E-bikes in the fast lane: record year reported for Germany’s bicycle trade

Source: ZIV

The ZIV Bicycle Industry Association and VDZ Association of the German Bicycle Trade have published market figures for bicycles and e-bikes in 2022, reporting another record year for the German bicycle trade.

E-bike production in Germany reached an all-time high, increasing to 1.72 million units (+20% from 2021), while sales also reached a new peak with 2.2 million units sold (+10% from 2021). A key driver of this growth is the clear trend towards second bikes. In addition to an urban bike or e-bike, consumers often opt for a second sporty or cargo bike.

E-bikes hold a market share of 48% in Germany and, according to Burkhard Stork (Managing Director of the ZIV), are expected to overtake non-motorised bicycles in terms of unit numbers for the first time this year. In some product categories, such as mountain and cargo bikes, there is now a clear dominance for power-assisted bikes.

The average sales price including VAT across all sales channels and models was €2,800 for e-bikes (this data includes the increasing share of high-priced cargo bikes, which pushes up the average price). Demands have changed and customers today want higher quality components, such as the gearshift, brakes, tires, and lighting, as well as a strong battery, suspension, app connection, good design, and long service life.

The ZIV estimates the total stock of e-bikes in Germany at the end of 2022 to be 9.8 million units, meaning that there are significantly more than 10 million e-bikes on the road today. With regards to health benefits and mobility transition, e-bikes are used much more often and over longer distances; an average of 1,500 to 2,000 kilometres per year.

E-mountain bikes have overtaken e-trekking bikes as the most popular type of e-bike among buyers, a shift that occurred in 2021 and has continued in 2022. There were 836,000 e-mountain bikes sold in 2022 (+23% from 2021), compared to 616,000 e-trekking bikes (-4% from 2021). In addition to e-mountain bikes, the biggest increases in demand have been for sporty e-bikes such as road, gravel, and fitness bikes, as well as e-cargo bikes and speed pedelecs.

1.45 million e-bikes were imported in 2022, with the share of imports from EU countries being around 69% and the import share from Asia increasing slightly to 27%. This is due to the expansion of production in the EU/production sites in neighbouring EU countries, independence within the EU from developments in customs, and anti-dumping duty on imports of e-bikes from China.

Around 98% of e-bike exports went to countries in the EU and EFTA. The Netherlands remained the most important export country with 24% (139,000 units), however this represents a significant decrease compared to 2021 (34% or 209,000 units). Austria and France followed at a distance with 12% each (same as 2021), Switzerland with 11% (+9% from 2021), Belgium with 11% (+8% from 2021), and Italy with 6% (same as 2021).

Read the full report here.