11 reasons why you should ride an e-bike

E-bikes are gaining in popularity. I’m seeing more and more on my weekly commutes. And the stats back this up.

Around 150,000 e-cycles were sold in the UK in 2023, up almost threefold on 2017, although down somewhat from 2021’s high of 160,000. However, global intelligence agency Mintel is predicting further growth in 2024.

There are many good reasons to ride an e-cycle, so if you’re thinking about investing in one but are unsure about taking the plunge, read on for 11 of our favourites.

1. Improve your fitness

There’s a lot of chatter out there about how e-cycles are ‘cheating’ or not ‘real’ cycling. This simply isn’t true. Riding an e-cycle is good for you – and there’s plenty of research showing this.

An e-bike’s motor provides assistance, but you still have to pedal, and on most models you can control how much assistance you get. The motor will cut out at 25kph, so if you’re a faster rider you’ll lose assistance anyway.

You won’t be putting in as much effort as with a conventional bike – that’s part of the point of the motor – but you are still working. There’s also plenty of evidence showing that e-cyclists ride more often and for longer than their legs-only-powered counterparts.

For many people, lack of time is a main reason they don’t exercise. With an e-bike you can easily fit more activity into your day by swapping short car journeys for cycling.

E-cycling also boosts your wellbeing – even more so than non-assisted riding. One theory behind this is that because it’s slightly less effort, it causes less stress.

2. Keep up on group rides

One of the joys of cycling is the social aspect. Group rides are great fun, provide a bit of accountability and combat loneliness. But if you’re just starting out, feel a bit unfit or find yourself slowing down, they can be daunting.

This is where e-bikes come in. If you’ve got any concerns about your ability to keep up with your fellow cyclists, an e-bike will allay all your fears. The extra boost provided by the motor means you won’t be left behind or hold up the group. You might even find yourself whizzing to the front of the pack.

If you’re worried about the etiquette, read our advice on including e-cycles in group rides.

Similarly, e-cycles are great for family cycling, where you might have three generations riding together. A step-thru e-bike means grandparents can keep up, an e-cargo bike means parents can transport younger children, while older ones cycle themselves.

3. Keep riding as you get older or with an injury or disability

E-cycles make cycling more accessible to all kinds of people. You might get injured or develop a chronic condition that makes riding a standard cycle difficult, or you might simply be getting older and find you don’t have the energy you once did. Perhaps you’re struggling with your fitness and using a standard bike is too much effort.

E-cycles level the playing field. They provide a bit of extra power where it’s needed. They come in all shapes and sizes, with models to cater for almost every injury or condition. For this reason they’re also good for those with disabilities, allowing more people than ever to start or continue to ride.

4. Explore more

E-bike batteries are improving, meaning their range is improving too. How long they last depends on several factors, including the type of bike, where and how you ride, the level of assistance you choose and even your weight.

In general, a single charge should provide 30-80km of cycling, while some batteries can keep going for 100km or more. This means you can explore much of your local area.

Ease of charging also opens up cycle touring to anyone who might have previously thought it beyond their ability. Charge the battery when you get to your stopover point – just make sure you don’t leave it charging overnight. Friendly cafés and pubs along the way might also allow you to top up a depleted battery.

Keep in mind, too, that the bike doesn’t just stop working without the battery – unlike a car. You can still pedal; you just won’t have the e-assist to help you.

5. Make hills and headwinds a breeze (no apologies for the pun!)

Some people love hill climbing. There’s even a book of the ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’. But for the rest of us, hills are something of a chore. You arrive at the top hot, sweaty and with aching legs. Similarly, riding into a headwind can be demoralising.

E-bikes make hills easy – especially those models that allow you to up the assistance when needed. You’ll arrive at the top feeling fresh and easily able to carry on. The added power will also take the sting out of the stiffest of headwinds.

6. Carry heavy loads

For anyone who needs to carry cargo – be that equipment for work, shopping or getting the kids to nursery – e-bikes are a gamechanger. This is particularly true of e-cargo bikes.

The added power means you can carry much heavier loads, even if you’re just stuffing full a basket and a couple of panniers. You can hugely increase your carrying capacity with a box e-cargo trike, allowing you to transport children, dogs or a week’s shopping. There’s even a stonemason who’s swapped his drive for an e-cycle commute.

7. Improve your commute

If you don’t already commute by bike, you’re probably acutely aware of this: the average British worker spends 65 hours per year stuck in traffic, in delays or waiting for public transport. That’s more than two and a half days.

An e-cycle means you can beat the delays and spend a lot less time commuting. No more sat at the bus stop in the cold waiting for a bus that doesn’t turn up, delayed trains or time wasted in unmoving queues of traffic. You can cycle through those lines of cars.

