Last Updated on January 9, 2023 by Igor Karni
Are you a Canadian resident and are currently having a hard time looking for e-bike insurance options? Well, there’s a big reason for your struggle. Canada isn’t exactly e-bike-friendly when it comes to insurance.
We have the country’s confusing e-bike legislation largely to blame for this. We probably also need to consider the fact that insurance isn’t really required for e-bike owners.
As of this writing, there’s only one company that falls under the specialized e-bike insurance category. The rest either only cover Canada in their travel policies or include e-bikes as part of a homeowner’s insurance policy.
The majority of the e-bike companies we mentioned here belong to the latter. Before we discuss them, let’s take a close look at the sole specialized e-bike insurance provider: Pedal Power Insurance.
Read also: How to select insurance for your e-bike? And, Does it make sense to buy specialized insurance for an electric bike?
Pedal Power specialized e-bike insurance coverage
Pedal Power isn’t too transparent when it comes to its background. It’s a satellite company of the OASIS Outdoor Adventure & Sport Insurance Solutions Inc., which was founded in 2007, and with headquarters at North Battleford, SK.
On the whole, Pedal Power hasn’t received much media coverage yet. The platform does have decent insurance coverage for e-bikes, though, which makes it worthy of being called Canada’s only true specialized e-bike insurance provider.
For you get to choose the coverages you want in your plan. They cover pretty much the essentials with like:
- Third-Party Liability with a $1,000,000 limit.
- Personal Accident with a basic rate of $60.
- Full coverage for Physical Damage and Theft.
- Competitive Event Extension should you choose to participate in races.
It’s not much compared to what a specialized e-bike insurance company typically offers, we know. However, considering the lack of that kind of insurance in the country, this company can still serve as a good option for e-bike riders looking for insurance that’s actually focused on their possessions.
Apparently, you also get to enjoy cuts in your policy premium if you’re a member of biking Provincial Associations like the International Mountain Bicycling Association of Canada, Canadian Cycling Association, Triathlon Canada, and Hub Cycling.
| Risks | Coverage |
| Full value cover | ✓ |
| Crash damage | ✓ |
| Theft at or away from home | ✓ |
| Vandalism | X |
| Third-party liability | ✓ |
| Family cover | X |
| Worldwide cover | X |
| Race fee cancellation | X |
| Accessories cover | X |
| Dental and physical injuries (termed as Personal Accident) | ✓ |
| Roadside recovery | X |
| Apparel and helmet cover | X |
| Racing cover (termed as Competitive Event Extension) | ✓ |
| Training cover | X |
| Emergency bike hire | X |
| Shipping cover | X |
| Business Use (mentioned on the home page but can’t confirm) | ✓ |
What About Markel and Velosurance?
Unfortunately, although Markel and Velosurance cover Canada as part of their transit policies, these two major insurance companies don’t offer policies to Canadian bike and e-bike owners.
If you are a policy owner of either company, though, you can still enjoy worldwide coverage for theft and physical damage. In Velosurance, this includes a shipping cover.
Are there other e-bike insurance companies that cover Canada? Based on our research, other companies that offer this are:
- Sundays Insurance – For which pretty much their policies’ entire protections still count even if you’re making a claim from Canada. However, they only cater to US citizens.
- Simple Bike Insurance – This company offers the same policies as Sundays Insurance. You’ll get full coverage as long as you’re within the US or Canada, but you have to be a US citizen, too.
Read also: Best known electric bicycle brands in Canada. And, Rules & regulations for traditional and speed e-bikes in Canada.
Are There Canadian Companies that Offer E-Bike Coverage Through Homeowner Insurance?
Thankfully, yes. However, don’t expect this to be smooth sailing for any company you choose to apply to. Many people have reported in blogs and forums that they still tend to get denied coverage for their e-bikes because, again, of the country’s currently vague e-bike laws.
For your reference, we’ve outlined the companies that offered e-bike coverage in the past. However, since we can’t fully confirm whether they still do, we can’t really explain them in further detail.
Many riders can vouch that comprehensive insurance policies from these companies cover e-bikes.
One important note, though: e-bikes are no longer being mentioned in any of the present websites and social media posts of these companies. Previous pages that pointed to e-bike insurance policies are no longer active, which isn’t a good sign.
Still, it won’t hurt to contact them about it. We tried most of them but got no reply from their customer support.
One user from this fairly recent forum post said he managed to get his e-bike insured with his homeowners’ policy with a $1,000 deductible “to be paid on a loss” in Vancouver. You’ll also see that the majority of users do struggle to get their e-bikes covered, though, especially when applying for it in condo insurance companies.
Read also: Best known e-bike brands in Canada. And, Best e-bike financing option in Canada.
A few words in conclusion
We won’t be surprised if most of the information we shared here would need updating over time. Canada is more than likely still testing the waters, so to speak, when coming up with the right e-bike legislation. For now, you really can’t do much but make do with what’s available.
Read also: Check out Canada’s best travel destinations by electric bike.
Igor is a sustainable mobility and green energy advocate. His mission for Easy E-biking is to help make electric cycling simple, practical, and fun. Follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn.
