How we can drive change together
Only together can we drive growth in this market
We believe that the future of mobility is one where consumers no longer rely on a single vehicle for all their journeys, but one where consumers utilise a variety of vehicles depending on their journey type. Larger vehicles will still be used for long journeys, but smaller electric vehicles will increasingly be used for shorter journeys.
Micromobility and specifically e-bikes hold the key to this future of sustainable mobility which will not only tackle transport emissions but also combat congestion in city centres.
Progress has been made in the sector, with e-bikes seeing strong growth in recent years. But we are at risk of faltering if the challenges highlighted in this report are not addressed. Specifically, we need to see consumer concerns addressed and awareness of e-bikes reach a much higher level.
The concerns that consumers have highlighted can be addressed by action from industry and government with our research highlighting the need for:
Financial incentives in the form of grants for e-bike purchases
Greater promotion of the benefits of e-bikes to the broader population
Improvements in cycling infrastructure to entice non-cyclists
Clarity on e-bike regulations
We need to see greater awareness of e-bikes not only among key target demographics such as commuters but also the broader population. This can only be achieved by getting e-bikes in front of the UK's mobility audience, something that we at Auto Trader are now actively working on.
We have the UK’s largest engaged mobility audience, with 9.8 million monthly site visitors, and the largest pool of potential e-bike buyers in any UK marketplace, with one in four users expressing an interest in owning an e-bike. Our purpose is to help consumers move towards less polluting journeys, whether that is in an electric car or by substituting some or part of their trips with electric bicycles. It’s for these reasons that we have introduced e-bikes to our marketplace.
Not only are we opening our marketplace to brands and retailers to help drive growth in this sector, but we are also working to drive more awareness among consumers whilst also producing high-quality and trustworthy editorial content in the form of reviews on our site.
We’ll continue working to drive awareness of e-bikes, but we need to see collaboration across the industry to overcome consumer concerns and make e-bikes viable for the majority. It's only together that we can drive growth in this market. So be sure to reach out to find out how we can drive change together. Responsibly.
Recent extreme weather events across the world have brought the need to act fast on decarbonisation into sharp focus. E-bikes have a unique role to play in helping to reduce our transport emissions, whilst at the same time reducing congestion and improving air quality. The findings of this report, alongside the demand that we see from consumers, highlights strong appetite for e-bikes. In response to that appetite, we have been growing our range in recent years, ensuring that we can cater for a wide range of needs. We see more families using e-cargo bikes for the school run and shopping, alongside businesses seeking to reduce costs and navigate busy city centres. In order to take the e-bike revolution to the next stage in the UK, we need to see an increase in safe and continuous cycling infrastructure, alongside financial support to help people make the shift.
