Buying a used e-bike
The loss in value of new bikes is dramatic: according to current estimates, a bike loses half of its value in the first two years, and a further 50 per cent after every four years. The six-year-old 4000-euro bike would therefore only be worth 1000 euros. This can be a bargain for a bike that has seen little use. But with pedelecs, the calculation is even less clear than with bicycles. A six-year-old bike from a private seller probably has a weakened battery, and the technical evolution of e-bikes is still progressing rapidly. As a replacement battery can easily cost between 600 and 1000 euros, a pedelec that old is rarely a real bargain. The wearing parts must also be taken into account. Even if "only" tyres, chain, sprockets, brake pads and shift cables need to be replaced, parts plus assembly can quickly cost over 250 euros.
After all, e-bike buyers theoretically have the option of having the mileage and charging cycles of many drives read out in a specialist workshop. Buying second-hand privately requires expertise and good instinct - then bargains are possible. The second-hand market via specialised dealers is becoming increasingly important. They mainly buy leasing returns in order to recondition and resell them. In the case of used bikes, they have to guarantee for one year that the bike has no hidden defects. They are also able to read out the usage data and can therefore provide precise information about the condition of the batteries. Dealers often also check the police's theft databases to avoid becoming a fence.
Advantages and disadvantages: Buying second-hand
- Plus: Significantly cheaper than buying new
- Minus: Good expertise required
Leasing and subscription
Not buying a bike, but using it for a monthly sum over several years sounds strange at first: some dealers offer favourable financing for bikes that are too expensive to buy in one go. But leasing can also be a tax-saving model: For the self-employed and employees, the leasing instalments for their "company bike" not only reduce their taxable income, they also reduce the assessment bases for social security contributions and health insurance. For example, if you reduce your gross salary of 3000 euros to 2800 euros with a leasing instalment of 200 euros, you pay for your bike from your gross salary instead of from your net salary (as with a private purchase). Whether this option is worthwhile is a tricky calculation that also takes into account taxable "non-cash benefits", your own tax bracket, the price of the bike and the amount of your income.
Employees are dependent on their employer for this tax-saving model. The employer saves a share of the social security contributions, but in return has to conclude the contract with the leasing company (from whose range the employee then chooses their bike). Company bike leasing became attractive due to the equal tax treatment of bicycles and company cars. The choice of models is practically unlimited.
Subscription models are also becoming established, in which certain pedelecs are offered for long-term hire - for example over the summer months - usually with service and insurance. With providers such as ebikeabo.com an average bike costs around 200 euros per month for a minimum hire period of three months, and just 100 euros per month for two full years. Even cheaper, but with a very limited choice of models, is long-term hire from everyday bike providers such as swapfiets.com.
Advantages and disadvantages: Bicycle leasing
- Plus: up-to-date material plus service
- Minus: Complex profitability calculation (service bike)
