E-bike leasing comparison 2023: Industry insiders assume that over 2023% of all new e-bikes will be leased in 50. Especially in the market, which continues to be overheated in terms of prices, leasing a company bike is a good option for being able to afford a high-quality e-bike (or regular bike). We took a close look at nine important leasing providers and compared services and prices.
Buying a new e-bike is a big investment - we don't want to sugarcoat anything. Experts estimate that in Germany in 2022 an average of around 3.500 euros will already be paid for a new e-bike. There is also a factor that should not be underestimated: Very often two bikes are bought at the same time – after all, you don’t want to go on a tour alone, but rather spend beautiful and eventful hours together with your partner.
For many people, leasing an e-bike (or a classic bicycle) is therefore a welcome alternative. The so-called company bike leasing works in a similar way to what is known from cars: A small part of the salary is exchanged for an e-bike provided by the employer. Since the leasing rate is deducted from the gross salary, the actual net burden is significantly lower; In addition, a bicycle or e-bike for private use is taxable at only 0,25% of the new price.
There are now numerous established providers, but also many new ones, and the offer is becoming increasingly confusing for those interested. As for the 2022 season, we have also dealt intensively with the topic of e-bike leasing for 2023 and compared the services of the nine most widespread providers.
There are a few newer companies on the market, some of which are trying to secure market shares with extremely aggressive prices. No wonder, because e-bike leasing has become an enormously important and large business area, and many want a piece of the pie. Industry insiders assume that in 2023 well over half of all new e-bikes will be leased. Assuming that this applies in particular to the high-priced models, that would be around one million bikes at an average of 4.000 euros - i.e. around four billion euros in sales!
Entirely new providers and their (lure) offers should be treated with caution. A leasing contract is concluded for three years, and if the user wants to take over the bike at the end of the term, the leasing company should still be economically viable - for example in order to be able to demonstrably assume the difference in taxation between the transfer fee and the fiscal residual value (more on this further down).
What is e-bike leasing?
In principle, e-bike leasing is nothing more than the leasing of an e-bike for a certain period of time - for all common providers for three years. The customer does not become the owner of the bike, but pays a monthly rate to be able to use the bike.
This procedure is recommended because the monthly leasing installments are usually lower than the loan installments. However, it should be borne in mind that the wheel does not belong to you at the end of the term. However, after the leasing contract has expired, there is the option of buying the bike at a residual value. There is a kind of tacit agreement for this option - if the lessee wants to take over the bike after the three years, he is given the opportunity to do so. The leasing companies have little interest in getting the e-bikes back. However, they are not allowed to give the "customer" a legally binding commitment for this takeover in advance, as this would contradict the special tax model of leasing.
The benefits of leasing
- The high financial burden when purchasing is spread over 36 monthly installments
- Due to the tax advantage over the gross salary, the actual financial expenditure decreases considerably
- An e-bike can usually be taken over at the end of the leasing period at a very attractive price (between 15 and 18% of the new price)
- Leasing contracts include a very attractive service package that guarantees that an e-bike will always be in top condition during its three-year period of use
- Also included is an insurance package that not only applies in the event of theft, but also in the event of vandalism or a stolen battery
- Fixed accessories such as lighting, a lock, a child seat, etc. can be integrated into the leasing
What happens at the end of the term?
A residual value of between 15 and 18 percent of the original gross acquisition value, depending on the provider, is applied for the takeover by the user after the leasing. A very lucrative offer. However, it is important to pay attention to a detail that is very important from a tax point of view: the tax authorities set a significantly higher residual value for an e-bike after three years of leasing, which is 40 percent. The difference between this value and the residual value actually paid must be taxed by the buyer as a non-cash benefit. Luckily, the leasing providers step into the breach here, and all according to the same principle: they take on this tax burden and settle the tax liability directly with the tax authorities, so that the buyer does not incur any costs or bureaucratic effort - the buyer receives from the leasing provider a written certificate (by e-mail) that the tax difference has already been settled.
