Almost every inhabitant of Germany owns a bicycle – at least statistically, there are over 80 million bicycles in the republic. And they like to be stolen. 233,584 thefts were reported in 2021, and there should be a number of unreported cases. Because the effort of a report is only worthwhile because of the insurance. The police can solve barely 10 percent of the reported cases. However, the individual risk of theft can differ greatly from the statistical mean. In Germany there are cities that are strongholds of bicycle theft and also very safe regions. Some bikes are safely stored in the garage and are then only moved to the secure company yard. Others are regularly parked in front of the S-Bahn or left alone near a bar at night. In addition, the e-bike boom has caused prices to rise. Apart from pure sports bikes, only a few invest more than 1500 euros in a muscle-powered bike, with an electric motor an average of over 3000 euros is spent.
Insurance is therefore required for many cyclists. Especially since Finanztest found out that good protection can also be had cheaply. The cheapest option is co-insurance with household contents insurance. Here you first have to check whether the value of the wheels does not exceed the limit of household contents protection. If several expensive sports bikes or e-bikes belong to the household, this is usually the case. Another disadvantage: the protection only applies if the bikes were stolen in the area of the house or apartment. If the bike disappears in front of the café, this protection does not apply. Possibly a far-reaching bicycle clause can be booked.
When it comes to bicycle insurance, you first have to decide whether you only want to cover the risk of theft, possibly including damage caused by vandalism, or whether you want comprehensive insurance that includes breakdown assistance and even wear and tear repairs. The all-round package is significantly more expensive because of the included repairs that are incurred for every insured bike. 100 tariffs from 43 providers were tested. Three typical cases were examined for this: a classic bicycle with a new price of 1500 euros, an e-bike for 2500 euros and a cargo bike for 5000 euros. Then the tariffs were selected for a city with a high (Leipzig) and low (Remscheid) risk of theft. The minimum requirements also include that the bike is insured for at least 36 months at new value.
Basically you need a lock, many insurers also require that the bike is connected to a firmly anchored object. The anti-theft protection then also applies at night and on the go. It is also paid if only components are stolen from the bike. That would be about the wheels or the expensive battery. For pure protection against theft, the testers recommend insurance from Signal Iduna. For the example cases, the insurance costs 32 euros per year (bike for 1500 euros), 36 euros (2500 euros) and 46 euros for the cargo bike (5000 euros). For comparison: The ADAC is about twice as expensive with the staggering 72 – 64 – 121 euros. The 10 percent discount for members is of little use.
If you also want to insure damage to your bicycle or e-bike, you should take a look at the GVO. From 48 euros per year there is a policy that “from our point of view leaves nothing to be desired”, according to the testers. GVO’s “bicycle/e-bike fully comprehensive insurance TOP-VIT” costs 48 euros for the 1500 class bike and 52 euros for the 2500-euro e-bike. However, the 5000 euro cargo bike already costs 112 euros. Assistance letter services for breakdowns on the road can be booked additionally. Members of the General German Bicycle Club and also of the ADAC receive breakdown assistance at no additional cost through club membership.
The price fluctuations in the market can only be described as “extreme”. A comparison is therefore imperative. A deterrent example is the ARAG insurance (bicycle theft protection bicycle casco protection), which also includes a protection letter. The whole package should cost 1050 euros for the cargo bike. With the expensive insurance, the bikes are only insured up to a maximum of 5000 euros, damage to the e-bike electronics (!) is excluded, as is damage to a carbon frame. Because of the regional differences, the testers advise configuring and calculating offers for three of the recommended contracts individually.
You can view the full test for a fee here.
