopholes, everyone—from firefighters to low-paid couriers—pays the price.” It’s time, says the APPGCW, for regulators, online platforms and gig-economy giants to stop passing the parcel and start pulling the plug on dangerous kit.

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No cash for pedals: Westminster’s subsidy blind spot

While Westminster once showered motorists with thousands in plug-in car grants and still dishes out cash for electric vans and taxis, e-bikes get precisely £0. The Government scrapped its promised purchase-subsidy pilot before it even left the garage, leaving cash-strapped riders to hunt for bargains on the grey market.

Compare that with Germany or France, where rebates encourage uptake, normalise e-bikes as everyday transport and give people confidence to spend on reputable brands. Subsidies there send a clear signal - quality counts - and the fire-brigade call-out stats bear it out. In the UK, by contrast, the message is muddled: buy a cheap “off-road” special online...and cross your fingers.
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Insurance for e-bikes

Our e-bike insurance includes everything you’d expect, like theft, accidental damage and vandalism cover – plus a few things you might not. For example, we have a no-quibble battery theft policy, zero devaluation for life, and if you break down on your electric bike, or run out of battery, you can call us 24/7 and we’ll arrange a rescue. Whether you ride a tricycle, folding, mountain or cargo electric bike, our comprehensive policy has you covered.

Every ETA cycle insurance policy includes the following as standard:

• Theft, accidental damage & vandalism
• E-bike battery theft cover
• Cycle Rescue (breakdown cover for your electric bicycle and you)
• No devaluation of your bike over time
• £2m third party PLUS £20,000 personal accident cover
• Shed and garage storage
• Low standard excess of 5% (£50 minimum)

Read a full list of everything we include as standard.

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