The Motor Insurance Directive (MID) stipulates that all motor vehicles in the EU must have compulsory third-party liability insurance. The MID aims to ensure that these vehicles are covered throughout the EU in the event of an insurance claim.
At the beginning of 2019, the EU Commission had already tabled a proposal in Brussels to extend compulsory insurance from fast e-bikes to all bikes with an electric auxiliary motor. It was discussed whether e-bikes up to 25 km/h should also be defined as motor vehicles. This proposal, which would probably have quickly put an end to the e-bike boom, was opposed by the European Cycling Federation (ECF) and the Association of the European Cycling Industry (Conebi). Thanks to their lobbying, the EU Parliament was able to block the EU Commission's proposal.
In 2021, the idea of extended compulsory insurance and registration for all e-bikes came up again - as part of negotiations aimed at harmonising the rules for car insurance. The European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), however, unequivocally opposed this proposal - and thus prevailed: Over-regulation of the e-bike market had to be avoided for economic and transport policy reasons, according to the reasoning.
