11 best electric bikes 2024: Folding, hybrid and city e-bikes tried and tested

Belgian bike brand Cowboy distils the riding experience back down to basics, and uses intelligent assistance levels for a simple and smooth ride. There are no gears to fuss over, no external cabling to get tangled up in, the integrated lights are powered by the removable battery, the frame strikes a minimalist silhouette, and a clean carbon belt replaces the usual greasy chain.

The onboard motor on the cruiser continuously delivers the right amount of power exactly when you need it, boosting you away from a standing start before levelling off gently as you reach the bike’s 15.5mph assisted speed limit. On hills, where you might think the lack of gears would mean a sweaty upward slog, the motor seamlessly feeds more power into the wheels until it feels like the incline simply isn’t there.

Read our full review of the Cowboy cruiser ST

The Volt London is an exceptional electric bike designed with the urban commuter firmly in mind. The classic frame places the rider in a more upright position – think Mary Poppins rather than Chris Hoy – which gives a commanding view of the road and everyone on it, but the lack of other frame sizes or a step-through version could make the Volt London cumbersome for some riders.

The single-speed system and torque-sensitive motor are the ideal combo for city cycling – where the constant stopping and starting makes frequent gear changes tiresome – while the simpler construction means there’s physically less stuff that can go wrong. That’s reassuring if you don’t know your derailleur from your pannier.

Another helpful feature for city riders is the porteur rack above the front wheel, which you can use to carry all of your important city documents. There’s also an option to add a pannier rack on the back, for heavier items. The battery neatly integrates with the frame, and can be removed for charging indoors or at your desk.

For your money, you’re getting a superb British-made electric bike with a two-year warranty and local on-site support, should you need any repairs or help.

Read the full Volt London e-bike review

Commonly spotted between the legs of Dutch commuters, Gazelle is one of the oldest and most trusted bike brands in the Netherlands with more than 130 years of experience under its saddle.

The ultimate C380 is one of the best electric bikes Gazelle produces. A blend of the company’s touring bikes and city bikes, it’s a premium-tier ride with exceptional build quality, a top-shelf motor and convenient trimmings such as an integrated removable battery and front and rear lights. The upright and relaxed riding position suits leisure cycling and daily city commutes alike.

A performance line mid-drive Bosch motor delivers the power, but it’s the continuous Enviolo gear shifter that makes the ultimate such a pleasure to ride. Rather than shifting up and down a series of numbered gears in search of the right one, you just smoothly twist the shifter around until you’re in a comfortable spot. You can even whizz down to a lower gear while stopped at the lights, something you can’t do with a traditional derailleur without jamming your chain in front of a line of waiting cars.

Speaking of chains, the ultimate ditches the traditional chain in favour of a neat and tidy belt drive. As well being quiet and low-maintenance, it means you don’t have to worry about grease stains on your white trainers.

High-spec hydraulic disc brakes, front fork suspension and a convenient step-through frame round off a superb electric bike, designed for the best and worst a city can throw at it.

The most recognisable folding bike on the road, the Brompton is a design classic. The electric version does its very best to avoid ruining the original’s silhouette, by mounting the battery below the handlebars, while introducing an intelligent motor with well-tuned power delivery to the front wheel hub.

All of that extra weight packed into the nose of this tiny bike makes handling a little flighty to begin with but, as with any new bike, you’ll soon get a feel for how it rides. Once you do, the Brompton Electric is a joy. It’s not shy about power on inclines, rocketing you up steep hills with next to no effort, and it’s buttery smooth at cruising speeds along flat cycle paths.

The Raleigh motus is powered by a Bosch system, which sits in the centre of the frame to deliver torque to the bike’s mid-drive motor. These systems are known for their intelligent, light-touch power delivery. The instant you push off you’ll notice how the motor’s assistance gradually introduces itself as you pedal faster. There’s none of the brute jerkiness of less sophisticated electric bikes – which can sometimes feel like you’re taking off on a rocket – making for a smooth, fun and comfortable ride.

