Over half of Brits are thinking of getting an e-bike – and subsidies could tip the balance

by Alex Bowden Aug 7 2021

3 comments

Over half of Brits are thinking of getting an e-bike – and subsidies could tip the balance — E-biker.jpg, by Bosch eBike Systems

Sales are soaring, but government discounts could encourage more people to reduce car travel

As many as 55 per cent of adult Britons are considering getting an e-bike, according to research carried out by Bosch eBike Systems. The survey also revealed that 66 per cent of people would consider buying one if the government introduced e-bike grants.

Over 2,000 people were polled from across the UK, including those who already own an eBike. They were asked about their perception of e-mobility and how that had changed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

2020 brought a huge acceleration in what was already a rapidly growing e-bike market. E-bikes currently account for around 17 per cent of European bicycle sales, but Bosch predicts that will rise to 50 per cent within the next few years.

The survey found that 56 per cent of people who have invested in recent times did so as a result of a shift in habits and circumstances stemming from the pandemic. 28 per cent said that avoiding Covid-19 transmission via public transport motivated them to do so.

Heath and environmental motivations also loom large with 54 per cent of e-bike owners saying they got theirs to boost exercise levels and 37 per cent saying they did so as step towards reducing their environmental impact.

Commuting by e-bike

It also seems that many commuters are willing to switch from their cars with 32 per cent of respondents saying they would use their car less if they had an e-bike.

This was supported by the finding that 53 per cent of e-bike owners had cut down on car journeys by using their bike instead.

A quarter of owners said that a desire to cut unnecessary short car journeys had motivated them to invest and over two-thirds said an e-bike had proven a more efficient way to get around than other forms of transport.

Government e-bike subsidies

The government announced that it would put together an e-bike support package in July last year and subsequently proposed subsiding purchases by as much as a third.

An announcement is still expected, but is yet to materialise.

Bosch’s research found that 66 per cent of the UK population – up to 34 million adults – could be enticed to buy an e-bike with the help of subsidies.

However, even without discounts, 81 per cent of owners surveyed said their e-bike had proven a good investment.

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Alex Bowden

Alex has been editor of ebiketips since 2021, switching to a world with motors after seven years working on sister site road.cc, where he contributed news, reviews and the occasional feature. These days he combines his road riding with electric bike testing and a dash of ongoing cricket writing (his first book's due out in 2025).

3 comments

mdavidford 3 years 6 months ago

Noticeable that there's no actual details of the what the survey asked (no link to the source), and everywhere that's carrying the story just has the same regurgitated press release. Are 55% really 'considering' buying one, or did they ask something like 'would you consider...' or 'have you looked at...' and then 'creatively interpret' that you mean 'are considering'?

Sriracha 3 years 6 months ago

Well if over half the population is "considering" getting an ebike, I'd suggest any taxpayer money be spent on what it is that has stopped them buying already - infrastructure and facilities. Subsidising the price of bikes just feathers the suppliers' nests - they'll still charge what the market will bear.

eburtthebike 3 years 6 months ago

"Over half Brits thinking of getting an e-bike......" And pretty soon the media are going to mention them. I know that they've been around for some time, but given their popularity in lock down, the media's silence on the subject has been defeaning.

Still, the BBC broke it's forty year ban on mentioning the benefits of cycling on R4 this morning, and they had a whole minute of someone explaining; nothing compared to the tens or hundreds of hours they've spent advertising e-cars, but it's a start I suppose.