As well as drop bar electric bikes, there's a wide range of flat bar hybrid electric bikes, designed for commuting and leisure use. For a trip to work via public transport or if space is limited, riders might be best served by the best folding electric bikes.
You'll find our picks of the best electric bikes by price point and by type below, or head to the bottom of the page for our buyer's guide to how to choose the best electric bike for your needs.
Best electric bikes available today
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First of all, we've broken down our choice of the best electric bikes by price. But electric bikes come in a variety of different types. Just like pedal-powered bikes, you can find e-bikes designed for commuting, performance road use and gravel riding, so we've got our picks in these categories too.
Best electric bikes under £1,000 / $1,000
With such a huge variation in the range of electric bikes on the market, it can be daunting plugging the words ‘cheap’ or ‘budget’ into a search engine. Just like with normal non-electric bikes, the cheaper you go the more likely you’ll be left overwhelmed as thousands of products from all four corners of the internet litter your screen.
Lower prices will always mean making a bit of a trade-off between weight, battery life, build quality, components, and customer support, possibly compromising all of them to a greater or lesser extent depending on your budget. In saying that though, there are still a few gems to be had for a pocket-friendly price. Being clear on exactly what your non-negotiables are in an electric bike will help you narrow down your search, and ensure you don’t end up with a weighty dud.
Our guide on how to buy an electric bike can help you get to grips with the important elements of an electric bike and offers ideas for selecting the best model and spec for you.
Sixthreezero EvryJourney
In the style of a beach cruiser but with a top speed of 28mph, this is a great all-rounder with a respectable range of battery at 20 miles and up to 40 miles with pedal assist. The oddly named Sixthreezero EVRYjourney also has a model marketed towards women, offering a greater range of sizes for those 5ft up to 6ft, with a reasonably lightweight aluminium frame to allow for ease of manoeuvring.
Carrera Crosscity folding bike
If you’re looking for a budget folding e-bike, the Carrera Crosscity folding bike offers considerable value at a low price point. With 30 miles of range and a top speed of 25 km/h, you can still zip along the roads at a lick without enough range to get you to and from work easily. Its only downside is that it takes about 6 hours to recharge - longer than most - although it does come with a 2-year warranty on the battery life.
Elops 120 E Step Over Classic
The Elops 120 E Step Over Classic is a traditionally styled and elegant bike from Decathlon, with a step-through design that makes it easy to mount for those who struggle with a typical high bar. The range - at 35 miles - is decent for such a cheap bike, offering a smart pedal-assist function that boosts power when it is needed. The Elops comes equipped with mudguards and 45mm tyres for more versatile riding.
Best electric bikes under £2,000 / $2,000
As the price of electric bikes has dropped over the past few years, it is now fairly easy to get hold of a decently specced electric bike for under £2,000 / $2,000. At this price point, you’re more likely to find electric bikes with disc brakes, and perhaps even mechanical hydraulic brakes if you know where to look, both of which are handy in helping you stop sharply under the additional weight of an e-bike.
Equally, it is within this price point that you’re more likely to find models from brands you’re more familiar with, such as Raleigh, Cube, Trek, and Cannondale all of whom offer competitively priced and well-equipped electric bikes. Our guide to our favourite trusted bike brands might help you decide which manufacturer might be the best for you.
You’ll notice that range will likely improve in this price bracket, with some models offering up to 600Wh for a much longer range, and a much better choice of motor - from mid-drive motors to the front or rear hub motors from Bosch, Shimano or Yamaha - allowing you a bit more freedom in tailoring your riding experience with higher quality components.
Manufactured by REI but sold under the Co-Op Cycles brand, the CTY e1.1 is one of the best-specced electric bikes for its price. It's a Class-I bike without a throttle and powered by a Bafang rear hub motor and with shimano components in its seven gears, and can reach a very respectable 40 miles. The removable battery makes charging a bit more versatile, although perhaps makes it look a bit more obviously electric.
Aventon Level 2 Commuter
The Aventon Level 2 is a versatile, reasonably priced bike. As a class III bike, it's comfortable in traffic with a max speed of 28mph and includes a throttle for extra power. Quality alloy fenders and a lifetime frame guarantee durability. With approximately 60 miles on one charge, it is perfect for reliable city riding, and then some. Aventon also offers a try-before-you-buy through their dealer network which we would recommend making use of!
