Are we missing out on e-bikes in the UK?

While in some European countries e-bikes make up more than half of all bicycle sales, the UK languishes at less than 10%. The experience of other countries shows that the tipping point where e-bikes really take off is somewhere around 15% of bike sales, so the UK is behind the curve.

While it's undeniable that there are substantial (and increasing) numbers of electric bikes in use in the UK, there's a lot of scope for even more. 71% of journeys in the UK are under five miles, an incredibly accessible distance for an e-bike - you're looking at about 20 minutes door to door. Despite this, the vast majority of these journeys are made by car, with any kind of bike being used for just 1 or 2% of journeys.

So what's stopping us? Bikes with electric power definitely overcome some of the reasons that people cite for not making more journeys by bike. You can cover more distance with less effort, and with plenty of pedal assistance on tap a ride to work doesn't necessarily have to be immediately followed by a shower and a change of clothes. Hills are much less of an obstacle and traffic easier to negotiate.

It turns out, though, that the big reasons behind the relatively low take-up of e-bikes (and indeed bikes in general) in the UK are to do with infrastructure. According to the UK's National Travel Attitudes Survey, the top three factors that people say would encourage them to cycle more are safer roads (61%), segregated cycle paths (52%) and well-maintained road surfaces (51%). More direct cycle routes comes in fourth, awareness of cycle routes is fifth.

There are hopeful signs, with effective cycle routes being built in many of the UK's urban areas. But the overall level of expenditure on active travel routes compared to roads is still minuscule. In 2024 the (then Conservative) government proudly announced a £100 million investment in active travel. For context, that's about what's been spent on one motorway junction on the M2.

The experience of other countries shows that building infrastructure drives usage, but in the UK we seem to want to wait for demand to increase before making investment. It's worth remembering, though, that there's strength (and safety) in numbers. Our existing roads will be safer for bikes the more bikes there are on them. Waiting for cycle lanes or other cycling infrastructure is likely to take a long time. Sustainable future transport can't wait that long.

So look carefully at the journeys you make, the reasons for them and the distances you cover. Make an objective assessment - is a car really the best option for those trips? For many of us, the answer will be "no". Electric bicycles have a huge part to play, bike infrastructure or not.