E-bikes and e-scooters are becoming more popular, particularly in the United Kingdom. They provide a great alternative to a bicycle to get around, ensuring you are cutting down on emissions and providing a more relaxing alternative to regular bikes.
But in the UK, it turns out they have hurt car owners. Thanks to the amount of damages awarded due to injuries by e-bikes and e-scooters, drivers are now having to pay more for insurance as they see their prices being bumped up.
This has been reported by several British news outlets, including the BBC and The Independent. Incredibly, it is only seven years since the first claim from an e-bike user was made, but insurance payouts have gone into the millions for some cases. Those claims have even led to premiums for drivers being pushed up to sometimes crazy levels.
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is pushing for a better understanding by the public regarding the laws surrounding electric vehicles. A YouGov survey recently revealed that over half of UK adults are actually unaware that privately owned e-scooters are illegal on public roads. In fact, current UK law classifies them as motor vehicles due to their electric propulsion.
The Problems Facing E-Scooters and E-Bikes
As they are classified as motor vehicles, it means a driving license and insurance are needed to use them on British roads. However, these are not available for private use on these vehicles, so that makes them illegal to use on a public road. So if you use one on the road, you are breaking the law, which doesn’t look good if you are involved in an accident.
Most of the accidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters have actually involved pedestrians. According to the BBC, the first claim was made seven years ago, and the highest individual payout for an accident was £20 million. What this has now done is push the cost of premiums for drivers up. This is to cover the bill for insurers should an accident with an e-bike or scooter occur.
In total, claims have surpassed £110 million against the electric vehicles, which is roughly $147.5 million. That is a staggering amount to amass after just a handful of years. The MIB is hoping that the sale of such vehicles will be better regulated in the future, and in some instances, banned. The MIB also said that claims for micromobility vehicle incidents, including traumatic brain injuries and complex fractures, rose by 73 per cent between 2023 and 2025.
How the E-Bike and E-Scooter Crisis Is Affecting Pedestrians
But it isn’t just road users being affected by this. Pedestrians are suffering the most because of the bikes and scooters, thanks to the damage they are causing. Speaking to the BBC, Alison, not her real name, said she suffered a broken pelvis, wrist and finger as well as cuts and bruises after being hit by an e-scooter while crossing a road in Coventry in 2025.
“It was a lovely sunny day, so we were all in a really good mood,” she said. “Then the next thing I knew, it was just gravel, and I was on the floor.” “It was instant pain, you know when the TV does grey static? That’s what my eyes were doing.
“I was on a crossing. I thought it was safe, you just don’t expect it,” she concluded. CCTV footage showed the rider of the scooter head straight towards Alison, who then rode off shortly afterwards. The rider broke his leg but escaped; however, he was arrested, jailed for 15 months, and his e-scooter was destroyed.