When pootling around the city, this bike’s upright riding position gives you a clear view of the road and makes navigating traffic at slow speeds easier. Pulling away from junctions feels sharp and zippy, giving you the room on the road you need to ensure you’re riding where you can be seen. This is a well-equipped and practical bike built for everyday commuting.

The Volt pulse is a hybrid electric bike that handles as well on dirt paths as it does on tarmac, making it a great choice for commuters who might want to take their bike for the occasional leisurely spin at the weekend. The upright riding position is ideal for less experienced riders, giving you a commanding view of your surroundings when navigating traffic, while the shock absorbing forks, comfort saddle and chunkier tyres deliver a bum-friendly ride whether you’re in off-road conditions or zipping along poorly maintained city and country roads.

Those grippier, water-displacing tyres mean you can more confidently chuck the bike around corners in wet weather conditions too. We found the Volt pulse a way more fun and dynamic ride than the single-speed commuter and cruiser bikes elsewhere in our list, giving you the benefits of rear hub motor assistance without sacrificing the feeling of riding a traditional, meat-powered bike.

The eight-speed Shimano Alivio mountain bike gears give you a lot more control over your pedalling power on hill climbs and on uneven terrain, but if your commute is flat and you never plan on getting those tyres muddy, all that gear shifting at traffic lights can feel like an unnecessary faff.

The Volt pulse is still a fantastic all-rounder however you plan on riding it, and those features designed to improve handling and absorb bumps on gravel paths also deliver a supremely comfortable ride on the road. Included extras like the carrying rack, keyfob immobiliser, Dutch-style rear wheel lock and integrated LED lights round off an impressive package with great value.

The distinctive shape, cable-free design and futuristic profile of the Gocycle G4 makes it one of the most recognisable bikes on the road today. It’s also incredibly fun to ride, powered by a fully integrated battery and motor that combine to deliver a surprising degree of oomph from an unassuming-looking chassis. Hill climbs feel magically effortless, and the petite, 20in wheels are more stable than they appear.

Convenient features such as hydraulic disc brakes, all-terrain magnesium wheels and a chain-case enclosed within a hydroformed frame make the Gocycle one of the best folding electric bikes for commuters living in small flats. All of the oily components are safely out of the way when the bike is folded, and the entire thing can be easily wheeled around train stations and into lifts, using the saddle as a handle.

The latest G4 improves performance at low-speeds, delivering more torque earlier on, to help you push off quicker. The new motor is basically inaudible, while the MotoGP tyre treads and traction control keep you stable during even the most torrential commutes.

This super-lightweight electric hybrid bike combines an aluminium alloy frame with Specialized’s proprietary welding techniques to create a bicycle that – when you first pick it up – will have you wondering whether it’s electric at all. The battery is built into its downtube, and offers three levels of assistance to a mid-drive motor, inconspicuously positioned between the pedals. The only display is on the bike’s crossbar – a discreet battery and assistance indicator doubles as a power switch.

The turbo vado SL is an utter delight to ride. It feels natural in any of its assistance modes, and is light enough to ride with minimal help from the motor. This makes it an excellent bike for those who want to get the occasional workout in, but less so for casual commuters who want the bike to consistently do all the hard work. In the highest assistance mode, the relatively small motor leaves it feeling underpowered compared with heavier bikes.

If comfort is your top priority, the Volt metro is here to answer your bum’s prayers. Fitted with a plush saddle and both front fork and seat post suspension, it’s about as close to riding around on an armchair as you’ll find.

A stylish and smart, folding electric bike, the Volt metro quickly collapses down to a size you can take on a train. At 22.4kg it’s a heavy little thing – it’s kitted out with the same hefty 250W Spintech Bafang motor and battery found on some larger bikes – but handily it can be wheeled around easily enough when folded. We tested the newest model, which adds a magnetic latch to keep the folded bike snug and assembled when moving, though you’ll still want to wheel the Volt metro to the nearest elevator rather than haul it up any stairs.

