Electric cargo bikes have seen a spike in interest across London as families battle rising fuel costs and look for cheaper ways to get around.
New figures from Solve The School Run and Clean Cities suggested households could save up to £4,000 a year by ditching the car and switching to an e-cargo bike alongside public transport.
It comes as a new trial aims to encourage businesses to switch to cargo bikes, with five London companies being offered a free, week-long test of commercial e-cargo bikes to see if they can replace vans for deliveries and call-outs.
Together, the findings highlight a growing shift towards cargo bikes in the capital, but campaigners warn there are still major hurdles, including storage and upfront cost.
The study looked at the total cost of owning a vehicle over three years, including purchase, depreciation, fuel and other expenses and compared a second-hand family car with a three-seat electric cargo bike.
Since early March, petrol has risen by around 20 per cent, while diesel has jumped by 36 per cent, driven by conflict in the Middle East.
Many have started looking at alternative transport options, including TV doctor Chris Van Tulleken,
He said: “We replaced our car with a cargo bike and have never looked back. It’s way cheaper and faster than a car, and our favourite way to get all three kids around London. They love it, and I love it. It’s great for our health, our happiness, our climate and our community.”
TV doctor Chris Van Tulleken has started using an e-cargo bike for school drop-offs
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CLEAN CITIES
Analysis by Clean Cities using data from Transport for London shows that cargo bike journeys doubled between 2022 and 2024.
Meanwhile, figures from the Bicycle Association showed a 36 per cent jump in e-cargo bike purchases in 2025 compared with the previous year.
The business trial is being run by Vok Bikes alongside the Clean Cities Electrify London campaign and Fully Charged, with applications open until May 6.
Selected firms will get a commercial-grade cargo bike for seven days, along with support to integrate it into their daily operations.
Families have been turning away from driving due to high fuel costs
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CLEAN CITIES
Chris Cayford, UK country manager at Vok Bikes, said: “London is one of Europe’s leading cities for cargo bike adoption, but many businesses still haven’t experienced how practical they can be. This trial is about turning curiosity into real-world insight.”
Similarly, Zak Bond, campaign manager at Clean Cities, explained that analysis has shown that diesel vans are now the biggest road source of dirty air in central London.
However, there are just two secure on-street parking spaces for cargo bikes across London, compared with around one million parking spaces for cars.
Most standard bike hangars are too small for cargo bikes, leaving families in flats without a safe place to store them.
Families across London have been opting for e-cargo bikes instead of driving
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CLEAN CITIES
Alper Muduroglu, CEO of Peddle My Wheels, shared: “We speak to hundreds of families every year who are keen to buy an e-cargo bike, but a lack of secure storage stops them.”
The upfront price remains another barrier, with a family-sized e-cargo bike and accessories costing around £6,000.
But Dr Ian Philips, Associate Professor at the University of Leeds, said cargo bikes have “shown great potential for health benefits and carbon savings”.
“Add to this the financial and convenience benefits of these bikes, and you have a very strong case for cargo bikes to become a more mainstream form of family travel, as they are in other European countries,” he added.