An urban bike helmet is often chosen like an accessory: the colour, the peak, the built-in light. Lab tests are a reminder that it's first and foremost a piece of protective equipment, and that the price tells you almost nothing.
This comparison relies on no in-house testing. It uses the latest published test of city helmets by the German motoring club ADAC and Stiftung Warentest (Germany's equivalent of Which?), plus criteria you can check yourself in a shop. For the basics — standards, sizing, MIPS, lifespan — start with our guide to choosing a bike helmet.
The reference test: ADAC and Stiftung Warentest, 2024
In spring 2024, the two organisations jointly tested 14 adult helmets: 11 city helmets and 3 speed pedelec helmets. Each helmet is graded German-style from 1 (very good) to 5 (poor), on crash protection, handling and comfort, and a check for harmful substances.
| Helmet | Overall grade | Crash protection | Handling and comfort | Price at test (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uvex Urban Planet LED | 2.0 (good) | 2.3 | 1.8 | ~ €130 |
| Alpina Gent MIPS | 2.2 (good) | 2.5 | 1.9 | ~ €130 |
| Limar Torino | 2.2 (good) | 2.5 | 1.9 | ~ €90 |
| Lazer Codax KinetiCore | 2.6 (satisfactory) | 2.7 | 2.6 | — |
| Crivit (Lidl), with rear light | 2.6 (satisfactory) | 2.9 | 2.6 | ~ €15-20 |
| Giro Fixture MIPS II | 2.8 (satisfactory) | 2.9 | 2.5 | — |
| Abus HUD-Y | 3.0 (satisfactory) | 3.0 | 2.8 | — |
| B'Twin City 540 (Decathlon) | 3.1 (satisfactory) | 3.1 | 2.9 | — |
| Prophete ECO Urban | 3.1 (satisfactory) | 3.2 | 2.4 | — |
| Cube Fleet | 3.2 (satisfactory) | 3.2 | 2.6 | — |
| Casco E.Motion 2 | 5.5 (poor) | 5.5 | 1.9 | ~ €120 |
Grades taken from the results published by ADAC; German prices at the time of the test, in 2024. UK availability and prices vary, and some models may have changed since: check the exact model before buying.
What this table teaches
Only three helmets are "good". None is "very good". Across a wider combined test (28 adult helmets, 2021 and 2024 editions), Stiftung Warentest rates only 11 as good and notes that fewer than half offer good protection in a crash.
Price doesn't protect. The Casco E.Motion 2, sold for around €120, is the worst in the test: according to ADAC, it doesn't meet the minimum requirements of the EN 1078 standard, its chin-strap fastener having broken during the protection test. A strap that gives way means a helmet that comes off at the first impact. At the other end, Lidl's Crivit helmet, at around €15-20, lands mid-table with a decent grade.
MIPS isn't a guarantee. The Alpina Gent MIPS is in the top three, the Giro Fixture MIPS II mid-table. The winner, the Uvex Urban Planet LED, has no MIPS. Stiftung Warentest sums it up: an anti-rotation system isn't essential for good protection. It's a plus, not a safety label.
Comfort says nothing about protection. The Casco E.Motion 2 has one of the best handling grades (1.9) and the worst protection grade. A helmet that feels pleasant on your head can be poor in an impact.
Other tests worth knowing
- Virginia Tech Helmet Lab (USA) ranks more than 260 bike helmets by category (road, mountain, urban, multi-sport) with a score where lower is better, and a 1-to-5-star rating. Filter on the urban category and compare scores within it, not with road helmets. Many models tested are sold mainly in North America: check they carry the EN 1078 standard if they're sold in the UK or Europe.
- Folksam, a Swedish insurer, also publishes bike helmet tests with oblique impacts. Its results are useful but vary in age by edition: check the year of the test.
None of these tests replaces trying a helmet on, but they help you rule out the poor performers.
The standard: what the label says
In the UK and Europe, an adult bike helmet must comply with EN 1078 (BS EN 1078 in the UK). It requires impacts on a flat anvil (about 19.5 km/h, 12 mph) and on a kerbstone anvil (slightly slower), a strap that holds and an adequate field of vision. It's a minimum. It doesn't test oblique impacts, which is why the independent tests above matter.
Two special cases:
- Speed pedelec (45 km/h, 28 mph): in the UK these are treated as mopeds and need a motorcycle-standard helmet; a city bike helmet isn't enough. Everything is in our comparison of speed pedelec and NTA 8776 helmets.
- Children: there's no legal obligation in the UK (the Highway Code recommends a helmet for all cyclists), but some countries, like France, require one for under-12s. See our children's bike helmet comparison.
