E-bikes are hailed as essential in combating fossil fuel emissions, and almost 10% of bikes sold in the UK each year are now electric rather than traditional. With new models hitting the market and hire schemes taking many UK cities by storm, e-bike specialists at Paul’s Cycles investigate the UK’s attitudes towards electric bikes.
While e-bikes are still far from the largest mode of transport, attitudes to electric bikes in the UK are overwhelmingly positive, with the main benefits cited as convenience and sustainability. Over half (54.3%) of respondents in a sustainable transport survey said they choose e-bikes because they are ‘less effort to ride than a conventional bike’ while 26.2% choose them ‘to avoid car parking problems or costs’. Additionally, a quarter of respondents said they choose e-bikes because they are less expensive than driving.
Electric bikes experienced a massive boom in interest during the 2020 lockdowns, and have remained popular since. More than 17K people in the UK search for ‘e bike’ every month at present, increasing by almost 60% compared to 2019, the year before the lockdowns.* According to Ahrefs search data, some of the most popular e-bike brands in the UK include Cube, Trek and Mondraker.
While e-bikes are seen as crucial to reducing car dependency, the UK seems to lag in this shift, trailing behind other European countries in terms of sales. Nonetheless, e-bike sales in the UK are gaining momentum, with almost 10% (9.67%) of bicycles sold in the UK in 2023 being e-bikes, up from just 0.86% in 2015. Bicycle retailer Paul’s Cycles saw a 12% increase in electric bicycle sales between 2023 and 2024.
See the full report for more UK e-bike statistics, review the electric bike buying guide, with helpful tips on how to choose between different bike types, batteries, and activities, or check out the range of e-bikes here.
