20 excellent electric bikes for under £1500

Whether you find yourself commuting in busy city streets, hitting a mountain trail or needing a compact bike, there’s plenty of electric bikes to choose from.

Those who are on a budget may have fewer options, but here are our suggestions for those looking for the most bang for their buck in electric biking.

Raleigh Stow-E-Way

The Stow-E-Way's ideal for those who store their bike in a small cupboard or tend to transport it in a car, thanks to its folding frame and 20kg weight.

It has a 30-mile range and it’ll charge from empty to full in around four hours. Bikes come with a front and rear light and a rear carrier. The Stow-E-Way is priced from £1199. 

Dallingridge Malvern

Dallingridge classed its Malvern as a ‘hybrid trekking’ electric bike, which means it comes with all the touring bike gizmos such as a rear cargo rack and an LCD screen featuring a speedometer.

Its large 14Ah integrated tube battery is good for 50 miles on a single charge. When it comes to charging the battery after your ride, this can be achieved in around four hours. It’s priced from £1349. 

Carrera Impel IM-1.1

Halfords has been dishing out budget-friendly hybrid bikes for years under the Carrera moniker. The IM-1.1 is priced from £989 and has a range of around 20-25 miles.

Pop out the 367Wh tube battery from the bike frame, put it on charge and it will fill from empty to full in around 6 hours. It comes with a lifetime guarantee on the frames and rigid forks and a two-year warranty on the battery. 

Ampere Hilux

This hybrid e-bike sits just shy of our £1,500, with the Hilux priced from £1498. It’s suitable for the weekend family bike ride and your daily commute, and can travel up to 40 miles on a single charge.

Pushing a button on the handlebar releases 65Nm of motor assist. The lightweight frame contributes to keeping the weight low at 22kg, including the battery. 

Estarli E20.7

There are a few E20 guises, but the one that meets our budget criteria is the E20.7 Comfort, which is priced from £1425.

Buyers can select from a few additional options, such as mudguards, a cargo rack, lighting, gravel tyres, camping charger, transport bags and a range extender, but this will shove the price up. It has a 31-mile range, weighs just 18kg and folds in 10sec. 

ADO Beast

The Beast is a bike that can navigate dirt trails and mountain terrain at 15mph and then be folded up for storage. It comes with a 250W motor, chunky off-road tyres and a battery that’s good for 74 miles in the right conditions.

It weighs 27kg and comes fitted with lights. It starts from £1362 and buyers can choose from khaki or black. 

Axon Pro Lite

Another folding bike to make our list is the Pro Lite, which is priced from £1295. It folds out in 10sec, and can travel up to 25 miles on a charge. 

On the open road, you’ll see speeds of 15mph thanks to the 250W motor. Axon offers a three-year warranty as standard, but buyers can extend this to five years for an extra £194. 

Mycle Comfort

The Mycle Comfort balances vintage looks with modern tech. Buyers can choose from four retro colours and add options such as an LCD display, a basket, a child seat and a phone holder.

The tube battery is discreet and offers around 28 miles per charge. It’s priced from £999 and Mycle claims that it will tackle all types of terrain with ease.

Electra Kakau Cruiser Go!

Paying homage to the islands that make up Polynesia, the birthplace of surfing, is the £1395 Kakau Cruiser Go!

According to Electra, the Cruiser Go’s matte frame resembles lava rock, while the ‘Electra’ scrawl is inspired by traditional tattoo art, known as Kakau. It will return 40 miles on a single charge and hit speeds of 15mph. 

Eskute Netuno

With the Netuno, the front suspension is adjustable, and it has a hydraulic lockout feature. Being a mountain bike, the front fork has a travel of 100mm.

A backlit display sits between the handlebars, showing speed, battery status and mileage, and riders can also charge their smartphones. It has a range of 65 miles on throttle assist or 35 miles on pure electric power. Prices start from £799. 

Eskute Polluno

If you find yourself navigating city streets, then the £899 Polluno should be on your radar. It has a top speed of 15mph, and like the Netuno, it will manage 35 miles on electric power and 65 miles with pedal assist.

The battery will charge in around eight hours and there are five levels of pedal assist available. If needed, buyers can spec a rear basket at £45.99 or a rear rack bag at £35. 

Eskute Star

From the city streets to the mountain peaks, the Star is designed to take on harsh terrain and then be folded for easy storage.

It comes with a backlit display which shows miles and speed, and it will charge your smartphone on the go. It has adjustable front suspension with 100mm of travel capacity, a five-speed pedal assist, and you’ll get around 74 miles of range on pedal assist. Prices start from £1399. 

Raleigh Array

There are a few options available with the Array, with prices starting from £1199 — these include the Crossbar, Low step and Open frame.

Raleigh claims that 60 miles of range is available and that the 400Wh battery will charge in around five hours. It weighs 23kg and has four pedal assist modes. Buyers can also choose from three frame sizes: a 40cm, a 45cm and a 50cm. 

Engwe EP2 Pro

Here, you get a bike that will cover 25 miles solely in electric mode (74 miles with pedal assist), whilst also being able to travel off-road. It’s powered by a 960W motor and it has three riding modes.

It has adjustable suspension, allowing the rider to take on sand, dirt, snow and gravel, and it comes with lights all around. Prices start from £879. 

Engwe X20

Engwe offers three types of X series, but for our budget we’re focused on the X20 with its 14.4Ah battery, priced from £1199.

If you’re feeling too lazy to cycle, you’ll get 47 miles without touching the pedals — switch to pedal assist and this will extend to 93 miles. It will take around seven hours to charge, but it folds, making it perfect for those with tight storage. 

Fiido EGravel

The EGravel is almost a jack of all trades being a road bike and a gravel bike. Fiido has fitted it with a clever auto-adapting system that will sense the ride condition and feed that back to the bike’s 250W motor.

It’s relatively lightweight at 18kg and its range is just shy of 50 miles. Buyers can choose from two options: a step-over and a step-through, which does not affect the £1090 price tag. 

Gin X

Even if you decide to tick one of the two optional extras (pannier bag and cargo rack), you’ll still be well
under the £1,500 budget with the Gin X. 

The entry-level X is priced from £999 and with that you get a 250W motor, a 75-mile-plus range, a five-mode pedal assist and a five-year warranty. While it may not be suited to tackling jumps, it will manage hill climbs, fields and roads. 

Eleglide M1-Plus

Another bike that’s suited to a mix of terrain is the £675 M1-Plus. It’s fitted with 100mm travel hydraulic suspension with lockout.

The rider will have 21 gears at their disposal, and it will manage 62 miles in assist mode. There’s a display on the handlebar that shows speed, battery level, riding distance, brake mark and assist level — there’s also a walk mode. 

Emu Roam

This city e-bike is priced from £1249 and comes in both step-through and crossbar forms. Buyers can choose from a 10.4A battery, giving a maximum range of 45 miles, or a 14.5A battery, which increases the range to a maximum of 55 miles.

The 250W motor allows riders to keep up with slow city traffic with its 15.5mph top speed. 

MotoTec Electric Dirt Bike

Finding a reputable electric dirt bike on our budget may be tricky, but this one comes with a 500W motor, giving a top speed of 16mph. It can be used by both adults and children from 12 years and up - concerned parents can also limit the speed to 5, 10 and 16mph via a keylock.

It’s priced from around £440, but due to MotoTec being USA-based, it’s worth remembering that there may be additional shipping charges involved.