Raleigh Felix Plus
The Raleigh Felix Plus electric is a solid all-rounder, offering a smooth and comfortable ride on tarmac and country lanes for work, and decent suspension for weekend trips to the trails. With a 400Wh battery, the Felix Plus can take you up to a mega 70 miles on one charge, and with a removable battery, charging it up is easy too. An 8-speed derailleur gets you up the gnarliest of climbs, and it helpfully comes equipped with mudguards, a kickstand and a pannier rack.
Best electric commuter bikes
Getting an electric bike for commuting will almost certainly be one of the best decisions you make, making it much easier to ditch the car and skip the morning traffic.
There are a number of considerations when it comes to deciding on the best electric bikes for commuting, including ensuring the weight is suitable enough if you’re having to lift it onto a train or upstairs, the battery range to help you get to and from work, how quickly your e-bike charges and even your cycling position. For some, a traditional sit-up-and-beg style feels more comfortable in traffic, while for others a more typical dropped handle-bar set-up helps them feel happiest on the early morning roads. If space is going to be a problem at work, home or on the train, one of the best folding electric bikes might be a better investment, with many brands managing to balance weight and battery for a much more practical ride.
You also might also want to think about whether you need the best road bike mudguards, lights and racks, or even the capability to fold for better storage options. Remember that your electric bike will almost certainly be covered under the bike-to-work scheme, so it is worth considering that as a way of financing a higher-spec electric bike.
Finally, if you’re contemplating getting an electric bike for commuting, you’re also going to want to think carefully about using one of the best e-bike locks to secure your new ride.
Specialized Turbo Vado SL
The Specialized Turbo Vado SL is a powerful and lightweight electric bike, an exceptionally good option for urban riders who want an impressive battery range and a well specced bike. With up to 90 miles on one charge and an 11-speed 11-42 cassette, it can best any city climb. Rolling on 700c wheels, the 38mm Specialized Pathfinder Sport tyres will take the sting out of potholes while Tektro hydraulic disc brakes will stop sharp.
The Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro is a commuter bike built for riders of all shapes and sizes, with a variety of versions to suit the rider - including standard, dropped tube and step through. The Kathmandu Hybrid offers additional space for battery upgrades and an integrated pannier rack for easy loading. Though heavier than other bikes, the Cube Kathmandu is both powerful and practical for carrying gear.
Brompton Electric
The Brompton Electric is the grandaddy of folding electric bikes, using a 250-watt front hub-based motor and a handlebar-mounted 300Wh removable battery pack to get you enough juice for between 30km and 70km, and taking only four hours to recharge. The bike only weighs 17.4kg too, which is on par with some non-pedal assist folders, with only seconds needed to fold down into a storage-friendly size.
The best electric bikes are almost invisible nowadays, utilising high-quality components and clever design to integrate battery packs. Various components and the best road bike tyres are now typically rated for electric bike use, meaning you still have the flexibility to upgrade your bike over time as you would any other bike.
The technology used in the best electric road bikes has significantly expanded, meaning that the battery range - extremely important if you want to keep up on those Sunday club rides - has never been better. While still on the heavier side, high-end electric bikes can now be as light as 12kg, and even the cheaper or more budget bikes hover at about 15-18kg, meaning there is little difference between some of the best road bikes and electric bikes.
For the best electric road bike, you’re perhaps going to want to consider manufacturer reputation and post-purchase customer care to ensure that you get as much life out of your e-bike as possible, with quick turnarounds when things go wrong.
The Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo 2 replaced the outgoing Turbo Creo last year. Thanks to the uprated SL1.2 drive system it provides more power and torque. Specialized now fits the Creo 2 with gravel tyres, their argument is that with the e-power on tap the gravel tyres let you ride on or off the road without worry. We've ridden the bike and this is definitely a nice advantage.
Trek’s highest value electric road bike, the Domane SLR + 9 doesn’t look anything like an e-bike, instead prioritising those clean lines of a carbon road bike. Offering a 360Wh integrated battery for a solid 60 miles of range and equipped with the Dura-Ace Di2, the Domane SLR has a big spec, and even has clearance for 40mm tyres or those wanting to swap out the roads for trails every so often.
Bianchi E-Impulso Road
One of the most stealthy-looking electric bikes on the market, the 250 Wh battery is hidden inside the downtube, with only the power button on the top tube giving the game away. It features Shimano Ultegra components and a full-carbon fork, ensuring a high-performance ride. Though a road bike at heart, Bianchi also makes the E-Impulso in a gravel-friendly build that will tackle the rough stuff.