You can also use cycle lanes – a huge benefit in the many towns and cities that are investing in better cycling infrastructure. Now you just need to figure out what you’ll do with two and a half days extra each year!

Unlike your co-workers on a standard bike, you’ll also arrive feeling (and smelling) a lot fresher. That motor means less effort and less sweat. A huge bonus for anyone who doesn’t have shower and changing facilities at work.

You’ll also improve your health and wellbeing – findings show that cycle commuters are happier and healthier than those who drive or use public transport. Your employer will benefit too. Cycle commuters take fewer sick days.

8. Feel safer in traffic

One of the main barriers to cycling is a perceived lack of safety, particularly among women. Cycling is a lot safer than many people think, but changing perceptions can be hard.

An e-cycle can improve your confidence on the road. The e-assist will help you keep up with traffic and give you a boost when pulling away at junctions, traffic lights and roundabouts, keeping you out of the way of drivers behind you.

Close passes can be off putting, but with the higher speeds and greater acceleration provided by an e-bike, fewer vehicles will try to squeeze past you.

9. Save money

E-bikes aren’t cheap, with non-standard versions such as e-cargo trikes or e-recumbents especially costing several thousand pounds. However, as the technology becomes more commonplace and demand rises, prices are falling.

You can get a decent standard two-wheeler for £1,000-£1,500 – less than some people spend on their road bikes.

However, e-bikes aren’t about – or just about – replacing non-assisted bikes. One of the main reasons given for buying one is to replace car journeys – or even to do away with the need for a second car entirely. And here, they’re a lot cheaper.

The initial outlay is significantly less, but more than this, the running and maintenance costs are negligible compared to a car. No fuel costs, MOT or vehicle excise duty. You don’t have to pay for lessons or a licence.

You also aren’t legally required to have insurance, although it’s a good idea to have it, especially if your machine is at the more expensive end of the market. Keep in mind that Cycling UK members get free liability insurance as well as discounts on comprehensive insurance.

E-bike charging costs depend on your battery and your electricity supplier. But a single charge costs pennies. Servicing, parts and maintenance costs are lot lower with e-bikes than cars too. You’ll also save money on parking.

It costs a lot of money to run a car, and shorter journeys are the most expensive. Yet more than half of all car journeys in the UK are fewer than five miles. If you were to swap all those short journeys for an e-bike you quickly make the cost of the bike back.

E-bikes are also less costly than public transport, especially in an expensive city like London. At time of writing, an annual Zone 1-5 TfL Travelcard costs £3,120. That would get you a good e-cycle, even including non-standard versions, and every year after that, you’re saving thousands of pounds.

10. Save the planet

E-cycles are much more environmentally friendly than cars, even electric vehicles. No form of transport is completely emissions free, but cycling is the least carbon-heavy mode, and e-cycling is even better.

As they’re powered by a rechargeable battery, e-bikes are much cleaner way to travel – they don’t cause pollution in the way motor vehicles do with their internal combustion engines. Even better, the batteries can be charged from sustainable sources such as solar.

EVs aren’t the answer, either. They emit fewer emissions than their petrol and diesel-guzzling counterparts, but their production and supply lines are hugely carbon intensive. Their batteries are much bigger and have shorter lives than those used in e-cycles.

By swapping short car journeys for an e-bike, you’re also taking one more car off the road, helping to reduce congestion and noise pollution. That makes travelling more pleasant for everyone.

E-bikes aren’t perfect, of course. For one thing producing and getting them to market does emit carbon – but much less than motor vehicle. There’s also the battery, which will need to be safely disposed of at the end of its life. But as the technology improves, this will get easier.

11. Convenience

Cycling is a very easy way to get around. There’s no searching for a parking space, no waiting in long queues of traffic and minimal running costs.

E-bikes improve on this by being faster and less effort to use. The proliferation of e-cycle hire schemes in towns and cities across the UK has made access to riding one easier than ever. These app-based schemes mean you can hire an e-bike for an hour, a day or longer for minimal cost and return it to a designated area when you’re done.

These schemes have proved hugely popular. It’s not uncommon these days to see besuited businesspeople riding to and from the office on hired e-cycle. A study by Steer Group found that in London alone, Lime e-bikes have enabled more than 1.25 million riders to take more than 12 million e-bike trips, replacing approximately 2.6 million kilometres of car and taxi travel.

We’re not suggesting that every car journey can be replaced by cycling or that everyone can or should give up their cars. But if you’re looking to reduce your motor dependency, or replace your car entirely, an e-cycle of some stripe could be the answer. Maybe the reasons to ride one covered here have given you the impetus you need to invest!