An interesting observation is that just a year ago, individual leasing providers advertised takeover offers at ten percent of the original sales price. In the meantime, this threshold has risen to 15 percent - here the hurdle of differential taxation in combination with a very low sales price was probably too high.
If a leasing contract has to be terminated due to unforeseen reasons such as termination of employment or even death, all leasing providers now guarantee employer protection that corresponds to a special right of termination and the taking back of the vehicle. However, there are different waiting periods here: With Eurorad or Bikeleasing-Service, for example, this protection takes effect from the first day, with others only after six months of the contract period.
A special feature is parental leave. If a lessee wants to take parental leave, the services provided by the leasing providers differ, and we recommend paying attention to this point if there is a foreseeable desire to have children. With some providers, for example, the protection only takes effect from the seventh month of parental leave or only for a maximum of two months. Eurorad is one of the providers who allow the use of the bike during the entire parental leave (maximum twelve months) - with the assumption of the entire leasing rates.
How did we compare?
For our comparison, we sent all providers a standardized questionnaire. We asked for the leasing and service rates for a bike with a sales price of 4.000 and 6.000 euros. The insurance and services as well as background information such as the leasing factor or whether commissions are required from the specialist dealer were also queried. We checked the information provided by the providers and compared it with the leasing calculator that all providers offer on their websites.
We have not (yet) included in this comparison leasing providers whose figures we could not understand, who differed from the information on their own website or who have only been on the market for a very short time. We will either add these at a later date or include them in the comparison for 2024.
The provider Rad im Dienst, which specializes in public sector employees, plays a special role. Employees in the public sector may find a partner in this provider who can cope better with official German: www.radimdienst.de Rad im Dienst does not have this role exclusively, however; all other providers in our comparison can also be used by employees in the public sector.
Bicycle and e-bike leasing comparison 2023: what is important?
We compared the offers of nine important leasing providers in the specialist bicycle trade, looking at both the costs and their services. The providers compared are: Bikeleasing Service, BusinessBike, Deutsche Dienstrad, Eurorad, Eleasa, JobRad, Kazenmaier, Lease a Bike and Mein Dienstrad. In principle, no leasing provider is tied to a specific bicycle brand or to the e-bike itself; for example, classic trekking bikes without an electric drive can also be leased. The minimum price for a leasing bike is 357 euros at Eurorad and goes up to 749 euros at Jobrad. The limits are reaching new highs, which are due to the astronomical prices that are now being asked for top e-bikes. Eurorad and Lease a Bike only set the upper limit at a purchase price of 20.000 euros. Upper limits of 10.000 euros, as with Eleasa, seem almost spartan.
It should be noted, however, that some employers set individual maximum limits. So it may be that this is drawn at 4.999 euros, for example. This is to avoid that bicycles are purchased in a price range that is disproportionate to the actual salary of an employee.
In our comparison, we calculated the offers of the providers - each for an e-bike for 4.000 euros and 6.000 euros new price. This is 30 percent higher than the prices in our 2022 comparison, but we made a conscious decision to do so because it corresponds more closely to the actual market conditions.
The monthly costs are always made up of the leasing rate, the insurance rate and a service fee; this varies depending on the package. In our comparison, we calculated with the best possible service package in each case, since in practice it is booked most frequently with all providers and, in our experience, makes the most sense and is recommended.
E-Bike Leasing 2023: Monthly costs
In our comparison, we also included the total price over the leasing period and the purchase price of the bike at the end of the term, which adds up to the total costs for use and subsequent purchase.
E-bike leasing 2023: Total costs with and without takeover (purchase price 4.000 euros)
E-bike leasing 2023: Total costs with and without takeover (purchase price 6.000 euros)
In our comparison, we did not take into account the individual requirements of the lessee. Numerous factors affect the actual net burden, so that the result would be different for almost every employee: tax class, federal state, child allowances, church affiliation, etc. We therefore compare the providers according to the actual rates that are credited to the gross salary. This must be taken into account when looking at the bare figures. The actual net burden for employees is significantly lower – but it is different for everyone.