Best electric gravel bikes
Over the past few years, gravel riding has faced a boom in popularity like no other. There now seems a gravel version of everything - from bikes to bib shorts to bottles to bags. It is therefore unsurprising that bike manufacturers have leapt at the opportunity to develop high-quality electric bikes for those wanting to hit the trails, and to be fair, having that little boost of electric in pedal assist does not go amiss on some routes.
You’ll want to consider the right power output for your gravel bike - probably up to 500W- making sure you have the added oomph to get up the loose, rocky climbs gravel riding is so famous for, and considering carefully the type of riding you want to do in terms of identifying the range you’ll need.
Mounting points for mudguards and bikepacking bags or racks allow you more versatility, alongside a frame with a bigger tyre clearance. As with the best non-electric gravel bikes, you’ll want to think carefully about your gearing; needing a wide range of gears with perhaps only a 1x, or at most 2x, drivetrain.
Despite gravel bikes generally having a more relaxed geometry than road bikes, there are still variations in the frame, and so you might want to consider how much reach you would like or how upright is comfortable for your position before purchasing. Our guide to the best electric gravel bikes gives a much broader overview of rides.
Cannondale Topstone Neo SL1
Cannondale's Topstone Neo SL1 has a dependable aluminium frame and carbon fork. The rear wheel-mounted Mahle drive system provides a very natural feeling of e-experience. If you want a more affordable gravel bike that for the most part feels like a regular bike then this is it
Ribble CGR AL e
One of the most affordable electric gravel bikes on the market, we love how customisable the CGR AL e is, allowing you to choose every component from drivetrain to wheels, tyres and touchpoints so you can build the exact bike you want. There are Sport and Enthusiast builds available with Shimano groupsets and Mavic wheels.
Canyon Grail:ON
With room for 50mm tyres, the eclectic hover bar, and a Bosch Performance Line CX motor, the Canyon Grail:ON e-gravel bike is anything but vanilla. Based on the ever-successful Grail, the geometry has been tweaked ever so slightly for a more upright riding position. Opting for the Bosch motors for the additional torque and equipped with a Shimano GRX drivetrain with an FSA carbon crankset, this is an electric bike for the future.
How to choose the best electric bike for you
As you'll see from our picks above, there are many different types of electric bike and a whole range of prices from the inexpensive to the very pricy, so there are a range of questions to consider when looking for the best electric bike for your needs, that will help to narrow down your search. We'll go through them.
What kind of riding do I want to use my e-bike for?
The first thing to narrow down is the tyre of riding you expect to do on your electric bike. Are you predominantly riding it on road? Is that for recreation or commuting? Do you want a bike with drop bars or flat bars?
That's going to dictate whether you need an electric road bike or an electric hybrid bike.
If you're more interested in riding off-road, the same questions apply and will decide if you'll be better off with an electric gravel bike or an electric mountain bike. E-MTBs tend to have burlier tyres and suspension too, so they're more competent on more technical terrain. To muddy the waters, many electric hybrid bikes have wheels and tyres that make them suitable for gentler off-road use as well as on tarmac.
How will I use and store my electric bike?
How far are you going to want to ride your e-bike? If you're just using it for commuting the distance might be lower than if you're planning on recreational use. Sometimes a lower-priced electric bike will have a lower capacity battery with a more limited range, so it's worth considering if the claimed range will meet your needs.
In general, electric bikes are quite heavy, so if you're going to have to carry your e-bike upstairs or onto public transport, it's worth looking for a lighter-weight model. Public transport options for non-folding bikes may be limited to specific hours when it's less crowded, so you might want to consider a folding electric bike.
Do you have electric power where you're going to store your e-bike? If not, you'll need to be able to remove your battery easily and take it somewhere to charge it. Conversely, you don't want it to be too easy to remove your battery if you're going to leave your e-bike in a public place. Batteries are pricy to replace if they're stolen and some e-bikes have locks on their removable batteries.
What are the regulations regarding e-bikes?
Regardless of whether your electric bike has a Shimano, Bosch, Fazua, or any other drive system, it will be limited to comply with regional laws and restrictions. This will affect the maximum wattage, pedal-assist speed, and the need for licensing and insurance.
These vary depending on whereabouts in the world you reside and ride your bike, so here are the key things you need to know about regional restrictions in the UK, the US and Australia:
UK
In the UK, e-bikes are classed as regular non-pedal assist bikes provided the motor cuts out a 25kph, does not generate more than 250 watts of assistance, and does not kick in until the bike is already in motion. Riders must also be at least 14 years old. If your bike meets these criteria, you can legally ride it anywhere a bike can be ridden.
