E-bike market share of over 50% in Belgium for the first time

Last year, 569,605 new bikes were delivered in Belgium, down one-fifth compared to the peak year 2022. Mobility Federation Traxio says the fewer new bicycles purchased are due to large stocks at bicycle dealers.

Yet a historic milestone has also been rounded in the meantime: the e-bike achieves a market share of more than half for the first time, at 51%.

Structurally still growing

That the Belgian bicycle market would take a hit in 2023 was in line with expectations. “There was a large stock built up, which caused bicycle dealers to place fewer orders,” says Traxio spokesperson Filip Rylant. “When we look at the trend line over the different years, we do remain in a structurally growing bicycle market.”

What is noticeable, however, is that at 51%, e-bikes achieve a market share of more than half for the first time. In other words, electrification continues to gain importance in both city and sport bikes. “The speed pedelec is nowhere as popular as in Belgium,” claims Rylant.

Gravel bike gains popularity

Last year, 569,605 new bicycles were sold in Belgium. Of these, 290 419 were e-bikes, and 279 186 were mechanical bikes.

Electric city bikes (131,430) and electric trekking bikes (88,249) together accounted for 38,5% of all units delivered. Electric long-tail bikes are also gaining in popularity.

Sporty bikes remain very popular with Belgians, accounting for 27% of the total (28.5% in 2022). However, 38.2% fewer mountain bikes (54,929 units) were sold. The gravel bike, on the other hand, is gaining ground. Last year, 19,832 gravel bikes were sold, compared to 17,664 in 2022, or +12.3%.

The sporty segment is also undergoing electrification. Traxio figures show that 5,397 electric racing bikes were sold last year. In 2022, there were 4,697. Sales of the regal course bike (road) do decline slightly.

The Netherlands buys much cheaper

According to Traxio, more e-bikes will be sold in the coming years because electric support is continuing within the sporty bike segment. Besides electrification, we are also seeing more technological novelties such as hub gear, belt drives, and connected systems.

Almost 70% of all purchases, especially of e-bikes (59.1%), are made in the bike shop, a market share that continues to rise. Bike shops now sell four times more e-bikes than multichannel, a trend boosted by leased bikes. Lease bikes are, on average, more expensive and have a maintenance contract, leading customers to prefer on-site explanations.

Also striking: on average, Belgian consumers spend 2,808 euros on a new bike, while the average selling price in the Netherlands last year was only 1,810 euros. With e-bikes, with an average price of over 3,700 euros, this difference even appears to rise to almost 1,300 euros.