The best electric bikes are an ideal choice if you want to cut down on the time you spend in the car. From quick daily commutes to short trips into town, these bikes can help you get up to speed and climb slopes with relative ease.
But it can be hard to tell how they really perform until you take a ride. That's why we put the best electric bikes to the test, to help you find the right ebike for your needs, whether you want to head into the office or take a leisurely ride.
After hours on the road, we felt that the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus is the best electric bike overall, as it was comfortable, has three levels of powered assistance and the battery lasts 50 miles, so it should easily see you through most trips.
Fortunately, that's not your only option. If you're after a different design, increased range, or alternative features, we've rounded up the best electric bikes you can buy right now. Or, if you're after an option that won't break the bank, consider the best budget electric bikes instead.
Quick list
The RadCity 5 Plus is comfortable, offers plenty of power, and comes with lights, fenders, a rear rack for your gear and plenty of optional accessories. We found it responsive and powerful enough to easily tackle hills. It is a bit heavy at 64 pounds, but that should only be an issue if you try to go farther than it's 55-mile range.
For those who don't want to spend too much on an ebike, the Ride1Up Turris offers just about everything you could want, with few compromises.
If you're looking for an ebike that can go anywhere, look no further. This bike is responsive, stable in all conditions, including snow, has both lights and turn signals, and even comes with fenders.
This affordable ebike has a neat feature: Its handlebars can turn sideways, so it'll take up less room when you have to store it in a hallway or some other cramped space. It's also fairly light, has a great range, and has a built-in rear rack.
This BMX-style fat tire bike delivers some great thrills on trails and dirt paths. It has a powerful motor to get you around, but no suspension.
This lightweight ebike lacks some niceties you'll find on more expensive rides — you'll have to provide your own lights and fenders — but it delivers a zippy ride around town at a great price.
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A truly versatile ebike that can be configured with dozens of accessories. It's also compact, powerful, very comfortable to ride, and one of the most affordable cargo bikes around.
You can quickly fold the Aventon Sinch.2 into a small, book-like package for easy storage, but it's still a capable e-bike for every day use. The suspension is a little soft, but that doesn't undermine the 55-mile range, 20 mph top speed, or comfortable ride.
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When you need to haul really big loads, the Supercargo CL is your best bet. It has a ton of space, yet is very stable and even fun to ride.
With dual batteries, this bike has the endurance to get you wherever you need to go. And, it's often on sale for a very reasonable price.
The best electric bikes you can buy today
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Best electric bike overall
For the vast majority of riders, the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus will be the best electric bike. It has a comfortable design, plenty of power, and a multitude of mounting points for things such as baskets and child seats.
Plus, it comes with a rear rack and mudguards. Its 7-speed shifter, combined with three levels of pedal assistance and a twist throttle is more than enough to get you up even the steepest of hills.
Rad Power says that the RadCity5 should get upwards of 50+ miles on a charge; in our testing, it came fairly close — about 40 miles.
We really enjoyed pedaling around on this bike, which is offered in both step-through and step-over models. Its battery, while not fully integrated into the downtube, provides plenty of range, and can also be used to charge your phone (with the right adapter). The one caveat is that this bike weighs a hefty 64 pounds, so you're not going to want to lug it up stairs.
At a starting price of $1,999, it's reasonably affordable, but you should check out our Rad Power Bikes promo codes for the latest discounts.
- Read our full Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus review
Best budget electric bike
While there are plenty of great electric bikes that cost more than $2,000, the Ride1Up Turris shows that you can get a lot of value from an ebike that costs much less. During our testing, we found the Turris' 750W motor to be more than powerful enough for most situations.
We were equally impressed with how quickly it responded when we started pedaling, as many budget ebikes exhibit a slight delay in these situations. (There was a slight lag when using just the throttle, though).
Other standout features include its mechanical disc brakes, easy-to-read digital display, and bright 60 Lux headlight. Included front and rear fenders helped keep our clothes clean on wet days, and its wide, 27.5 x 2.4-inch tires made for a comfortable ride — so much so that we thought that the front suspension felt a bit extraneous.
There's no taillight, so you'll want to check out our picks for the best bike lights, and unlike some pricier ebikes, you'll have to assemble a few pieces of the bike yourself, including the handlebars, front wheel, and pedals. We also had to make a few adjustments to the fenders, which might mean a trip to your local bike shop.
But for those who want an affordable electric bike to get around town, the Turris should be at the top of your list.
- Read our full Ride1Up Turris review
Best fat tire electric bike
If you're looking for a fat-tire electric bike that's less than $2,000, the Aventon Aventure.2 is hard to beat. It's as good off-road as it is on pavement, has a beefy battery and a clear color display, as well as fenders that'll save your clothes from getting too muddy. Other niceties include a brake-activated rear light and turn signals.
