Is an Electric Bike Expensive?
The answer to this will depend on what you’re comparing an Electric Bike with and how you’re thinking of buying one?
A straightforward purchase is often the preferred solution, but we can also offer you:
This is a topic that is discussed regularly, both within the trade and of course with customers. Ultimately it’s a subjective matter and everyone has their own perspective. So we’ve applied our extensive experience and were as objective as possible when answering:
Firstly, we have to differentiate between ‘price’ and ‘value’. Imagine yourself setting up a factory to manufacturer eBikes: you’d have a choice of suppliers for each and every component – from spokes to Motors. If you decided to build your bike with components from the ‘cheap’ suppliers, you’d be able to sell your bike for less, than if you’d bought all your components from the ‘quality’ suppliers.
Capitalism at its purest, shows that the UK has some eBikes on offer that are indeed ‘cheap’ and inevitably, some are more expensive. But of course, the ‘cheap’ components would give you a VERY different ride experience and would highly likely ‘fail’ quicker and need more maintenance.
As a specialist eBike Retailer, we learnt very early that over time, ‘cheap’ bikes are anything but. Most importantly, Customers have a better overall experience when buying ‘better’ bikes. They also spend less money over the life of the Bike – eventually making ‘better’, cheaper as well.
You can be certain that elctrc only sells eBikes that meet a minimum quality threshold. This has become even more important recently, due to the number of Fires caused by exploding batteries. We’d strongly encourage you to read this Government Safety article before spending any money on any eBike or eScooter:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-safety-message-on-e-bikes-and-e-scooters
Another way of deciding whether an eBike is expensive or not, is to get a comparative cost:
Compared to Gym membership
Instead of driving to the Gym to exercise and paying anything up to £100 per month for membership, would you save time, money and get fitter by cycling more often?
Compared to a Bus:
At the time of writing, you can buy a Day Saver ticket with the local Bus Company for £5.00. So around £150 per month, or £1,800 per year. The best selling Raleigh Motus range starts at £1,799. So just 12 months later the eBike will have paid for itself and in the meantime is available 24 x 7 and takes you door to door.
Compared to a Train:
At the time of writing, a Lewes to Brighton Peak time train ticket costs £10.50 per day. Buy the ever popular Haibike Trekking 3.0, with the new Bosch Performance line motor for £2,499 and cover the purchase cost just 280 days later.
NB: We picked Lewes, as the journey is approximately 10 miles. Academic studies frequently reveal that the average eBike rider considers 8-10 miles as a ‘reasonable commute’.
Compared to a Car:
The AA gives the approximate cost of an average Petrol Car that does 10,000 miles per year as approximately £0.60 per mile.
The best selling Raleigh Motus is under £50 per month on Finance. If you use your eBike and cycle just 3 miles a day (21 miles a week), you save money!
Compared to a Care Home:
This one is a bit more controversial, but the average cost of a Care Home in Brighton and Hove is around £500 per week - or about £2k per month.
Buy the fabulous Riese & Múller Nevo (from £4k), cycle more often; get fitter; have more fun and check in to the Care Home just 2 months later and you’d save yourself money as well!!
So back to the beginning: Is an Electric Bike expensive? Most of our customers would answer with an unequivocal: “No”. They also regularly tell us how their eBike has improved their life – which is surely priceless?
Want More information?? See: How Far Can I Go On One Charge?
