Why Now is the Time to Swap Car Journeys for an Electric Bike
Written by Ryan
With the latest US-led conflict in the Middle East putting pressure on global oil markets, fuel prices are rising sharply. Recently, I watched the diesel price at my local petrol station in Denny jump by 5p per litre overnight, and the situation has only escalated since.
While it can feel like there isn’t much we can do about global events, there is something we can easily control: how reliant we need to be on fuel, and how we choose to make short everyday journeys. Here are some of my reasons for why you should swap driving for cycling, and why now is the best time to start:
1. Most Car Trips Are Surprisingly Short
According to the UK Government’s National Travel Survey in 2024, around 25% of trips reported in the survey were under one mile, and about 70% were under five miles. These short journeys are the perfect time to swap to an e-bike. With the help of pedal assist, five miles on an e-bike often takes 15-20 minutes, and avoids many of the frustrations of driving: waiting in long queues for traffic lights, the endless search for parking at the other end, or the cost of paying for a spot when you do find one, too!
Short trips are often the ones where bikes outperform cars the most. With an electric bike, the hills, headwinds and distance are all smoothed out, making each ride easier and faster. By taking an e-bike for these short journeys instead, you might get there just as quickly, but you’ll swap parking charges and traffic frustration for exercise and fresh air.
2. Rising Fuel Prices Have Triggered Cycling Booms Before
This isn’t the first-time people have turned to bikes when fuel prices start going up. During the energy crises of the 1970s, fuel shortages, air pollution and rising petrol prices pushed many Americans to reconsider how they travelled. The result was the ‘Great American Bike Boom’ where bicycle sales, especially of lightweight adult bikes, exploded. From 1972 to 1974, there were more bikes sold in the US than cars.
The lesson is simple: when driving becomes expensive, people rediscover just how practical bikes can be.
One of the differences between now and then is the development of e-bikes, which makes cycling an even easier option. And with our fleet of adaptive bikes for those with mobility issues, cycling is becoming an affordable option for more people than ever before.
3. The Cost of Driving Vs. Cycling
Short trips are actually some of the least efficient journeys you can make by car. Cold engines burn more fuel, and traffic lights and congestion increase consumption. Sitting with the engine running in traffic still burns fuel, and even modern cars can use around 0.6–1 litre of fuel per hour when idling. Just waiting in traffic costs money.
But fuel is only one part of the story. In the UK, the official HMRC mileage rate for business travel is 45p per mile, which reflects the average total cost of running a car including fuel, insurance, depreciation, tyres and maintenance. That means a quick, 4-mile round trip done by car is effectively costing around £1.80 every time you make it. If you pop down to run an errand five days a week, you’ll have effectively spent around £450 per year.
Swap that trip for an e-bike and the energy cost is almost negligible. You can borrow an e-bike from us for free to try one out, and charging a typical e-bike battery only costs a few pence.
4. Enjoying Cycling: Spring Is the Perfect Time to Start
With longer days and improving weather, spring is a great time to start thinking about getting back into cycling, or trying it out for the first time. The best personal example I can give you is the nursery run with my son.
Our nursery is less than two miles from home. On workdays we usually drive there on the way to the office — drop him off, then continue the remaining eleven miles to work. But on days when I’m working from home, we often take the e-bike instead. We’ve got a child seat on the back and he absolutely loves it. His favourite part is what he calls “beating the cars”.
There’s a segregated cycle path running alongside the main road we normally drive along. While the traffic crawls past in stop-start queues, we’re often gliding straight past it. When we get to nursery we don’t have to fight for parking in the narrow surrounding streets. I cycle straight into the playground, drop him right at the door, and continue on my way — all without burning a single drop of fuel. And because the bike is quicker door-to-door, I sometimes take the long way home via the reservoirs and take a quiet loop through the countryside.
As the weather improves in spring and these rides start to get lighter and sunnier, the e-bike changes this routine drop-off into one of the best ways to start my day.
5. You Can Use Our Bike Library!
One of the biggest barriers to switching to an e-bike is the upfront commitment and cost of having to buy a new bike, which is exactly why we created our Bike Library. Instead of having to buy an e-bike outright, the library lets you try one for a longer period (up to three months) and see how it fits into your everyday life.
Our fleet includes electric hybrid bikes, perfect for everyday journeys like commuting, school runs or popping to the shops. But we also have electric cargo bikes, which make an incredibly strong case as a genuine car alternative for many local journeys. Our Cube cargo bikes, for example, include a two-seat bench, meaning you can safely carry children along with school bags, shopping, sports kit, or whatever else the day requires.
Our e-bikes are available to hire from our Bike Library
Start Changing Your Routine Today
One of things I often hear is how surprised people are at how quickly an e-bike has become part of their routine, whether that’s for popping down to the shops, the school drop-off or the quick run across town. It doesn’t take much effort until you’re reaching for your bike helmet instead of your car keys for those small trips.
With the rising cost of fuel and the sunnier weather of spring, there really hasn’t been a better time to swap car journeys for an e-bike wherever you can. You’ll save money on petrol and save time sitting in traffic. Who knows, you might even start enjoying those day-to-day journeys along the way too.
Visit our Bike Library to give an e-bike a go today.