The Aventure.2 has both pedal-assist and throttle modes, and the battery and wires are neatly integrated into the frame. What's more, the battery can be removed for charging. The battery lasted nearly the advertised 60 miles on a charge, but, as with other ebikes, we drained it much faster when we relied on the throttle.
While not as capable as a dedicated mountain bike, the Aventure.2 was able to get us up and over hilly terrain, and its torque sensor was quick to translate our pedaling into power.
Our only real critiques were the bike's 77-pound weight and its front suspension fork, which felt unnecessary. Otherwise, it's an excellent bike for the price.
- Read our full Aventon Aventure.2 review
Best electric bike for commuters
If you plan on commuting to work, Charge Bikes City may well be the best ebike for you. Not only does it come with features like full-fenders to keep the mud off and a rear rack for a pack or bag, but it does everything well for a very reasonable price. The Charge City has a five level power assist, as well as a full-power throttle button, should the need or hill arise.
The biggest reason why we think this bike is best for commuters is that its handle bars fold flat, so you can more easily store it in an apartment or a cubicle at work. It comes with all the necessary bells and whistles a commuter is going to want, including the bell (actually a superior and very loud electronic horn). The bike is available in both step-over and step through, and in a few color options, too.
The City's electric assist is so smooth you'll think you're doing all the work yourself. At night, the bike's lights sufficiently lit up the road and the throttle helped us zip around potential trouble when we felt out of gas. Its advertised range of 50 miles held up, too; we found we only had to recharge the bike every three days using it on our regular commute.
Founded by folks from biking icon Cannondale, Charge's best feature is that even newbies can assemble the bike right out of the box in 10 minutes or less. All you basically have to do is put the front wheel on.
- Read our full Charge Bikes City review
Best electric bike for offroading
The Juiced Ripracer is a lot of fun, and costs a lot less than you might think. It's one of the more affordable offroad ebikes we've tested, and it can go just about anywhere.
This fat-tire bike has 20-inch wheels and a 40.3-inch wheelbase that's meant for trails and other unpaved surfaces. However, its lack of shock absorbers, like most e-mountain bikes, means you're in for a rougher ride.
Its 750W motor delivered some real get-up-and-go, and, thanks to its low-end torque, was great for charging up hills. In one concession to its price, the Ripracer has a cadence, rather than a torque sensor, so you have to rotate the pedals a couple of time before the assist kicks in.
As it's a BMX-style bike, the Ripracer is a lot smaller than other mountain e-bikes, which also makes it easier to maneuver around tight spaces.
- Read our full Juiced Ripracer review
Best electric bike under $1,000
At first glance, the Ride1Up Roadster V2 It looks like a regular, non-motorized commuter bike — the better to blend in with traditional rides — but concealed inside is a battery capable of up to 30 miles of range.
The Roadster V2 is also one of the lightest ebikes we tested — it weighs just 33 pounds, so carrying it around shouldn't be a problem — and although there's no step-through model, Ride1Up offers it in two sizes to accommodate riders of nearly all heights.
The Roadster V2 was fast and fun on flat and rolling terrain, and its belt drive made for a very quiet ride. However, this is a single-speed model, so it's a bit hard to get moving on hills.
There are a few concessions to get to this price: The Roadster V2 doesn't have lights of any kind, nor does it have fenders, and it uses rim, rather than disc brakes. We also found its display to be on the small side. Still, if you can live with those compromises, you'll enjoy the Roadster V2.
- Read our full Ride1Up Roadster V2 review
Best cargo electric bike
How's this for an endorsement? Our reviewer loved this bike so much that he decided to buy one for himself.
While it can't haul as heavy loads as some other larger (and much more expensive) cargo bikes, the RadPower RadRunner 3 Plus is more than capable of carrying you, your kids, and plenty of groceries wherever you need to go. We loved its responsive 750W motor, its comfortable ride, and its low center of gravity, thanks to its 3.3-inch thick, 20-inch tires.
However, we found it to be fairly heavy, tipping the scales at 75 pounds, so you're not going to want to try pedal it without any power assist. But we found its advertised 45-mile range to be pretty accurate, so long as we didn't go too heavy on the throttle.
Aside from its performance, what made the RadRunner 3 Plus stand out so much to us was its versatility: You can outfit the bike with any number of combinations of racks, seats, bags, and other accessories to truly customize it for your needs. And, its relatively low price for a cargo bike makes it a real bargain for those looking to replace their car with an electric bike.
- Read our full RadPower RadRunner 3 Plus review
Best folding electric bike
Most electric bikes are hefty items, designed to help you out when you're on the road. But they're also heavy and difficult to store between rides. The Aventon Sinch.2 is different, as it has a foldable frame, making it ideal for commutes or tight spaces.
