In short
When a bike is stolen, one of three parties pays: your home contents insurance with a bicycle clause, a dedicated bicycle insurance policy – or nobody, if you ride without any cover at all. Which option applies to you depends on your contract and the value of your bike.
Around 214,000 bike thefts were reported across Germany in 2025, and the clear-up rate is only about 11 % (source: German police crime statistics (PKS) 2025). Whether that hits you financially is not decided when the theft happens, but beforehand – by what your contract says. We show you the three options and how to find out which one applies to you.
Home contents insurance with a bicycle clause
The most obvious option is the one you probably already have: your home contents insurance. From locked spaces – cellar, garage, flat – your bike is usually covered automatically. Outdoors, in cases of so-called “simple theft” at the station or outside the supermarket, it only pays if your contract includes a bicycle clause. Without that clause, you get nothing if your bike is stolen while you are out and about.
And even with the clause there are limits: compensation is usually capped at 1 to 5 % of the sum insured, and many older tariffs also include a night-time clause for thefts between 22:00 and 06:00. Almost all tariffs also require the bike to have been secured with a separate lock and that you file a police report – no insurer settles a claim without one.
We explain in detail how these clauses work and what exactly to look out for in your contract in the guide Home contents insurance and bike theft.
Dedicated bicycle insurance
For high-value bikes and e-bikes, the home contents cap is quickly reached. This is where dedicated bicycle insurance comes in: it typically reimburses the replacement value of the bike instead of applying a percentage cap, and many tariffs also cover cases that home contents policies usually exclude – such as theft of parts (wheel, battery, saddle) or theft while out and about without a night-time clause.
Exactly what is included varies a lot by provider and tariff – vandalism, crash damage or theft from a car can be added to some policies but not to others. Before you take out such a policy, reading the terms is at least as worthwhile as with your home contents contract.
For commuters who park their bike outdoors every day, or for owners of several high-value bikes, a separate premium can pay off sooner than expected – especially when the replacement value of the bike clearly exceeds the home contents limit.
No cover: carrying the risk yourself
The third option is not really a decision, but the absence of one: no bicycle clause in your home contents policy, no separate cover. That means you bear the entire loss alone – and it is bigger on average than many people think. In 2025, insurers paid an average of 1,270 euros per bike for around 115,000 compensated bikes, a record figure (source: GDV, 2025). Without insurance, that is exactly the amount you would have to find yourself.
That does not mean bicycle insurance is essential for everyone – for an old everyday bike the risk may be acceptable. But the decision should be a conscious one, not the result of convenience or of never having read your home contents contract.
The three options compared
A brief summary of where home contents insurance, bicycle insurance and no cover differ – all figures are typical market patterns, not specific tariff details:
| Home contents with bicycle clause | Dedicated bicycle insurance | No cover | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sum insured | usually capped (typically 1–5 % of the sum insured) | as a rule the full replacement value | none – the loss is entirely yours |
| Night-time clause | yes, depending on the tariff | usually no | not applicable |
| Theft of parts | mostly not covered | often included, depending on the tariff | not applicable |
| Covered while out and about | only with a bicycle clause, subject to conditions | usual, depending on the tariff | no |
| Cost range | included in the home contents premium or a small surcharge | separate premium, depending on bike value and scope | no ongoing costs, but the full risk |
Decision guide by bike value
A simple rule of thumb helps: work out how high the compensation limit of your home contents insurance actually is in euros – and compare it with the replacement value of your bike. If the replacement value exceeds that limit, it is worth costing out a dedicated bicycle insurance policy instead of relying on the home contents cap.
If you have several bikes in the household – say an everyday bike and a high-value e-bike – the answer may differ for each one. A cheap second bike often sits comfortably below the home contents limit, while a separate policy can pay off for the more expensive one. In any case, register each of your bikes individually so that you have the right documents to hand for every bike if you need to claim.
Tip: On top of insurance, a good lock measurably reduces your risk. As a rule of thumb, invest around 10 % of the bike's value in the lock – read more on our overview page on theft prevention for your bike.
What you always need when making a claim
Whichever insurance applies: only what you can prove gets settled. You will practically always need the police report with its reference number, the frame number of your bike and a receipt or other evidence of its value. Our guide Reporting a bike theft shows you how to file a report correctly; where to find the frame number is explained in Find & check your frame number.
You are most relaxed if these documents are already bundled together before the theft. With BikePass you store your frame number, photos and receipt free of charge as digital proof of ownership – in under three minutes, for as many bikes as you like. If the worst happens, you share the documents directly with the police and your insurer instead of hunting them down. If the theft has already occurred, simply report it in the web app: the ID becomes visible to authorities, and honest finders can get in touch anonymously.
Your insurance checklist
- Checked your home contents contract for a bicycle clause?
- Worked out the compensation limit in euros and compared it with your bike's value?
- Checked for a night-time clause (22:00–06:00)?
- For a high-value bike: costed out a dedicated bicycle insurance policy?
- Frame number, receipt and photos to hand (ideally registered digitally)?
We write about bike theft, security marking and digital theft protection – practical, without scaremongering and with real steps you can take.
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