£2,000£4,000
Powerful, exotic high tech and low weight
This is the kind of money you are most likely to spend if you are set on a good- quality mid- drive E-MTB, whether it’s got just front suspension (hardtail) or full suspension.
There are quite a number of full suspension e- bikes in this price bracket but only a handful under £3k. The value-for- moneyleader full- susser has to be:
This price bracket also features a slew of lighter e- bikes, usually road, city and trekking models. Ribble and Boardman are two of the leading exponents that use the predominant lightweight drive systems from Mahle and Fazua respectively. Riders using these systems have reported really impressive ranges from the relatively small batteries they use. Here are their price- leading examples:
Boardman HYB 8.9E £2,299
For a reasonable outlay you get the highly rated Fazua torque sensing mid- drive on this flat bar hybrid model from Halfords’ own- brand, high- quality range which all have a reputation for high quality and value for money.
Any kind of heavy- duty cargo carrying requires everything on the e- bike to be beefed up, from the frame to the brakes and wheel rims – and of course this adds money so it’s only around the £3,000 mark you find really serious, well- made e- cargo bikes that can in many cases replace the functions of a second car (or maybe even a first). Here’s our pick of the bunch of so- called long-tails and short-tail options:
Tern HSD P9 £3,600
This is the entry- level shorttail model from Tern so the brand is clearly aiming at pretty serious e- bike buyers, but they are tremendously capable load- haulers with Bosch mid- drive power in a tiny and well- equipped package.
Very few ‘mega capacity’ e- cargo bikes from recognised manufacturers make this price bracket but one that does (despite its name) is Babboe’s Mini- E. At £2,799 it brings all the huge carrying capacity of a Dutch- style ‘box bike’ in a relatively affordable package.
This is also the price bracket where you get really compact and reasonably lightweight electric folders, so if you want something impressively light look into the Flit 16 (£2,499) or check out Brompton’s heavier but bestselling range of electric folders that start at £2,875.