Do i have insurance for my ebike?

Do I need insurance for my ebike?

As I was making my way down Canfield the other day, I just happened to notice out of the corner of my eye a bike careening down the trail towards me, riding it was a guy that had a somewhat frightened ( at least it seemed to me) look on his face and a new trail e-bike underneath him. If I had not heard him and stepped off the trail at the right time, I am certain he would have hit me. After that encounter, I began to think about this new mode of transportation and who is responsible (and who pays in the case of an accident). I am sure, that like me, you are seeing many more e-bikes on the road, in fact, there are estimates that 130 million ebikes will be sold in the next 3 years. As with many things the range of prices and power of ebikes can vary greatly. Ranging from a thousand or so up to over ten thousand dollars. Plus, unlike a motor vehicle, you ebikes don’t need to be registered, nor do you need a license.

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If I am riding an e-bike hit a pedestrian or another bike rider with that e-bike, will my auto insurance homeowners insurance or rental insurance cover the losses caused by me?

The truth is probably not.

Most auto policies exclude liability coverage for the operation of a vehicle with fewer than 4 wheels, so most likely your auto insurance would not offer coverage for you while on your e-bike.

Your homeowners or renter’s insurance covers you while riding a non-motorized bike. These policies generally exclude coverage for damage caused by an insured while operating a “motor vehicle”.

Is an e-bike a motor vehicle? Many homeowners’ policies define a “motor vehicle” as a “self-propelled land or amphibious vehicle”, and since e bikes have a motor, they are not covered under your homeowners, rental, or auto insurance. ebikes cannot be added as an addition vehicle to your auto policy.

What about theft?

As far as theft. There may be coverage for this, but you need to check with us or your agent. When my back was so bad, I bought a recumbent and had a motor put on it this year, my investment? About $4600 dollars.

The good news is that at jji we represent companies that will insure an ebike very reasonably as well as for the stated value, ( this is the value that you place on the bike at the time of issuance of the insurance.) for a reasonable amount of money. However, when valuing your bike make sure that you include all the extras that you normally attach to your bike when you ride.

If you have questions, please give Jan Jesberger Insurance a call at 208-762-2122 or email Jan @ jan@janjinsurance.com