Power assistance feels especially zippy on the Volt metro. On the highest setting, the motor delivers some impressive torque into the rear hub motor to smoothly and quickly accelerate you to the top speed of 15.5mph. The cadence sensor gives the Volt metro a distinct riding style too. The motor only pays attention to how fast the pedals are turning, rather than the physical effort you’re putting in, so at the highest assistance level it takes barely any effort to maintain your speed.

The bike is heavier than it looks, and it can’t match the Brompton for size when folded down, but the generous power assistance, wide, cushy saddle and comfortable, upright ride makes the Volt metro ideal for city cyclists who’d rather arrive looking fresh than incorporate a workout into their daily commute.

It’s difficult to find a good electric bike under £3,000, let alone a solid deliverer under £1,500, but British startup brand Estarli’s folding flagship e-bike had us comfortably riding alongside the likes of Brompton and Cowboy, for a fraction of the price.

The Estarli e20.7 is a dependable, small-wheeled folding bike, suitable for both urban and country riding. With thick Schwalbe tyres and enough heft to keep us stable, balanced and upright, it had us cruising easily on roads and gravel paths, and features a really fun, almost BMX-like design with striking colours. The removable battery is also fitted into the seat, so pesky bike thieves lose their incentive to steal.

While most folding bikes feature smaller 16in wheels, the thicker 20in tires on the e20.7 Original Pro made rides easier to steer and handle, a real bonus for those more nervous cyclists out there. With simple to switch gears and controls that make it easy to dial in the right level of electric power, the e20.7 is a nippy little bike to ride. It accelerates smoothly, and even when the 250W motor stops assisting above the 15.5mph speed limit, it transitions back into manual gently. It wasn’t a jerky halt, so we never felt it tap out.

While the fold is a little tricky to get to grips with initially, we were a pro after three or four attempts. It even has mud guards, lights and a pannier rack. The rack housed the company’s waterproof, thermally-insulated trunk bag (£59.95, Estarli.co.uk) like a dream, with a several internal pockets and a holder for our water bottle.

The only real downside is the limited range and low torque. It has a range of 31 miles, which is significantly less than the other models on this list, and 40Nm torque, so you won’t get as much assist on very steep hills. The low range meant it needed more frequent charges, too. Look past that, and you’ve got a really good workhorse of a bike that doesn’t cost the earth.

Weighing in at just 10.3kg, Hummingbird’s folding electric bike is the lightest we’ve ever tested and a whopping 40 per cent lighter than the GoCycle G4 and Brompton Electric P-Line.

The boutique UK bike maker achieved this by ruthlessly stripping out all of the parts that don’t make the bike move forwards. You have to bring your own lights and bells, mudguards are an optional extra, you don’t get a handlebar display or speedometer, and there’s no kickstand – though you can prop the bike up by folding the rear wheel underneath the frame.

The handlebar grips are made from ultra-light EVA foam, the chain using hollow pins, the seatpost with carbon and titanium and the wheelset with aluminium alloy, all just to shave off a few extra grams. The result of all this trimming is an incredibly lightweight, high-spec, and very expensive folding electric bike.

As most of the weight is located in the all-in-one Zehus motor in the back wheel, steering feels twitchy to begin with – on test rides we even managed to pop a few accidentally wheelies pulling away from the lights at Bank Junction – but the bike becomes more stable and balanced as you adjust to its peculiar weight distribution.

The lack of suspension makes for a jittery ride on anything but smooth roads, but the electric motor delivers decent performance on inclines and from standing starts. Range is more than adequate too – we’d get around 30km from a single charge, which is plenty for the average commuter.

Of course, the real draw here – and what you’re paying all that money for – is just how incredibly lightweight this bike is. When folded, it’s easy to carry around by picking it up by the frame with one hand. Hummingbird’s folder isn’t as compact as the Brompton, and you can’t wheel it around when folded, but it’s portable enough to take on a train and carry up and down stairs every day.