The reliability of refurbished e-bikes

Source: Zag Daily Image credit: Zag Daily

Analysis of European and US sales from new and refurbished electric bike retailer Upway has shown that 93% of refurbished bikes were not returned in a year, demonstrating strong customer trust in second-hand electric bikes.

The data was extracted from 7,500 sales details, plus over 400 survey responses, showing that 93% of the refurbished models saw no returns within a year, in comparison to 95% of new e-bikes. This marginal difference is a testament to a high reliability of refurbished e-bikes in a certified retail context.

The report, which is authored by Lime’s former Director of Public Partnerships and Policy Research, Calvin Thigpen, has uncovered that certified pre-owned bikes and professionalised resale marketplaces are helping to reduce cost barriers to ownership while they address second-hand quality and performance concerns.

He predicts that there will be strong growth in the sales of second-hand bicycles over the next five years, especially in the USA. Thigpen acknowledged that globally, used e-bikes remain a “relatively new phenomenon” and come with “reasonable concerns”.

Report findings

Two-thirds of new bike owners said they opted for a new model because of concerns around reliability and condition of second-hand bikes.

Non-owners have stated that price continues to be a barrier toward e-bike ownership, with 58% saying e-bikes are too expensive.

In relation to cost, certified pre-owned Upway e-bikes were found to be cheaper than government rebates with new e-bikes.

About the report findings Thigpen said the following:“I hope reports like this will start to build trust in professionally-refurbished e-bikes as a viable, affordable option, by providing data that compares refurbished e-bikes side-by-side with new e-bikes and shows how they have nearly identical, very high performance and reliability,”.

Head of Upway US, Maxime Renson, said: “With this third-party validated report, we are debunking a lot of beliefs around second hand e-bikes. By offering savings that significantly surpass traditional rebates, we are closing the trust gap and making high-performance e-bikes a reality for those previously priced out.”

Europe adopting used e-bikes more than the US

The report also shows a transatlantic difference with European countries adopting stronger used e-bike sales volumes with a faster time-to-sale in comparison with the US.

With cost being a primary barrier to e-bike take-up, the latest findings imply that access to electric mobility in Europe and the US could increase due to rising trust of the reliability of verified refurbished models, which are cheaper compared to new e-bikes.