Insurance companies tend to charge double for bike insurance in the big cities, even though the risk of having a bike stolen is no higher than in rural areas, according to research by consumers’ organisation Consumentenbond.

A three-year package for a bike worth €750 costs around €180 in Amsterdam, but just €90 in the countryside.

In Amsterdam, nine bikes are stolen per 1,000 residents every year. But in the Frisian town of Harlingen, the cheapest place in the country to insure a bike, the theft rate is higher, at 9.3 bikes per 1,000 locals.

On average, 7.4 bikes per 1,000 residents are stolen every year. Groningen has the worst record, with 18 bikes being pinched.