Utrecht was the best city in the world to be a cyclist in last year, according to a new report which looked at 90 cities across the globe.

The research, carried out by bike insurance company Coya, looked at theft and safety, infrastructure, the availability of shared bike schemes and even the weather.

Utrecht topped the list, ahead of Munster in Germany, Antwerp and Copenhagen. Amsterdam was in fifth place.

Utrecht partly outstripped Amsterdam because of the accident rate – in the Dutch capital there are 1019 accidents a year per 100,000 inhabitants, but just 280 in Utrecht.

People in Utrecht are also far more likely to cycle on a daily basis – 51% compared with 32% in Amsterdam, the report’s compilers said.

Earlier this year, the Dutch cycling association Fietsersbond said Veenendaal, in the province of Utrecht, was the best place in the Netherlands to be a cyclist – and that Amsterdam was one of the worst.

That ranking was put together by combining objective criteria with the views of 45,000 association members.