Why is eBike Touring not as popular in the UK as the rest of Europe?

Our business at PeakePedals was inspired by other eBike touring experiences we had seen and tried as we visited different countries around the world. 

We felt like there was an opportunity to start to offer eBike tours in the UK rather than just eBike hire but we were also curious about why eBike touring and usage had not really taken off in the same way as it had in many other countries. This article explores some of the reasons why and what we have put in place to try and overcome them.

The absence of eBike touring options is perhaps even more surprising when arguably we have some of the most stunning landscapes in a more compact area than many other areas of World (particularly in our native Peak District)

Less Overall Usage of eBikes in UK

One of the most obvious reasons is the lower adoption of eBike usage in the UK a point that is clearly illustrated by the 2025 Statista Report eBikes in the United Kingdom where it details that only 10% of all bike sales were for eBikes which according to Bike Europe is much lower than the typical share of the market in most major European countries where the share is often as much as 30%. 

To help try and encourage more usage PeakePedals has tried to use our website to promote eBike usage for active transport and as well as tours we have also introduced both eBike Taster Sessions and hosted free try an eBike days in partnership with other local organisations

Less Usage for Active Transportation 

Another reason is that less eBike sales also means there is less usage for transportation compared to Europe where e-bikes have become the top electric vehicle choice for shorter journeys probably because they offer easy mobility as well as the obvious health benefits. 

Despite a recent The Future of Travel report by Auto Trader saying car owners thought eBikes were a good option only 9% of UK consumers stating that they owned an e-bike and many of them were used mainly for leisure rather than travel.

This lack of usage means people in the UK see less e-bikes on the road so it is not always at the front of their minds when considering ways of touring the countryside. This perhaps also explains why a lot of our tour customers are international visitors rather than UK nationals 

As mentioned above we are always trying to promote our hybrid e-bikes for active transportation as well as a top way of touring the area

UK not Promoting Itself as an eBike Tour Destination 

The fact that the UK is not in top 10 global ebike touring destinations helps illustrate the point that there are not enough options for eBike touring in the UK

We started our business because other than bike hire businesses or specialist cycling holiday companies we could not find eBike touring options in what we believed was the best touring location in the UK - the Peak District

High Cost of the Best Quality eBikes

Although you can purchase e-bikes for as little as £1000 the right specification e-bikes for comfortable touring are more like £4000 and not within the budget of everyone. This also means bike hire companies usually offer the cheaper models which are fine for simple trails but not ideal for effortlessly climbing the peaks / dales and do not show eBikes at their most effective 

This also means that if you are looking to start an eBike touring business you do need to invest in the better specification bikes and is perhaps a reason why more companies have not started offering tours. The higher cost is hard to justify without seeing  a proven business model out there.

However to make touring work it has to accommodate people of different fitness levels / abilities and we believe it is really essential to provide the right hybrid touring ebikes that give the right level of assistance and comfort. Size is also an important factor as you really need a range of sizes to accommodate all heights as the one size fits all model is not the most comfortable for everyone,This further increases the number of eBikes a tour company needs to purchase

Not everybody is comfortable on 2 wheels either, and many older people with balance or confidence issues or people with mobility issues still like the idea of ebike touring. To provide a totally inclusive experience we think eTrikes are a useful addition but yet again it means you need a bigger fleet. We have recently added Jorvik eTrikes increasing our overall fleet size  to 20 bikes

Road Safety Concerns

Another factor to consider is the concerns people have over road safety as unlike many of the European towns and cities our roads are not as well adapted for cycling making cycling a potentially more dangerous past time  

This is why we pretty much avoid using busy roads on our tours and go for mainly traffic free options. These are harder to find and have taken a lot of research to create which is the main reason we think touring is much better option for visitors than just hiring a bike and trying to work out your own route.

It is understandable that when people see busy roads without much consideration for cyclists they do not fancy the idea of a cycling tour but if you read our reviews you will see the lack of traffic and clear guidance / safety briefings is frequently cited as a top reason for enjoying the experience  

Our Weather & Climate Can Put People Off

It would also be true to say that the UK does not have as warmer climate as some destinations where cycling is more popular but it is also true to say that sometimes the weather can also enhance the landscape and add to the experience with an unexpected rainbow on a rainy day or the golden leaves decorating the tress in the Autumn

The rugged construction of our hybrid eBikes means they will handle well in all weather conditions and as long as tour participants dress for the conditions we can pretty much guarantee they will enjoy their tour whatever the weather. There are also lots of handy pubs and cafes for a pitstop and there is nothing like drying off in front of a real fire 

We are now even offering thermal gloves for those who do not bring their own and have perhaps not anticipated how cold your hands could get on a spring or autumn day cruising down the hill

Conclusion 

We hope this article has given you a little more insight into why eBike touring has not quite taken off in the UK as we are convinced it soon will

Based on our reviews there is clearly an appetite for eBike tours so we strongly believe that the lower popularity is down more to awareness and availability rather than the UK not being the best destination. So here at PeakePedals we will continue to develop our tours to be the best way to explore the Peak District

We will also continue to fly the flag for a greener different way - we do expect the market to get buser in the UK which is why going forward we plan to franchise our concept and do our bit to open up other areas in the UK to the joys of countryside eBike touring 

We hope this article might have helped convince your to try one of our tours for yourself