The Burrow
Oct 14, 2026
Bicycles and scooters are a popular mode of transportation, particularly when petrol and cost-of-living prices soar. As a bonus, they tend to be more environmentally friendly than their four-wheeled counterparts.
But not every city is made equal for those wanting to ride around.
Compare the Market’s home and contents insurance comparison experts have crunched the numbers on 120 cities across the world to create an index on the best cities for cycling or riding a scooter. Three core factors were examined: the modal share of cycling (the percentage of people travelling regularly by bike) in each city; the community reported number of cycling routes; and the search interest for bike and scooter related terms for each city.
So before strapping on your helmet and taking to the streets, let’s see which cities can accommodate you the best.
European cities dominate the top of the Cycle Friendliness ranking, with Dutch, Germanic and Belgian cities performing best primarily due to their strong modal share of cycling, particularly compared to others in the index.
Whether you are looking to bike around on your next holiday, or you just want to know the best cities for taking a spin on an electric scooter, look no further than our top five cities for riding a bike or scooter.
Utrecht is the best city for cycling in our index, for the second year running. Situated a couple of hours from Netherlands’ capital, this city had the highest modal share of cycling, with 48.4% of the population cycling on a regular basis. Despite being a smaller city than others on the list, Utrecht still has a reported 3,563 cycling routes offering plenty of scenic paths to take around the city.
Freiburg im Breisgau places second on our cycling index, making it another repeat from last year’s ranking. Another city full of gorgeous architectural wonders, Freiburg im Breisgau recorded 6,004 cycling routes across the city, with a modal share of 34.0%. While it did have a respectable 4,273 cycling-related searches per month, the search volume was still the lowest in our top five.
The Belgium city Ghent takes third place in our study. Europe’s grip continues to hold strong, with 34.0% of Ghent’s residents cycling regularly across a recorded 3,163 cycling routes in the city.
Our first capital city on the list, Paris makes its debut as the fourth best city for cycling. Paris stood out as having the highest search volume per 100,000 residents per month at 16,169, demonstrating a high interest from locals and tourists alike in cycling through Parisian streets. Paris also had 20,620 cycling routes, but despite this, only 2.0% of the population cycling regularly.
Santiago placed fifth on the Cycling Friendliness Index. A surprise addition, Santiago is the only South American country in our top five. Santiago made the list due to having the third-highest number of cycle routes (behind Singapore and São Paulo) at 61,522, making it incredibly accessible with lots of places to see. The city also had 10,638 searches per month on average for cycling terms. However, the modal share was only 1%, showing that other modes of transport take precedence.
Overall, Australia scored fairly lowly for all cities in the index due to the low modal share of cycling, lower cycle routes and lower comparative search volume. That doesn’t mean Australia isn’t still a worthwhile place to jump on your favourite two-wheeled transportation method. To make it easier, we’ve ranked the six Australian cities considered in the index.
Melbourne came first in the Australian ranking of the best cities to cycle or scooter in (88th overall). The culture hub of Australia recorded 513 cycling routes, with 2.0% of the city’s population said to cycle regularly. However, don’t expect to pick up a hire scooter in Melbourne, as they aren’t legal in the city.
Coming second in Australia (or 91st overall) on our Cycle Friendliness Index is Sydney. This city has the highest number of cycle routes in Australia at 769, and the highest search volume at 1,798 cycle-related searches per month. However, the modal share of cycling in Sydney is only 1.0%.
Canberra ranks third (92nd overall) on the best places in Australia for cycling and scooter-riding. Despite its smaller population, it has the country’s highest percentage of residents regularly cycling at 3.0%. Canberra also receives an average of 934 searches per month for cycle and scooter terms, though it does have the lowest amount of cycle routes at 296.
Close behind on the Australian Cycle Friendliness Index is Brisbane, ranking fourth (93rd overall). With a modal cycling share of 1.0%, Brisbane doesn’t have a huge amount of regular cyclists. However, interest in riding on a two-wheeled vehicle is still high with 1,792 related searches per month on average (the second highest in Australia) and with 718 cycle routes, behind only Sydney and Adelaide.
Adelaide places as the fifth best city in Australia for cycling, and 105th in the international index. Adelaide had the second-most cycle routes in Australia at 752, offering loads of choice for those who want to stretch their legs. It also had respectable search volume with an average 1,549 searches per month. Similar to other Australian cities, the modal cycle share was 1.0%.
The sixth and final city on the index is Perth. Perth was pulled down by a modal cycle share of only 1.0%, and 1,258 searches on average for cycle-related terms – the second lowest in Australia. However, Perth still boasts a respectable 715 cycle routes to be enjoyed around the city.
While not making it onto the top five in the index, some cities still held surprising results.
Dhaka, Bangladesh had the second highest modal cycling share with 39.0% of the population regularly cycling. Conversely, they also had the lowest search volume at just 3 searches on average per month. This suggests that riding a bike or scooter may be more for everyday convenience and necessity, rather than as a pleasure activity.
Singapore also stood out as having the most cycle routes, with cyclists having listed a shocking 154,862 routes on BikeMap. San Jose in the United States had the lowest recorded bike routes at only 219, followed by Halifax, Canada with 261 and Miami, USA with 279.
If you like to ride around, there are some things you should be aware of whenever you jump on your bike or scooter. Taking safety precautions, such as wearing a helmet, can help protect you on your journey. Often cities will have rules, regulations and restrictions on if and where you can ride – particularly for electric scooters, so it could be worth checking with the local council if you plan to ride an electric vehicle.
Cycling can be a great way to exercise while also being a great way to see the city if you’re a tourist, or avoid getting stuck in traffic during your morning commute if you’re a resident.
Chief Executive of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, notes that bike-friendly cities aren’t just great for cyclists.
“Bike-friendly cities are, by extension, people-friendly cities,” Mr Taylor says.
“These cities are great for those looking for alternative transport methods away from the road.
“If you own a bike or scooter, it’s important that you protect it against damage and theft. Some contents policies will cover your bike provided it is secured while at home, and some policies might require you to specifically list your bike when taking out cover. When looking to take out home and contents insurance, it’s important to compare your options to find the right cover for you and your belongings.”
Rankings are based on a weighted average score that combined three metrics:
Additional sources: