Have you or someone in your family purchased an e-bike? They are a great new way of commuting and cutting down on monthly fuel expenses. The question is, are you covered when you ride one?
A quick trip to the mountains to play or a quick trip downtown to socialize has an intriguing new look. Bike shops across the country are now carrying and renting a wide selection of e-bikes. Whether you purchased one for fun, or to avoid increased traffic in the area, we have the answers you need.
It’s important for people to understand what risk they have when they operate an e-bike. There are many limitations and exclusions built into most insurance policies. Most automobile policies exclude coverage for a vehicle with fewer than four wheels. Many homeowners’ policies exclude coverage for anything with a motor. So where does that leave you?
In regard to insurance, there is no specific law surrounding e-bikes in Idaho and Oregon if it goes less than 30 miles per hour or in Washington if the e-bike goes less than 20 miles per hour. So how do you protect yourself from a lawsuit and the financial investment you made?
Let’s look at the different coverage options below:
Motorcycle Policy: A motorcycle policy would give you liability coverage if you hit someone on an e-bike and hurt them, or if you did damage to someone’s property, or even if there was physical damage to the e-bike itself.
Homeowners Policy: We are excited to announce as of January 1st 2023 Auto Owners has changed their policy language for Idaho homeowners policies to include liability for your e-bike as long as it goes under 28 mph. We can also schedule the bike on the policy for theft and physical damage coverage. If you are an existing Auto-Owners customer that change will be automatic on your first policy renewal after 1/1/23 for the liability, but you will need to call us to schedule your e-bike. For instance, if your policy renews 9/12/2023 you will need to keep the motorcycle policy in place until your home renews.
Our other companies are still working on updating their policy language. If you are insured with any of our other companies, you will want to keep those e-bikes on a motorcycle policy for the time being.
If you’re not sure if your covered or not for your e-bike, please don’t hesitate to give us a call and we can review your coverage. We would love to answer all your questions. Give us a call at 208-322-1030