While sales of e-bikes in the Netherlands are already booming, new tax laws effective as of January 1st 2020 mean that another big sales boost is expected; with residents now able to get interest-free loans to purchase e-bikes, lease bikes from their employer and get reimbursed for kilometres ridden. 

E-bikes now the biggest selling bike type in the Netherlands​

With the leasing scheme workers can make use of 'company bikes' for a reasonable monthly fee, and this plus the interest-free loans are expected to put an extra 150,000 e-bikes on the road in 2020, according to Bovag and RAI mobility sector association.

According to the NL Times the leasing scheme will be impressively affordable, with employees only needing to pay 7 euros a month to lease a bike worth 3,000 euros and add 210 euros to their annual taxable income. There will also be reimbursement for business mileage travelled by bike, with workers able to claim 19 euro cents for every kilometre ridden. 

Effective today, the tax laws in the Netherlands have changed to financially reward cycling commuters:

€0.19/km reimbursement for business travel
Interest-free loan towards (e-)bike purchase
Option to lease a bicycle from an employer

Read more: https://t.co/Yy2wPExsRh pic.twitter.com/EUGWU3T82P

— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) January 1, 2020

There is currently no widely-known nationwide scheme to incentivise people to bike to work in the UK by offering a mileage reimbursement; although increasing numbers of private companies and universities are starting to offer this to employers, as much as 20p per mile according to our research.

The only way to get tax breaks on e-bikes is through a cycle to work scheme, but you may be limited to budget e-bikes if your employer doesn't yet offer bikes over £1,000; however, Cyclescheme and other cycle to work providers no longer have a limit since the government updated their guidance back in summer, so companies can request a certificate of any value via the cycle to work scheme and you can fill your boots... 

Would you like to see more incentives for employees to e-bike to work in the UK? Let us know what you think in the comments!