We are now conducting this comparison of e-bike leasing providers for the third time. It can be seen that the service and insurance benefits of the leading providers are converging. Sure - if a provider leads the way with a good service, the others want to follow this good example. In the end, the employees and lessees benefit from better and better services. Overall, it can be said that leasing an e-bike has become more attractive every year.
Mobility guarantee
All leasing providers offer a so-called mobility guarantee. As the name suggests, this is intended to guarantee that you remain mobile even in the event of a defect or theft or to pay for any consequential costs such as an overnight stay. These services vary considerably depending on the leasing partner. In the following we give an overview of the services of the respective providers. We cannot test whether, how quickly and how unbureaucratically the respective services are actually provided in the event of damage - but they are very well suited as a guide for assessing the services of a provider.
- Transport of unroadworthy e-bikes to the nearest workshop, to the destination or home up to a maximum of €150; with self-organized transport max. 50 €;
- Replacement bike for a maximum of 14 days up to a daily rate of 25 euros
- Europe-wide protection
- 24-hour hotline
- Pick-up service including accompanying person
- roadside assistance
- Towing service
- replacement bike
- Transport of unroadworthy e-bikes to the nearest workshop, to the destination or home up to a maximum of €150; with self-organized transport max. 50 €
- Onward and return journey
- Bike return transport
- 24-hour emergency service
- Germany-wide and beyond the EU mobile breakdown assistance
- Towing after breakdown or accident
- return or onward journey
- replacement bike
- Coverage of accommodation costs
- Service bike return transport
- Salvage
- Bicycle scrapping/luggage transport
- emergency cash
A 24/7 service is available for mobility services.
- Costs for return transport to the place of departure in the event of loss of operational security up to €150 pa
- Cost of a rental bike for a maximum of 3 days. Maximum €15 per day, maximum €90 per year
- Europe-wide protection
- 24 hour service
- tow away
- Onward or return journey
- accommodation costs
- roadside assistance
- Salvage
- replacement bike
- Bike return transport
- emergency cash
- 24-hour emergency service
- Germany-wide and beyond the EU mobile breakdown assistance
- Towing after breakdown or accident
- Return or onward journey/replacement bike
Other additional services from a distance of 10 km from the permanent residence, including:
- Coverage of up to €500 for the onward or return journey
- Coverage of accommodation costs of up to €80 per night
- Replacement bike for a maximum of €25 per day/max. 14 days
- Bike return transport
- Salvage
- Bicycle scrapping/luggage transport
- emergency cash
- 24/7 hotline for workshop mediation
- Roadside assistance/towing and arranging return journey to starting point
- Costs for a rental bike or accommodation costs. Maximum three days and/or €150 per claim
- no cap on damage events per year
- 24/7 hotline
- roadside assistance
- Towing service
- Salvage
- replacement bike
- Onward and return journey
- Coverage of accommodation costs
- Bike return transport
- emergency cash
- Two-wheel pickup service: transport of the defective e-bike to the nearest workshop; only within Germany and Austria
- Return transport incl. bike, also for a second person
- Rental bike costs up to 50 euros
- Accommodation costs up to 100 euros
Conclusion e-bike leasing comparison 2023: The top is getting closer; best overall package still at Eurorad
Since the differences in the monthly leasing rates are only a few euros or even cents, we assess the total price as a whole when the e-bike is finally handed over. This is the lowest for both price classes at the provider Eurorad. Compared to the “most expensive” provider, BusinessBike, the 4.000-euro bike is a whopping 410 euros difference.