There are compromises — the motor isn't as powerful as some in this list, and the battery won't get you as far — but it can reach 20mph with assistance, and the 20-inch wheels are equipped with 4-inch tires, so it can handle most everyday terrains.
We found it pretty easy to ride around on the bike, and it'd make a great option if you need to head to the office, commute to college, or take a quick trip into town. And the folding mechanism is straightforward too.
A quick pull on two levers releases handlebars and the link between the front and rear of the bike, allowing you to fold it in on itself like a book, making the two wheels line up into a fairly small 20 x 24 x 32-inch package.
It's the best folding electric bike if you need to save on space, and our only niggle was that the suspension fork was a bit too soft. However, if you find the same, you can easy switch it out for a more rigid fork as required.
- Read our full Aventon Sinch.2 review
Best electric bike for front storage
The Yuba Supercargo CL can haul an astounding 500 pounds, making it one of the heftiest electric cargo bikes in its class. Yet, it offers a surprisingly stable ride, thanks to its low center of gravity. Its cargo area is very customizable, letting you convert it from a place to carry groceries to a space to tote your tots to soccer practice.
Magna hydraulic brakes and a Bosch mid-drive motor were very responsive, though the relatively small 20-inch tires and lack of suspension did make bumps feel a bit jarring. The Supercargo CL starts at around $6,000, but is incredibly customizable; you can select from a range of accessories to adapt the cargo area to suit your needs.
If you're looking for a cargo bike that can haul more than the Rad Power RadRunner 3 Plus, this is the model to consider.
- Read our full Yuba Supercargo CL review
Best electric bike for range
With its dual batteries, the NIU BQi-C3 Pro is the best electric bike for those who have range anxiety, as it can give you up to 90 miles of range before you need to recharge. And, that's no boast — based on our testing, we found that 90-mile estimate to be pretty accurate, too.
But range isn't the only thing we liked about the BQi-C3 Pro: It has mechanical disc brakes, front and rear lights, and a rear rack so you can carry things wherever you plan to go.
A carbon belt drive is another nice-to-have feature, as it's quiet and easier to maintain than a traditional metal chain. Its step-through design also makes the bike easy to use for riders of all sizes; we tried it with both a 5' 11" rider and a 5' 3" rider, and both found it comfortable.
Our only real complaint with the BQi-C3 Pro is that at 70.5 pounds, it's one of the heaviest electric bikes we've tested that's not a cargo bike, so this is not a model to buy if you have to go up any stairs. Still, the bike's 500W motor was more than powerful enough to get its bulk moving with ease.
- Read our full NIU BQi-C3 Pro review
Also tested
We're continually reviewing and testing ebikes so that we can recommend the best electric bikes for a range of situations. However, these are some that don't quite make the cut that are still great options if you're after more choice.
What to look for when buying an electric bike
Pedal-assist or throttle?
All electric bikes have what's called pedal-assist; you start pedaling, and the bike's motor kicks in to make your ride a little easier. But you need to put in at least some work: you won't go anywhere unless you pedal. Most electric bikes will also let you set the level of assistance, so you can decide how hard you want to pedal.
However, some electric bikes will also have a throttle. Press a button or push a lever, and the bike will do all the work for you — no pedaling needed! Using a throttle will quickly eat up the battery life on the bike, so you'll get far less of a range if you don't want to pedal at all.
Motor type
Less expensive electric bikes traditionally use a rear hub motor. Mid-drive motors located in the center pedal crank shaft tend to be more expensive but offer better overall balance and smoother shifting.
Motors are also rated based on their power, measured in Watts. Typically, the least powerful motor will be 250 Watts, but unless you're a very large person or planning to go up really steep hills, the motor size shouldn’t be a major determining factor for your purchase. More important, there is no industry standard for measuring Watts (is it continuous or peak and if peak, for how long?). So in general, a motor’s Watt rating isn’t a reliable indication of power.
Battery size
Consider where you live. If you're in San Francisco you're going to want more help than if you're cruising around Austin. Watt hours (Wh) is the most important figure for comparison—it takes into account battery output and battery life to give you a better sense of available power. Higher Wh translates into more range.
Many electric bike makers will also include an estimated range (usually about 40 miles) that you can get off a single charge. You should take this figure with a large grain of salt, as that number is usually determined under ideal circumstances: A fairly lightweight person riding on flat terrain with no wind, and at the perfect ambient temperature for the battery. Range is also dependent on the level of power assist being used, whether full-throttle has been applied and for how long, and your average speed. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Removable or built-in battery?
Most bike batteries will handle rides of about 40 miles and need to be plugged in for at least a couple of hours to get to 80 percent of capacity. So if you have a more demanding commute, consider a model that lets you swap out the battery rather than a bike with an integrated battery.