If your e-bike doesn’t meet these standards, it will need to be registered and insured as a motor vehicle, and you will need a license and a helmet.
Australia
Australians love simplicity and that is why e-bikes are split into throttle operated and non-throttle operated. Throttle-operated e-bikes must be limited to 200 watts and 25kph, while pedal assist can provide up to 250 watts of assistance but is limited to the same speed limit. In keeping with this simplicity, anything that doesn’t abide by the above is considered a motorbike by law and must be licensed and insured.
USA
The US is one of the more difficult countries to navigate e-bike regulations because the rules will vary depending on what state you live in, and even then, the laws are written in legalese that just about requires a member of your local bar association to translate.
According to federal legislation enacted by Congress in 2002, an e-bike is defined as, “A two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 h.p.), whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 mph.”
Unfortunately, state laws surrounding e-bikes often supersede this legislation. Currently, 33 states have statutes that define an e-bike in some manner while the rest lack a specific definition and may lump them in with another vehicle class. To make things even more confusing, in states like Mississippi there is no mention of e-bikes in the wording of the laws, but a general opinion issued by the Attorney General says an electric bicycle should be classified as a regular bike. Thirteen states have taken up the three-tiered system outlined by The Bicycle Product Suppliers Association which divides electric bikes up based on their maximum assisted speed:
Class 1: the motor provides assistance only when the rider is pedalling and cuts out a 20mph
Class 2: the motor can contribute regardless of pedalling but is governed to 20mph
Class 3: the motor provides assistance when the rider is pedalling but cuts out at 28mph and must be equipped with a speedometer.
Regardless of class, the motor can only generate a maximum of 750 watts, and the class must be labelled clearly.
In the 17 states that lump e-bikes in with other classes of vehicles, licensing and registration may be required to operate an e-bike.
If your head is spinning trying to keep these rules straight, our friends over at People for Bikes have a handy state-by-state guide.
Which e-bike motor and battery do I need?
The best e-bike motors can be located in several areas of the bike, depending on which brand and model you opt for, and generally consist of a front-drive, mid-drive or rear-drive motor system, located in the front hub, bottom bracket and rear hub respectively.
While any of the three options will serve you fine, the motor system location will often have an impact on the handling of your bike, so it's worth considering whether or not you would have a preference.
Generally, a mid-drive motor system is the best of the three, as it spreads the weight more evenly throughout the bike. Since the motor and battery are the heaviest parts, it's better to have that heft closer to the ground and between the wheels, so as not to throw off your centre of gravity. A rear hub motor is generally preferable to a front hub motor too, as you'll be sitting over it to give it traction and it's unlikely to affect steering.
Battery capacity is described in Wh (watt-hours). The larger the number, the further your battery will take you on a single charge, and the heavier it will be. Some motor systems let you purchase a separate range extender battery which plugs into the main battery, increasing range and, in some cases doubling it.
What's torque and how much do I need?
With most electric bike motors being limited to 250 watts output, it's their torque figures that are more significant in comparing electric bikes. That's a measure of how much push the motor will give you as you ride.
In general, electric bikes start at around 40Nm torque. That's enough to give you a light push and help you up hills, but you'll need to put in quite a bit of your own effort. Electric bikes with this range of torque also tend to have smaller batteries, because they're not providing as much assistance, so they'll usually be lighter than an electric bike with a more torquey motor.
Many city hybrid electric bikes have a motor with around 60Nm torque output. That gives you more help with starts and when carrying loads, but results in a heavier bike and needs a larger battery.
The highest torque electric motors can provide up to 95Nm and are usually reserved for electric mountain bikes and some electric gravel bikes, where you need the turning power to keep you moving up steep gradients. They're also found on electric cargo bikes and some electric city bikes, where the extra torque helps with stops and starts when loaded. These motors are usually paired with even larger batteries and add even more weight.
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Mildred joined as Reviews Writer for Cyclingnews and BikePerfect in December 2020. She loves all forms of cycling from long-distance audax to daily errand-running by bike, and does almost everything on two wheels, including moving house, and started out her cycling career working in a bike shop. For the past five years she's volunteered at The Bristol Bike Project as a mechanic and session coordinator, and now sits on its board of directors.
Since then she's gone on to write for a multitude of cycling publications, including Bikeradar, Cycling Plus, Singletrack, Red Bull, Cycling UK and Total Women's Cycling. She's dedicated to providing more coverage of women's specific cycling tech, elevating under-represented voices in the sport, and making cycling more accessible overall.
