If Your Ebike is Stolen, Insurance Probably Won’t Pay for It

2/4/2025
Your answer to bike theft.
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Your homeowners or renters insurance probably doesn’t cover your ebike.

Specialty bike insurance is too expensive.

You haven’t heard about Tempo.

Electric bikes (or ebikes) are expensive—often costing over $1,000. They’re fast, convenient, and unfortunately, a prime target for bike theft. Unlike cars, most ebike owners simply lock them up outside and hope for the best. But what happens if your ebike is stolen?

The harsh reality: Your insurance probably won’t cover it.

Does Insurance Cover Ebike Theft?

If you want bike insurance for your ebike, you have three options:

1. Homeowners or renters insurance (which often excludes ebikes)

2. Specialty bike insurance (which can be expensive)

3. Tempo Theft Protection (an alternative to insurance, and the most affordable option)

Let’s break these down.

Homeowners and Renters Insurance for Ebikes

If you own a home or rent an apartment, you may assume your homeowners or renters insurance will cover your stolen ebike. But there’s a catch:

Personal property coverage: Most policies cover bikes under their personal property protection.

Ebikes are often excluded: Many insurers classify them as motor vehicles, not bicycles.

High deductibles: Most policies have a $500 - $1,000 deductible, which means filing a claim may not even be worth it.

Risk of non-renewal: Making a claim for ebike theft could affect your ability to renew your policy in high-risk areas.

If you want ebike insurance, you need to check with your provider to see if they classify electric bikes as covered personal property.

Specialty Bike Insurance for Ebikes

For better coverage, some ebike riders turn to specialty bike insurance. There are three major providers in the U.S.:

Markel, Velosurance, & Spoke  (all sell the same policy from Markel Specialty)

Cost: ~10% of your bike’s value per year, depending on your credit, location, and other risk factors.

Example: A $2,500 ebike might cost ~$220/year with a $200 deductible.

Coverage: Theft, damage, and optional coverages for liability and injury by an underinsured motorist.

Sundays (Tokio Marine)

Cost: Starts at $8/month.

Example: A $2,500 ebike might cost ~$17/month (or $200/year) with a $150+ deductible.

Coverage: Theft, damage, and basic medical reimbursement.

BikeInsure (Great American)

Cost: $16.99/month for damage; $24.99/month for theft + damage.

Example: A $2,500 ebike costs $300/year with a $250 deductible.

Coverage: Theft and damage up to $10,000, making BikeInsure a better deal for more valuable bikes.

The Drawbacks of Specialty Bike Insurance

Expensive: $300-$900+ over three years.

Deductibles: You need to pay $150-$500 before coverage kicks in.

Doesn't protect your bike: No insurance actively works to prevent your bike from being stolen or to help you get it back.

Tempo Theft Protection: A Smart Alternative to Ebike Insurance

What if instead of just insuring your ebike, you could make it less likely to be stolen, easier to recover, and still get financial protection?

That’s what Tempo Theft Protection does.

Anti-theft decals: Unique QR-coded decals give thieves second thoughts and help recover stolen bikes.

Hidden UV markings: Permanent, invisible ID helps law enforcement identify and return your bike.

Recovery assistance: Social media ads and community alerts help find stolen bikes.

$2,500 theft reimbursement: If your stolen ebike isn’t recovered within 45 days, claim the original retail price of the bike (up to $2,500) with no deductible or depreciation.

Tempo costs $199 for three years of coverage ($67/year or $0.18.day).

Tempo vs. Specialty Bike Insurance

Tempo is the most affordable theft protection option.

Should You Get Ebike Insurance?

If you’re an avid cyclist with a high-end bike, traditional bike insurance may be worth it. If you want injury or liability coverage, Markel specifically is your best bet.

But if your biggest concern is ebike theft, Tempo is the smarter choice:

$199 for 3 years (vs. $300-900+ for insurance).

No deductibles, no depreciation—you get up to $2,500 if your ebike is stolen and not recovered.

Theft deterrence & recovery assistance—insurance doesn’t help you get your stolen bike back.

👉 Sign up for Tempo Theft Protection.

Final Thoughts on Ebike Theft and Insurance

Academic research shows that bike theft discourages people from buying, using, and enjoying their bikes. A stolen ebike can mean financial loss and frustration. Having some form of protection—whether through specialty bike insurance or Tempo Theft Protection—can give you peace of mind and let you ride more freely.

🔹 Want insurance? Check with your provider for ebike coverage or compare specialty bike insurance providers.

🔹 Want the most affordable protection? Tempo is just $67/year and helps you get your bike back.

Don’t let bike theft stop you from riding. Protect your ebike today. 🚲🔐

When our family bought an electric cargo bike earlier this year, one of my biggest fears was that this lovely and expensive new machine was going to get stolen. So I got the best lock money could buy, and I started to investigate: did I need ebike insurance?

First, I called my homeowners insurance provider to see if they would cover the bike if it were stolen. To my surprise, because it’s an electric bike, not only did my policy not cover it, they wouldn’t even add it for an additional fee or sell me a separate policy for it, the way they did for our family car.

Instead they referred me to an insurance company that specializes in bikes and ebikes. I bought a policy from them and sleep a little better for it.

I’ve heard similar stories from other ebike owners. And I’ve heard worse.

What can happen without ebike insurance

The saddest stories are the ones where someone assumed their homeowners or renters or car insurance covered their ebike, and after it was stolen or seriously damaged, it turned out it wasn’t covered.

And then there are the stories about people whose ebikes were covered by their homeowners policy, but their premium went way up when they made a claim for a stolen ebike.

Why it’s hard to insure an ebike

When it comes to insurance, ebikes land in a gray area outside standard homeowners insurance and auto insurance. Here’s why:

  • Ebikes are new in terms of the insurance industry. Most of the several million ebikes in the U.S. were purchased in the last two years. Insurers aren’t familiar with them, and insurers don’t like to be surprised by unfamiliar products.
  • Ebikes are more expensive than regular bikes. Policies that cover bikes, like most homeowners or renters policies, might have also covered ebikes until the insurer had to pay much larger claims than they expected to replace a damaged or stolen ebike. See above about insurers and surprise. So some policy terms got changed.
  • Finally, ebikes get stolen a lot, and not only from people’s homes. They are ridden and locked up outside all over the place, which makes them more vulnerable than other valuable household items.

Steps to take to properly insure your ebike

The odds that your ebike is covered by your existing insurance is lower than you may think. Here’s what to do to find out if you need ebike insurance:

  1. Call your insurance company and find out what they cover. Things to bring up: coverage of accidental damage, theft, and travel (like what would happen if you flew somewhere with your bike and the airline did a number on it). Does the insurance company consider your ebike a “luxury item”? If you’re happy with the coverage, great! You’re good to go.
  2. Consider bike-specific coverage. If you aren’t covered, or feel like the coverage you do have isn’t enough, here are some things to think about.

Bike insurance covers all kinds of bike specific things, not just theft. Think damage to the bike from a collision, medical payments if you are injured in a collision, insurance for the bike if you are traveling with it or racing it, or a bike rental while your bike is being repaired. Some policies even cover things like accessories (like bike lights and panniers) and riding clothes.

Bike claims won’t affect your other insurance premium. Should you need to make a claim on your ebike, your home insurance premium won’t change or get canceled.

We can help

Want to learn more about ebike insurance? Join Tempo and get easy access to insurance quotes, and other ways to protect your ebike right inside the app.

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Tempo Team
Tempo Team
Your answer to bike theft.
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