Also, if you live in a place where you can't bring your bike inside or get close to a wall outlet (such as if you live in a walk-up apartment), definitely look for a bike with a removable battery. It will make your life a lot easier.
Step-over or Step-through?
Many electric bike makers will offer their bikes in two configurations: Step-over (which has a top bar that runs parallel to the ground) and Step-through (the bar is angled downwards). Once upon a time, step-through models were traditionally thought of as women's bikes, but that perception is changing. It's generally easier to get on and off a step-through bike, as you don't have to lift your leg over a bar.
Safety features
If you're planning to ride your electric bike in traffic or in low-light conditions (such as dawn and dusk), it's worth looking for an electric bike with built-in head and taillights. While increasingly common, it's not a standard feature on all models.
How we test electric bikes
To help you find the best electric bike for your needs, we put each model through its paces across long rides, commutes, and leisurely cycles. Most of the time, we ride the ebikes on roads, but will occasionally handle rougher terrain if the bike is designed to withstand these conditions. If a particular model is designed for a certain type of use such as city commuting we make sure to test it in a proper city environment, or if it's made for adventure, we'll take it to the trails.
But before taking them outside, many electric bikes need assembly, so we put them together, follow the instructions, and assess how practical and easy it is to do. Then, we take them for an initial ride, looking at the responsiveness of the motor, power delivery lag times, and the general comfort of the bike.
Then we try them out in a range of conditions (bright, rainy, windy, at night) to see how they handle different weathers, and if the built-in lights are powerful enough to let you see oncoming obstacles. And, alongside this, we test other safety features like bells and horns.
Many of these tests apply to regular bicycles, but one of the most important factors for any ebike is the range. We put the manufacturer's estimates to the test, to make sure that you don't get caught out with a flat battery half-way through your ride or while at the office, and the ease and speed or recharging.
Since most electric bikes come with an app to monitor the battery capacity and adjust several settings, including some locking or safety features, we also download the app and evaluate its ease of use, reliability, and the usefulness of its features.
FAQs
What are the different types of electric bike?
Generally speaking, electric bikes fall into the same categories as non-electric bikes. Here's a quick summary of some of the kinds of electric bikes you'll find.
Road bike: These are meant solely for riding on roads, and are designed for speed. They will have thinner tires and curved handlebars, so that the rider will be crouched forward. Higher-end models may also be made out of carbon fiber, so as to make the bike as light as possible.
Mountain bike: Designed for off-road use, mountain bikes will have thick, knobby tires, full suspension, and a burlier frame to better absorb bumps and jumps.
Fat tire bikes: Similar to mountain bikes, fat tire bikes are meant to be ridden off-road, usually on very soft ground, such as mud, sand, and snow. As their name suggests, these bikes have very wide tires — as much as four inches — which helps keep a grip on unsteadier terrain.
City/Commuter bike: Made for urban dwellers who need to get around town, a commuter bike will have tires that are somewhere in between a road and a mountain bike. Generally, the bikes will be configured so that the rider's back is vertical when seated, which gives them a better view of their surroundings.
Cargo bike: These bikes are made for carrying heavy loads, and will have a cargo area either in the front or rear of the bike. Because of the payload area, these bikes often tend to me much longer and heavier — and more expensive — than a typical bike.
What is a good speed for an electric bike?
In the U.S., electric bikes are limited to 20 miles per hour; that is, they can only provide you with power — either through pedal-assist or with a throttle — until the bike hits 20mph. While you can easily go faster than 20mph on an electric bike, the rest of that power will have to be provided by you — or gravity.
How much does an electric bike cost?
Much like regular road bikes, the price of an electric bike can vary dramatically, so there should be an option to suit your budget and requirements. You can pick up some of the best budget electric bikes for around $1,000, but the trade off is often a less powerful motor, fewer smart features, or a smaller battery.
But most electric bikes retail for between $1,500 and $2,500, and you can customize a lot of them to adjust the battery capacity (or buy an additional one). The best folding electric bikes fall in this price bracket, but also have restrictions on range of assistive speeds due to the foldable design.
If you have the budget for a premium electric bike or something more specialized like a cargo bike for transporting goods and groceries, these are generally more than $3,000 and can run up to about $8,000 for some models.
What are the regulations for ebikes?
There has been a lot of confusion about ebikes (pedal assist versus throttle bikes) and where you can legally ride them. Some municipalities have banned ebikes from bicycle paths, for example.
Many places classify ebikes depending on whether they can go full throttle and have a maximum speed of 20 or 28 mph. There are three official classifications:
Class 1: Ebikes that only assist while you pedal, with a top speed of 20 mph.
Class 2: Ebikes with a throttle that don't require you to pedal but have a top speed of 20 mph.
Class 3: Ebikes that only assist while you pedal, with a top speed of 28 mph.
So check your local regulations before you buy. And always wear a helmet.
