E-Bike Theft Has Become Basel's Dominant Vehicle Crime

E-bike theft now accounts for nearly half of all vehicle thefts in Basel, a staggering shift driven by a 2,285 percent surge over the past decade. What was virtually nonexistent in 2014, when only 186 e-bikes were stolen, has exploded into a crisis that dwarfs traditional bicycle theft and renders nearly every other vehicle crime category insignificant by comparison.

In 2025, Basel recorded 11,512 vehicle thefts across all categories. Regular bicycles accounted for 6,026 thefts, motorcycles for 168, and cars for just 62. E-bikes, however, accounted for 5,486 cases, making them the second-largest theft category by a narrow margin and the fastest-growing by a wide margin. The acceleration has been relentless. From 2014 to 2019, e-bike thefts climbed from 186 to 734. By 2020, the pandemic year, they jumped to 1,102. The real explosion came after: 1,900 thefts in 2021, 2,842 in 2022, and 3,758 in 2023. Last year, 5,106 e-bikes were stolen, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

The clearance rate for e-bike theft tells a grim story for victims. Police solve only a fraction of these cases, meaning a stolen e-bike is almost certainly gone for good. This stands in sharp contrast to car thefts, where investigative resources are concentrated, and recovery rates are higher. For a city where e-bikes have become a primary mode of transport, the low recovery rate compounds the financial and practical burden on residents who lose their vehicles.

E-bikes have transformed from a negligible share of vehicle theft in 2014 to nearly 47 percent of all reported cases in 2025. This shift mirrors the explosive adoption of electric bikes across Basel's streets. As more residents embrace e-bikes for commuting and daily transport, thieves have followed the market.