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Best Electric BikeTrek FX+ 1

$2,100 Trek

Most Popular EbikeLectric XP4 750 Electric Bike

$1,693 $1,299 (23% off) Lectric

Best Commuter EbikeAventon Soltera 3

$1,499 Aventon

Best All-Purpose EbikeSpecialized Globe Haul ST

$2,700 Specialized

When I first started testing the best electric bikes here at WIRED, everyone made fun of me. (Years later, I can admit that no one at the time really wanted me spending three days counting screws.) Electric bikes were huge, bulky, ugly, and inconvenient. Sometimes pedals just snapped when I stopped at a red light; people on the street yelled at me for riding motorized vehicles in bike lanes.

In the past 10 years, most people have been converted. Millions of ebikes on the road have slashed the demand for fossil fuels. Major world cities have been rehabbed around the use of bikes (and ebikes!) instead of cars. Electric bikes open up the possibility of active transportation for so many people. You don't need to be physically fit to ride one. You can use them to commute to work or to keep up with your faster pals on a mountain bike ride. I ride one daily to take my kids to school. They're just fun.

While my top pick is the Trek FX+ 1 ($2,200), the Lectric XP4 ($999) is possibly the easiest and most accessible way to get started biking on your own. If you don't see what you want, check back later (or drop me a note!). Need more bikes? Don't forget to check out our guides to the Best Electric Mountain Bikes, the Best Ebike Locks, or the Best Kids' Bikes.

Updated April 2026: We've added the Aventon Soltera 3, the Urban Arrow FamilyNext Pro, the Momentum Vida E+, the Ride1Up TrailRush, the Brompton Electric T-Line, the Salsa Wanderosa, and the Retrospec Judd Rev 2. We also updated links and prices. We are currently testing the Aventon Current ($4,599), the Heybike Ranger 3.0 ($1,499), and many, many more.

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- Honorable Mentions

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- Ebike Classifications and Rules

- How We Test

- Best Electric Bike

Photograph: Adrienne So

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Trek

FX+ 1

$2,100 Trek

Searching for your first ebike? I suggest going with an established bike brand. This has a number of advantages—big bike brands have a large support network of affiliated retailers and shops, so you can test a few bikes without having to assemble or fix them yourself. They can also offer a warranty on your bike (Trek offers a lifetime warranty on the frame), but you'll want to check with the manufacturer first.

Almost every major bike manufacturer now makes an entry-level commuter ebike. Trek has two new offerings in the commuter line: the entry-level FX+ 1, the most affordable version with the lighter Hyena motor, and the FX+ 7S, with the silent, smooth TQ HPR50 motor, as the upgrade.

The FX+ 1 has a few notable features. First, it has a throttle in addition to pedal assist, which makes it a Class 2 ebike. Second, it has Trek's new EasyMag charging system, which is nuts. It's like MagSafe but for an electric bike, and just putting your charger on the top tube is so much easier than trying to align a bunch of little pins. It also has dedicated buttons for turn signals, which is fun. However, I am getting much less than the advertised 50 miles of range, so I'd keep a charger at work if you're commuting.

SpecsMotor: 250-watt Hyena rear hub | Battery: 250/540 Wh | Recommended Height: 4'10" to 6'6" | Total Payload: 300 pounds

- Most Popular Ebike

Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani

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Lectric

XP4 750 Electric Bike

$1,693 $1,299 (23% off) Lectric

$1,664 $1,299 (22% off) Best Buy

Not only is the Lectric XP the most popular electric bike, but sales reports also note that it has been the third-most-popular electric vehicle of any kind, preceded only by Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 cars. The Lectric XP4 750 is also the bike that I see most often around my neighborhood—the base model XP4 retails for a mere $999 (with standard battery), and for an additional $300 you can upgrade to the XP4 750 for more range and power.

Lectrics are notably the easiest bikes to assemble—reviewer Michael Venutolo-Mantovani only took 20 minutes to put it together—and it's foldable, portable, and very attractive, especially in this forest green color. It has a powerful 750-watt motor, and even though it had to carry 225 pounds of human reviewer, the battery lasted well over 50 miles in the first week, even on the ups and downs of hills in North Carolina. There were two downsides—the handlebars are a little

Best Electric Bikes (2026): Commuting, Cargo Bikes, Mountain Biking | WIRED