Compared to the industry leader Jobrad, there is still a bonus of a good 230 euros. When it comes to services, the offer of the providers varies in terms of wear and tear reimbursement and the point in time at which this takes effect - it is worth taking a look at the small print here. When it comes to capping the services, only four providers offer a service without restrictions: Eurorad, Lease a Bike, Deutsche Dienstrad and Mein Dienstrad. Jobrad and Kazenmaier stand out negatively here, where wear and tear repairs are limited to 420 euros for a period of three years. With Eleasa (714 euros), BusinessBike (900 euros) and Bikeleasing Service (714 euros) these limits are higher, but they cloud the overall impression a little.
E-bike leasing comparison 2023: Overview of reimbursement for wear and tear
refund | capping | excess | |
---|---|---|---|
Bike leasing service | from the 1. Day | €238 gross (pa) for a purchase price of up to €5.000 €297 gross (pa) for a purchase price of €5.001 to €10.000 €357 gross (pa) for a purchase price of €10.001 to €15.000 | No |
business bike | from the 1. Day | €900 total credit for wear and tear repairs | No |
German service bike | from the 1. Day | No | No |
Eleaza | from the 1. Day | 714 € gross | No |
Euro wheel | from the 1. Day | No | No |
Paid transit | from the 7th month | 420 € gross (wear and tear + inspections) | No |
Kazenmaier | from the 1. Day | 420 € gross (material + labor costs) | No |
Lease a bike | from the 1. Day | No | No |
my service bike | from the 4th month at the latest | No | No |
Incidentally, there is no longer a minor damage limit with any provider – except for one. That means: Even with supposed small things, you don't have to be afraid to take the recommended trip to the specialist workshop. Unfortunately, Jobrad is out of the ordinary, as the company is sticking to the minor damage limit of 60 euros. In our opinion, this may be a safety deficit, as it will prevent some bikers from visiting the specialist workshop, which is an avoidable risk. This should also alarm employers who, according to the accident prevention regulations (UVV), are supposed to ensure that their employees are always on perfectly serviced bikes.
E-bike leasing comparison 2023: Summary of services and prices
Monthly rate | total price upon purchase | capping wear and tear | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bike leasing service | 198,19 Euros | 8.042,40 Euros | 297 Euros | leasing calculator |
business bike | 201,40 Euros | 8.157,96 Euros | 900 Euros | leasing calculator |
German service bike | 190,51 Euros | 7614,66 Euros | No | leasing calculator |
Eleaza | 198,69 Euros | 7959,45 Euros | 714 Euros | leasing calculator |
Euro wheel | 188,85 Euros | 7.605,32 Euros | no | leasing calculator |
JobRad | 196,56 Euros | 7983,72 Euros | 420 Euros | leasing calculator |
Kazenmaier | 194,03 Euros | 7842,22 Euros | 420 Euros | leasing calculator |
Lease a bike | 192,72 Euros | 7845,48 Euros | no | leasing calculator |
my service bike | 194,13 Euros | 7.744,98 Euros | no | leasing calculator |
Calculation examples for a purchase price of 6.000 euros. Actual amounts applied to gross salary. The effective net burden of an employee is significantly lower and depends on individual factors such as tax class, federal state, child allowance, church affiliation, etc.
The specialist dealer as a trustworthy partner is becoming more and more important
Our bike and e-bike leasing comparison shows once again that the devil is in the details. In terms of price, the differences between the offers are quite small; nevertheless, at the end of the contract period and when the bike is handed over, there can be a difference of several hundred euros. The vast majority of specialist dealers are now partners with several leasing providers. Here it is once again important to be able to trust a dealer. He should make the best and most suitable offer and not fall back on the leasing provider, which can perhaps be processed online the fastest and with the fewest clicks. However, the example of Jobrad shows that this is all too often the case. The largest bike leasing provider in Germany, who feels at home with every specialist dealer and has general agreements with many of the big employers, offers neither the best services nor the most financially attractive offer. In terms of performance, Eurorad performs best overall. The provider and partner of around 1.000 ZEG specialist dealers offers the most comprehensive insurance without caps or deductibles as well as very good services.
Since employers also have to keep an eye on which leasing partner they bring in for their employees, it is worth taking a closer look for all decision-makers.