Best Electric Bikes for 2023

By Rebecca Bland

10 Apr 2023

From portable folding bikes to trail-ready mountain bikes, the world of electric bikes is ever-expanding and ever-improving.

But picking an e-bike can be confusing, with various sizes, styles and types to pick from. We've pulled together some of the top picks across several categories to help you decide which one is the best for your needs.

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Electric folding bikes

Gocycle G4i - £4999

A luxury folding bike, the G4i takes the best bits of the G4 model like the smooth G4drive™ electric motor and amplifies them with a carbon fibre mid-frame and an F1-inspired cockpit. It's great to ride, thanks to the proprietary three-speed gearbox and easy to transport as it folds down nicely into a car boot or for you to take to work on the train or bus.

MiRider GB3 - £2495

Cheaper than the Gocycle but still with plenty of frills, the GB3 is the newest model from MiRider and features a belt drive and a three-speed gearbox. It's great on the hills and even comes with a boost button to help you get up to speed when you set off from traffic lights or need a bit of speed up an incline.

FLIT-16: Commuter Edition - £2499

The lightest folder on our list, the FLIT-16 weighs just 15kg and is ingenious in its design. It may not look like it, but it rides extremely well even on steep gradients with the single-speed drivetrain. It's also the most compact on our list, so if you're someone who wants a bike for a multi-modal commute or for running about town, it's one to put on your list.

Urban

Volt London - £2199

A beautifully designed single-speed urban machine, the London from Volt is great value and offers a great ride, too. The Bafang rear-hub motor works well in urban or countryside settings, while the 504Wh battery can provide a range of up to 70 miles in optimum conditions. The bike comes ready to ride, with a front rack and mudguards. At just over £2000 and offered via Volt's website you get a lot of bang for your buck, and the London is a decent option for urban and leisure riders alike.

Ribble Hybrid AL e - £2299

One of the sleekest looking e-bikes in the urban market, the Ribble Hybrid AL e shines as a bike for leisure riding just as much as utility. For an extra £100, you can buy the Move Electric Award-winning Fully Loaded Edition which comes with a paint-matched rear rack for your panniers and mudguards. It's powered by the popular Mahle SmartBike Systems X35+ rear hub motor and integrated 250Wh battery which can provide up to 60 miles of range.

Canyon Roadlite:ON 8 - £3649

The latest edition in the brilliant Roadlite:ON series, these bikes are impressively agile and fun to ride. They might be designed for the urban environment but nothing is stopping you from riding for miles in the countryside, thanks to the latest Fazua motor: the Ride 60 system. If you don't need the top spec, there are cheaper versions available, like the Canyon Roadlite:ON 6 that we reviewed previously.

Specialized Turbo Como 4.0 - £4300

Although perhaps the most 'urban' looking of all on our list, the Specialized Turbo Como 4.0 is far more versatile than it looks. A rear rack means it's practical and the low-slung top tube makes it more accessible to a wider range of riders. Paired with moustache-shaped handlebars and a Specialized 2.0 motor, it provides miles of effortless and enjoyable riding, wherever you choose to go.

Gravel and road

Ribble Endurance SL e – from £2699

After a race-ready frame with electric assist? Look no further than the Endurance SL e from Ribble. There are a few different versions, separated by the groupset choice, so you can choose which suits your budget best. Like all Ribble bikes, the motor is the Mahle Smartbike X35+ system and is paired with a sleek iWoc control button on the top tube from which you control your three levels of assistance. If you’re after something to help you conquer more hills or keep up with your clubmates when the road goes up, it’s certainly a bike to consider.

Cairn E-Adventure 1.0 Rambler Edition - £4289

The E-Adventure is built for British gravel, and by that we mean it can handle a lot more than a canal towpath. A long, slack frame paired with wide tyre clearances and for the latest Rambler edition, a suspension-compatible frame means you can take it wherever the bridleway goes. Up moor and down rock, it's powered by FAZUA's latest mid-drive system and is available for pre-order to arrive in December this year (just in time for Christmas).

Cargo

Tern GSD S10 - £4899

When people think of electric cargo bikes, they're probably envisioning the Tern GSD whether they realise it or not. This rear-loading cargo bike comes with plenty of kit to warrant its popularity. It can carry up to 200kg of load and can be stored vertically to save space. With room for the kids on the back or your food shopping, it's one of the most convincing bikes to get you to swap your car with.

Riese & Müller Load 60 – from £6309

A super capacious front-loading electric cargo bike, the Riese & Müller Load 60 comes with big expectations and a big price. The front, cargo-carrying area of the bike comes with a bucket within which you can accessorize to your heart's content. For example, you can buy seats to fit children and covers so they don't get wet. The Bosch motor performs excellently, so you never feel like you're struggling and there's a range of groupsets at different price points to choose from.

Mycle Cargo - £1999

If you're after a cargo bike on the cheap, the Mycle Cargo is one to look at. For just shy of £2000, you get a longtail bike with a 125kg maximum carry load, a seven-speed Shimano drivetrain, and up to 60km of ranger per battery (you can install up to two on the frame). There are plenty of accessories so you can tailor the bike to your own riding needs, including child carriers and rear baskets.

MTB

Whyte E-160 S - £6750

The Whyte E-160 RS is a proven bike with plenty of great kit and fantastic design which leaves it at the top of the ratings every year for reviewers. It proclaims to be everything you want from an electric mountain bike. It can pop, it can climb, and it's as agile as a hardtail, with high levels of grip but with the added benefit of a motor and battery to power, you up the climbs faster, giving you time to complete more runs. With the Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive motor and a big 625Wh battery, there's not a lot this bike can't do.

Specialized Turbo Levo Comp Alloy - £6950
A progressive trail bike by design, with the addition of a motor and battery, the Specialized Turbo Levo Comp doesn't compromise on performance. It's got slack head angles, short chainstays, and all the geometry of a non-electric trail ripper. Using their proprietary motor and battery system, this bike comes with plenty to be happy about. The Turbo Levo family has a few different bikes, but we liked the middle-of-the-road Comp for its alloy frame and component spec. Wary of the price of e-MTBs, we think it's a great middle-ground, and if you want to spend more, there are other options in the range.

Trek Rail - £5800
The cheapest e-MTB on this list, but not because it's built with the cheapest components. Rail is an electric trail mountain bike, with several models in the range, and the 7 is somewhere in the middle. Motor-wise, Trek has gone for the ever-popular Bosch Performance Line CX and Bosch PowerTube 625Wh, providing plenty of range for all your riding.

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